Rio's Jardim Gramacho rubbish dump to close

Workers on landfill site

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1 June 2012 Last updated at 22:38 ET Help

Latin America's largest rubbish dump is to close, costing thousands of local people their jobs.

The Jardim Gramacho landfill in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, gained worldwide attention two years ago when it featured in the Oscar-nominated documentary Waste Land.

Thousands of local people earned a living by sorting through the rubbish for recycling. But the site is being closed for environmental reasons, after toxic waste started leaking into the sea.

Zoe Conway reports.

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