Black Friday. Cyber Monday. The buying holidays are here, and with them, stampedes of shoppers willing to forgo the social graces for a discount on the latest iPhad.
But while much of the nation sorts through racks and shelves for gifts to tie up with ribbon and string, a fair share of people around the world are sifting through waste for their daily bread.
In Managua, an estimated 3,000 of Nicaragua's poorest men, women, and children scour the largest dump in Central America for recyclable trash.
The landfill, known as La Chureca, is home to just about every conceivable cast-off from civilized society, from metal, glass, and food to dead animals and biowaste left over from hospital surgeries.
With 60 pounds of reclaimed glass from La Chureca, a family can almost afford an ordinary meal on the streets of Managua.
This holiday season, before you put the spiritless tree and all the shredded gift wrap on the curb for collection, try putting a little something aside for someone with nothing.
