Well, Julie, I can see why you have -17 points.

Yes, people live in garbage dumps and recycle plastics like crazy in places like India. Japan is not India. In Tokyo, they actually bury much of their plastic waste in landfills rather than recycle it.

http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fd20071007pb.html

You can believe the waste gold in the sewers story, which has been independently reported in a variety of places over the years, or not, but you've given no reason here to doubt it.