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NAIROBI, KENYA - JANUARY 15: The Dandora landfill site is Kenya’s biggest dumping ground and one of Africa’s largest, receiving an average of 2,500 tons of garbage a day – around 800,000 tons of waste annually. The dumping ground is located in the Dandora suburb in the east of the Kenyan capital Nairobi, which has a population of over 3 million. The smoky landfill site is spread over thirty acres of mountainous garbage and is home to around 1 million people who live in the surrounding areas and depend on the site to make a living. They spend their days scouring the mountains of rubbish to find anything that could earn them money. Men, women and children rummage through mountains of smoldering rubbish in search of plastic, metal, clothes, bottles and other valuables. Others can be seen with sacks on their backs, ready to bag whatever the others pick. According to a report by the United Nations Environment Program, the landfill site is also major health hazard for its residents. A UN study of 300 local school students found that more than 50 percent of them suffered from different respiratory diseases. The report also revealed that 30 percent of the children had been poisoned by the high volumes of toxic and heavy metals in the area. UN researchers found high levels of cadmium, copper, chromium, mercury and lead from local vegetation, water and soil samples. Prolonged exposure to these heavy metals can lead to dermatological and respiratory diseases. Other diseases common in the area include chronic bronchitis, asthma and tuberculosis. (Footage by Gerald Anderson/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)