Buenos Aires City Mayor Jorge Macri announced this week that he has ordered the local Security Ministry and Police to act against those who remove rubbish from skips, sometimes leaving our city dirty. The people who rummage through trash bins will have to pay a 900,000-peso fine. He must be kidding. Or is he missing the wood from the trees? The wood in this case is sheer poverty – the reason why those people dive into the skips in search of food or anything useful. Therefore, the root of the problem is famine, homelessness, destitution and shortage. Does Mayor Macri really think that the ones who “make our city dirty” can possibly pay those fines? Is it sensible? Is it fair? Isn’t he missing by a mile, really wide of the mark? They aren’t gold-diggers. A few days ago, while I was waiting at the traffic lights, I saw a child emerging from one of those containers. A pitiful image. And we, as a society, are to blame. But our politicians are even more responsible.
BUneos Aires Times, August 15, 2025