“It’s a social problem,” our homestay mother explained to us, as the horse-and-cart garbage collector picked the bags up from the curb.
I can’t speak to whether it’s a social problem or not, but it’s certainly a curiosity that in one of the most developed countries in Latin America, waste disposal is done in such an old fashioned way. I suppose it’s a reminder that outside of Montevideo and the glitzy and hippy beach towns, Uruguay is a very rural country.
Strolling South America 
In Buenos Aires there are people who go around with those carts (though usually on foot) to pick up collectible trash and recycling. It’s normal to pretend these people do not exist, which completely breaks my heart every time I saw them on the street. On the other hand it is not so normal to see horses in the city as pictured here!
Is THAT what that’s about? We saw that a lot in Montevideo and could not figure out what the the heck that was about! Thanks for the explanation!
To tell you the truth , this way is more environmentally friendly, but I doubt its efficiency. Thank you for posting the photo:)
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