Uruguay, Montevideo: Reclaiming neighborhoods by cleaning up electronic waste toxic hot spots
Low-income earners in Montevideo burn electronic trash and electrical cables to obtain copper for resale. By burning e-waste over open pit fires they created “toxic hotspots” in their own communities, sites where contamination from heavy metals and other toxins are so high, it is a danger to human health. The Global Alliance on Health and Pollution teamed up with the City of Montevideo and successfully identified and remediated some of the worst toxic hotspots of the city.
