Within the Indonesian city of Bekasi, just east of Jakarta, thousands of people are living in garbage. Mak Muji, a 55-year-old midwife, and other trash pickers reside in several small villages adjacent to Jakarta's largest landfill, Bantar Gebang, where mountains of plastics, metals, clothes, and other solid waste rise almost 10 stories tall. The smell is so overwhelming that residents recently demanded compensation ("stench money") from the local regency controlling the site.

Muji visits her neighbor, who is seven months' pregnant, and checks to see if the baby is in the right position for birth.

Muji climbs up a mountain of garbage at Bantar Gebang. She collects plastics, glass, cans, shoes, and iron to sell to recycling factories.

A pregnant woman sorts through garbage in front of her shack. When women can no longer collect trash, they often help their families by picking through bags of materials.

Muji helps take care of newborns, including washing them and monitoring their growth to determine if they need supplemental formula.

Muji weighs a baby girl.

This article appeared in the July/August 2019 edition with the headline "Life in Landfill."