Eleven-year-old Urile Matla is the last in line at Mexico City’s innovative barter market. He has 20 bags of plastic bottles from his family street vendor business and is thrilled that he can exchange these bottles for food.
“I see kids who just leave their trash on the streets, we recycle this to help the environment and also because we get produce and tortillas that helps our family eat,” Matla said.
In 2011, the city’s huge Bordo Poniente landfill site, which received over 12,000 tons of waste per day, was closed, prompting the local government . . .
