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Photos: Chile’s Til Til is a tiny town facing a huge trash problem

Fifty-six kilometers from Santiago, a town of 17,000 is the last stop for nearly two-thirds of the 12 tonnes of trash produced daily by the Chilean capital of 7 million. Til Til, a desert-dry community of yellow hills fringed with cactus fruit farms, already has several mining waste sites and the newest among these, approved by the government, will become the last stop for more than half the industrial waste produced from northern Chilean mining region of Atacama to Bio Bio province in the south.

Updated on: Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM IST

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Residents make barricades as they gather to protest against a new industrial waste processing facility that is being constructed in Til Til, Chile. This town of 17,000 is the last stop for much of the trash produced by the capital Santiago, a city of 7 million. And now there will be more. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

Residents make barricades as they gather to protest against a new industrial waste processing facility that is being constructed in Til Til, Chile. This town of 17,000 is the last stop for much of the trash produced by the capital Santiago, a city of 7 million. And now there will be more. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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A train, which is used to transport garbage, rides on its way to Santiago to be reloaded. The trains seem to never stop. One after another, they haul more than 12 tonnes of rubbish daily to the small Chilean community, 56 km northwest of Santiago, the equivalent of at least two-thirds of the capital’s municipal waste. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

A train, which is used to transport garbage, rides on its way to Santiago to be reloaded. The trains seem to never stop. One after another, they haul more than 12 tonnes of rubbish daily to the small Chilean community, 56 km northwest of Santiago, the equivalent of at least two-thirds of the capital’s municipal waste. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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Police inspect the area where a train transporting garbage was derailed on August 21, 2017. Local media reported the train was allegedly derailed by demonstrators protesting the new waste processing facility in Til Til. The Minister’s Committee, a gathering of high-ranking political officials who decide controversial projects approved it last year. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

Police inspect the area where a train transporting garbage was derailed on August 21, 2017. Local media reported the train was allegedly derailed by demonstrators protesting the new waste processing facility in Til Til. The Minister’s Committee, a gathering of high-ranking political officials who decide controversial projects approved it last year. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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A desert-dry community of yellow hills fringed with cactus fruit farms, Til Til has more than 30 industrial projects. Among them: several mining waste sites, a pig farm, a cement plant and Lomas Los Colorados, one of Santiago’s largest waste dumps (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

A desert-dry community of yellow hills fringed with cactus fruit farms, Til Til has more than 30 industrial projects. Among them: several mining waste sites, a pig farm, a cement plant and Lomas Los Colorados, one of Santiago’s largest waste dumps (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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With this newly approved facility, operated by Ciclo, a local waste management company, Til Til will become the last stop for more than half the industrial waste produced from northern Chilean mining region of Atacama to Bio Bio province in the south, according to a report from Chile’s Congress. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

With this newly approved facility, operated by Ciclo, a local waste management company, Til Til will become the last stop for more than half the industrial waste produced from northern Chilean mining region of Atacama to Bio Bio province in the south, according to a report from Chile’s Congress. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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The community has protested, blocking train tracks that funnel trash north, and Route 5, known locally as the Panamerican Highway and a major trucking thoroughfare. “Why Til Til again? Why must Til Til solve the environmental problems of 8 million inhabitants?,” said Til Til Mayor Nelson Orellana on a radio program following the project’s approval. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

The community has protested, blocking train tracks that funnel trash north, and Route 5, known locally as the Panamerican Highway and a major trucking thoroughfare. “Why Til Til again? Why must Til Til solve the environmental problems of 8 million inhabitants?,” said Til Til Mayor Nelson Orellana on a radio program following the project’s approval. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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A greyhound passes by a power line tower in Til Til. The national committee that approved the project says safeguards have put in place to minimize contamination or impact on townspeople. Ciclo said that the site is the only one within the greater Santiago region that is “apt and possible” for an industrial waste site of this magnitude. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

A greyhound passes by a power line tower in Til Til. The national committee that approved the project says safeguards have put in place to minimize contamination or impact on townspeople. Ciclo said that the site is the only one within the greater Santiago region that is “apt and possible” for an industrial waste site of this magnitude. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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Farmer and psychologist Gonzalo Herrera takes a break at his prickly pear and olives plantation in Til Til. “A landfill will change our self-esteem. It will make us feel dirty,” Gonzalo said. The company hopes to see the project begin operation in 2019, according to its promotional materials. Meanwhile, Santiago’s trash problem is only getting worse. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

Farmer and psychologist Gonzalo Herrera takes a break at his prickly pear and olives plantation in Til Til. “A landfill will change our self-esteem. It will make us feel dirty,” Gonzalo said. The company hopes to see the project begin operation in 2019, according to its promotional materials. Meanwhile, Santiago’s trash problem is only getting worse. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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"One more dump for Til Til town would be polluting all our water and the animals that drink that water," Alex Rojas, a caretaker of farm animals, said of the waste facility. A 2015 fire at another large landfill in Santa Marta - much nearer the city centre than Til Til - put citizens here on edge, shrouding Santiago’s skyscrapers and crowded streets in toxic dust. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

"One more dump for Til Til town would be polluting all our water and the animals that drink that water," Alex Rojas, a caretaker of farm animals, said of the waste facility. A 2015 fire at another large landfill in Santa Marta - much nearer the city centre than Til Til - put citizens here on edge, shrouding Santiago’s skyscrapers and crowded streets in toxic dust. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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"Til Til is not a ghost town, it's not just a landfill for Santiago," one local said. Only 10% of the country’s trash is recycled according to Environment Ministry statistics -- putting the country near the bottom of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) nations. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

Updated on Mar 28, 2018 9:43 AM

"Til Til is not a ghost town, it's not just a landfill for Santiago," one local said. Only 10% of the country’s trash is recycled according to Environment Ministry statistics -- putting the country near the bottom of Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development(OECD) nations. (Ivan Alvarado / REUTERS)

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