Member-only story
The Color of Climate
People in Developing Countries Are Being Poisoned by America’s Plastic Waste
New research shows the U.S. is among the world’s top plastic polluters but isn’t doing its part to clean up
This is The Color of Climate, a weekly column from Future Human exploring how climate change and other environmental issues uniquely impact the future of communities of color.
In late 2018, I traveled to Kenya with a colleague on a reporting trip. On one of my few days off, I explored Nairobi, the country’s capital and one of the largest cities in East Africa.
My colleague’s friend, Enos, showed me the city’s awesome graffiti, street art, and tricked-out matatus (small van taxis with TVs and loud music). We rode one to Dandora, a suburb near the outskirts of Nairobi, and walked through the village. Suddenly, at its southeastern edge, we found ourselves staring at a massive sea of waste.
There was no end to the garbage in sight. Behind us was a line of homes, stores, churches, and schools. In front of us was the Dandora Landfill: a sprawling, 30-acre dump dotted with piles of burning garbage.
The Dandora Landfill is the only dumping ground in all of Nairobi, serving the city’s 4.4…
