“For me, the violin means everything . . . life.” —Ada Rios
In Ada Ríos’ hometown of Cateura, Paraguay, trash is a way of life. The landfill is a source of income for the gancheros, or recyclers, who spend the days picking through trash to find cardboard or plastic to sell. As a young girl, Ada wondered if she, too, would grow up to work in the landfill. Most people in her town did. Little did she know that trash would be a large part of her life in a completely unexpected way.
