At first glance, the photo above may look like a painting collaboration between Jackson Pollock and Mark Rothko. That’s what I thought when I saw it and was drawn to the bright streaks of orange covering the landscape. However, the reality is far more disgusting and alarming. This is not art: It’s an aerial view of an area near Oruro, Bolivia filled with trash.
The following photos were taken in recent days and highlight the mounting concern over Lake Uru Uru, a 13-mile-long (21-kilometer-long) body of water that is being described by some media outlets as a natural trash can. It’s not just plastic bottles threatening the lake, though. It also has to deal with sewage from the city of Oruro and waste from small mining companies in the region.
