Garbage-Covered Lake Uru-Uru in Bolivia Is an Environmental Disaster

A lake in western Bolivia is literally blanketed with plastics. Bottles, bags and other detritus make it nearly impossible to see the lake itself. Less visible, but just as bad, are heavy metal contaminants, like arsenic, that come from nearby mines. Lake Uru-Uru sits by the city of Oruro. Oruro is famous for its carnival. But it may soon be famous for the environmental devastation of this body of water. The pollution has made it almost impossible for wildlife to survive there.