10 Places Humans Shouldn’t Be Able To Live (But Do)

At first glance, Manshiyat Naser in Cairo looks like the most miserable slum on Earth, but actually most of its residents would describe themselves as completely happy with their standard of living.

The entire economy of the settlement, known as Garbage City, os based around that which others throw away. Rather than waste time commuting to the local landfill, the residents have the landfill brought to them, with the waste of the city of Cairo going straight into the sitting rooms of the people of Manshiyat Naser.

Stroll through the streets of Garbage City and you will see whole families sat in rooms piled to the ceiling with waste and rubbish, which they will carefully sort through, looking for valuable or recyclable items. Metals and electronics go to the people, whilst the edible refuse is fed to the pigs.

There are very few amenities in this dumpster district, with no running water, sewerage or electricity, but in spite of this, permanent shops and housing have sprung up all over the place. 

Everybody in the city sorts garbage. The effect of this is that Cairo, which has no proper garbage collection, recycles up to 90% of its waste, far more than any recycling efforts in the West.