The three teen boys in the documentary "Garbage Dreams" weren't born into a great-paying or cushy career, but collecting and recycling trash WAS the family business and it had long provided a practical and necessary service to the citizens of Cairo, Egypt -- as well as to the environment.

Community Cinema Series

What: A free screening of the documentary "Garbage Dreams," presented by KETC-Channel 9 and the Missouri History Museum. A panel discussion after the screening will include Ann Rynearson of the International Institute of St. Louis and John Wagner of Focus St. Louis.

When: 7 p.m. Thurs., Jan. 14

Where: Missouri History Museum, Lindell and DeBaliviere, Forest Park.

Watch a trailer.

But as the documentary explains, even the Zaballeen have no promise of job security these days, as the Egyptian government began awarding contracts to foreign corporations to collect and dispose of the city's trash in landfills.

"Garbage Dreams,'' which will be screened at 7 p.m. Thursday as part of the Community Cinema Series at the Missouri History Museum, offers a two-fisted theme: recycling and the global economy. And both fists are striking.

Recyclers the world over can take a lesson from the 60,000 Zaballeen -- "garbage people" in Arabic -- who have made their living by collecting and recycling Cairo's garbage. They are remarkably efficient -- able to recycle and resell an estimated 80 percent of their haul. Until contracting with Spanish and Italian waste companies, the city of about 18 million people had no official trash collection service and relied instead on the Zaballeen. According to the film, the companies are required to recycle only 20 percent of the trash they collect.

Filmmaker Mai Iskander, who was born and raised in the United States, learned about the Zaballeen during visits to Cairo, her family's hometown. The film is compelling and the cinematography is beautiful, even with the mountains of trash.

"Garbage Dreams" has won numerous international film awards and remains in the running for an Oscar nomination. KETC-Channel 9 expects to air the documentary in May.