Women waste pickers from the city of La Paz pose near the musicians of the Paraguayan Cateura Recycled Instruments Orchestra, at the Sak鈥檃 Churu landfill in Alpacoma, in La Paz, Bolivia February 27, 2023. REUTERS
LA PAZ, Bolivia 鈥� In a creative bid to raise environmental awareness, a group of musicians from Paraguay belted out familiar tunes at a hilltop concert just outside Bolivia鈥檚 capital city on Monday, overlooking a not-so-scenic and sprawling garbage dump.
But the garbage was the point, as the young musicians who make up Paraguay鈥檚 Cateura orchestra use recycled materials to make their own instruments, 鈥渢ransforming trash into music,鈥� according to Fabio Chavez, one of the performers.
The orchestra has performed in over 50 countries.
Playing songs by Coldplay and John Lennon, among others, the musicians entertained local garbage workers, many of whom were impressed by the sound of cellos, violins and horns fashioned out of large cans, pipes and other discarded materials.
鈥淚t鈥檚 very beautiful and I was really surprised with these recycled instruments,鈥� said worker Silveria Vega. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e better than the originals,鈥� she added with a smile.
Musician Bianca Pintos showed off her hand-made cello during a break from the show, stressing the instrument鈥檚 quality.
鈥淚t has the same sound as a cello made out of wood,鈥� she said. 鈥淭here鈥檚 really not much difference except that this one is made of trash.鈥�
The concert played out as local officials in La Paz aim to minimize the environmental impact of garbage dumps, especially the risk they can pose to ground water supplies.
Bolivia鈥檚 capital produces some 670 tonnes of trash every day, according to official data.