Romania buckles under its own garbage even as it imports plastic waste for recycling

The Ros family lives near a huge garbage dump on the outskirts of the Romanian capital. Photos: dpa

Romania's capital city might be hours from the coast, but on warm nights, the seagulls that flock over the city give it a seaside feel. They, as well as thousands of crows, are here for the garbage that piles up in Chiajna, on the outskirts of Bucharest.

Near the huge rubbish dump, Viorica Ros, 67, lives with her children and grandchildren. It's a bit cramped, as three families with eight children live in two little houses. Ros moved here back in 1982, when she could look out across kilometres of green meadows, and raised tomatoes and cucumbers at a communal farm close by.