YRE Competition 2023
2nd Place - Reportage of 3-5 photos
11-25 years old

By Andrej Zjavka, SŠI Námestovo.

Slovakia is a country with compulsory school attendance, and yet it seems that many cannot read. Andrej cannot otherwise explain that everything, from plastics to carpets, can be found thrown around the sign with the inscription "Dumping Forbidden" in the Príslop mountain pass near his home. 

Andrej reads this sign and understands that this beautiful mountain location near his home is not a garbage dump.

Nevertheless, Andrej sees this image every day during his bus ride to and from school. 

And so Andrej goes trash picking so that flowers don´t have to grow next to rubber tires or plastic bottles. 

The result is bags full of waste, ready for removal. Andrej has collected 352 bags over three years.

The truck that the Mayor´s office of Oravský Podzámok sends to take the waste to the sorting yard when Andrej calls. 

Photo of Andrej with garbage bags was made by his teacher Miroslava Kvaková.