A group of boys sort out plastic waste before it is sold to a recycling unit.

Waste pickers work in a dumpster in the early morning looking for anything -plastic, glass, garments, etc.- that they can later sell to the waste dealers. Most waste pickers are migrants from rural India who worked as sharecropper farmers or on some other manual employement with very low cash wages. They come to the cities in search of a better life and find themselves with no other option but to work in dumpsters all day long. Waste pickers work in the most unhygienic condition with at least 30% getting injuries from different kind of sharps, some of htem highly infectious.

Men work dismantling engine parts that will later be sold to recycling units.

Two men take computer waste to a waste dealer who will later sell it to a recycling company. A small waste dealer buys waste from 20 to 25 waste pickers.

A young man dismantles electronic before all parts are sent to the recycling units outside Delhi.

A man rests before he continues cutting long pieces of iron that will be reused in the construction business.

Computer waste lie on the street in the outskirts of Delhi, where it will be collected by a waste dealer who will later sell it to a recycling company. On the background, men work dismantling the computer's hardware which will be recycled too.

A boy belonging to the lower strata of the waste pickers looks for metal parts in a car dismantling market, the biggest in Asia, which can be found in the outskirts of New Delhi. Waste pickers work in the most unhygienic condition with at least 30% getting injuries from different kind of sharps, some of htem highly infectious. There are around 50.000 child waste pickers in Delhi alone.

A man sorts out all waste he has previously purchased from several waste pickers.

Waste pickers work in a dumpster in the early morning looking for anything -plastic, glass, garments, etc.- that they can later sell to the waste dealers. Most waste pickers are migrants from rural India who worked as sharecropper farmers or on some other manual employement with very low cash wages. They come to the cities in search of a better life and find themselves with no other option but to work in dumpsters all day long. Waste pickers work in the most unhygienic condition with at least 30% getting injuries from different kind of sharps, some of htem highly infectious.

A boy weights a few metal nails that he has collected in a construction site nearby, hoping to make a few rupees for his family. There is a system of patronage existing between waste pickers and waste dealers, in the form of lending money, providing shelter, etc. A small waste dealer buys waste from 20 to 25 waste pickers. There are around 50.000 child waste pickers in Delhi alone.

An old woman sorts out computer hardware that has been dismantled, before it is all sold to recycling units outside the city. Some families run these businesses in areas where it is illegal to do so.

Waste pickers work in a dumpster in the early morning looking for anything -plastic, glass, garments, etc.- that they can later sell to the waste dealers. Most waste pickers are migrants from rural India who worked as sharecropper farmers or on some other manual employement with very low cash wages. They come to the cities in search of a better life and find themselves with no other option but to work in dumpsters all day long. Waste pickers work in the most unhygienic condition with at least 30% getting injuries from different kind of sharps, some of htem highly infectious.

Market scene in a waste market that specialices in boat engines.

Computer waste lie on the street in the outskirts of Delhi, where it will be collected by a waste dealer who will later sell it to a recycling company. On the background, men work dismantling the computer's hardware which will be recycled too. A small waste dealer buys waste from 20 to 25 waste pickers.

waste sorterers download a truck full of waste, which will rest in the storage area where waste is sorted out and put in bags, the last process before it is sold to the recycling units.

A muslim employee takes a breat in a metal waste dealer's shop.

A waste picker rests near the Red Fort in New Delhi. Most waste pickers are migrants from rural India who worked as sharecropper farmers or on some other manual employement with very low cash wages. They come to the cities in search of a better life and find themselves with no other option but to work in dumpsters all day long. Waste pickers work in the most unhygienic condition with at least 30% getting injuries from different kind of sharps, some of htem highly infectious.

A waste picker sorts out his catch of the day before he weights it and sells it to the waste dealer. Waste pickers remove 10 to 15% of municipal waste, recovering more than 1000 tones of recyclables, which helps to run over 1000 recycling units. A small waste dealer buys waste from 20 to 25 waste pickers. Waste pickers work in the most unhygienic condition with at least 30% getting injuries from different kind of sharps, some of htem highly infectious.

A waste sorter rests in the storage area where waste is sorted out and put in bags, the last process before it is sold to the recycling units.

Waste pickers line up in front of a waste dealer shop to weight their catch and get paid for it. Waste pickers remove 10 to 15% of municipal waste, recovering more than 1000 tones of recyclables, which helps to run over 1000 recycling units. A small waste dealer buys waste from 20 to 25 waste pickers.

A waste picker weights the waste he has picked at a waste dealer's shop. Waste pickers remove 10 to 15% of municipal waste, recovering more than 1000 tones of recyclables, which helps to run over 1000 recycling units.

Young men dismantle telephone units for recycling.

A group of kids work at a waste dealer's shop sorting out metal waste.

A young man rests in a waste market.