For fifty years, refuse trucks have been piling waste into the Severny Samarka landfill in the Leningrad region, Russia.

The 50-meter-high trash pile occupies 33 hectares, and it receives around 1,000 tons of waste every day. Currently holding close to 30 million cubic meters of rubbish, the site is a major concern to Russia¢¥s environmental agency. It was initially intended as a dump for construction waste; however, it now takes all kinds of rubbish. Russians living near the site say that they can barely breathe due to the noxious fumes.

Russia¢¥s environmental watchdog fined the site¢¥s owner last year, demanding an end to the dumping; however, a court ruled that business could continue despite the damage to the environment. Although protests are regularly held at the site, no one takes responsibility for the dump.

Difficult words: noxious (harmful or poisonous), fume (a smoke or gas), watchdog (an organization that monitors companies and detects illegal activities).