Waste Scavenging Under Urban Conditions

Scenes of individuals scavenging through large landfills and rubbish dumps, showcasing the challenges of waste management in urban areas.

Africa, Kenya, Nairobi, Aerial view of smoldering mountain of trash

Chattogram, Bangladesh - 25 November 2025: Aerial view of Anondobazar Landfill where a person sifts through the vast, textured landscape of waste, under the open sky.

Waste scavengers at rubbish dump, Salvador. Mother and son at City dump, Apopa, El Salvador, collecting useful items in the rubbish. Garbage collectors, make money by selling the items.

Garbage dumped at Bhagmati River in the middle of the city, Kathmandu, Kathmandu District, Bagmati Zone, Nepal, Asia

Rag picker collecting garbage in dumping ground Deonar Bombay Mumbai Maharashtra India NO MR Copyright: xAkellaxSrinivas/DinodiaxPhotox

Elderly man searching for recyclables at Lixao dump in the satellite city of Estrutural near Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil, South America

Africa, Kenya, Nairobi, Aerial view of smoldering mountain of trash

Dirty river in Dharavi slums. Mumbai. India. Dirty river in Dharavi slums. Mumbai. India Copyright: xZoonar.com/MikhailxDavidovichx 16641631

Bali, Indonesia. A plastic recycling facility on Bali

Chattogram, Bangladesh - 26 November 2025: View of a solitary figure trudging through a landscape of discarded refuse, a stark contrast to the vibrant colors of the waste.

Dhaka, Bangladesh - 09 September 2025: View of a person amidst piles of sorted plastic waste under a makeshift blue tarp shelter, creating a stark contrast between labor and environment.

A truck dumps garbage at St. Clair County's Smith's Creek Landfill; landfill operators collect methane from decaying refuse and burn it to generate electricity, Smith's Creek, Michigan, USA, North America

Kokelnde Müllhalde, Müllgrube mit Abfall und Plastikmüll, Karstlandschaft bei Vang Vieng, Provinz Vientiane, Laos, Asien *** Cocooning Landfill, Garbage pit with Waste and Plastic waste, Karst landscape at Vang Vieng, Province Vientiane, Laos, Asia 1031609383

Factory industry with stack of different types of large garbage dump, plastic bags, bottles and trash bins in urban area in Environmental pollution concept.

Rubbish dump. Howick. KwaZulu Natal. South Africa

Madrid, 05/01/2015. Remains of the macro bottle held yesterday in Ciudad Universitaria. Photo: Isabel Permuy ARCHDC.

Cambodia, People looking through dumped trash at dump site; Phnom Penh

Bangladesh, Dhaka, the 2021-10-22. Daily life in Dhaka, capital of Bangladesh. Photograph by Martin Bertrand.Bangladesh, Dacca, le 2021-10-22. Vie quotidienne a Dacca, capitale du Bangladesh. Photographie de Martin Bertrand.

Factory industry with stack of different types of large garbage dump, plastic bags, bottles and trash bins in urban area in Environmental pollution concept.

Garbage collector on a garbage dump near Yambol, Bulgaria, Europe

Bali, Indonesia. It is common to see families living, and children playing, in dangerously unsanitary illegal trash dumps. Illness is rampant and life expectancy very low under these conditions.

Dhaka, Bangladesh - 20 October 2020: Aerial view of three women collecting rubbish in a big wasting dump at Mutual Waste treatment plant, Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Garbage On The Ground In The Slums, Sylhet, Bangladesh

City dump: the demonstration of environmental problems

rubbish dump, anlong pi, siem reap, cambodia Copyright: xStefanxTomassetti/DinodiaxPhotox

Bali, Indonesia. It is common to see families living, and children playing, in dangerously unsanitary illegal trash dumps. Illness is rampant and life expectancy very low under these conditions.

Garbage pile up next to a bar on the beach in Railay, Thailand.

Chattogram, Bangladesh - 12 February 2024: View of figures silhouetted against a vast, textured landscape of discarded refuse, where smoke whispers from smoldering piles under a pale sky.

Taizhou Scrap Yards in China

Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh - 08 August 2025: Aerial view of a shanty town where vibrant colours of discarded items create a stark contrast against the impoverished setting.

KHM - ENV - TONLE SAPPortrait of the Tonle Sap region, the largest lake in Southeast Asia with a unique natural phenomenon, which is now threatened.KHM - ENV - TONLE SAPPortrait de la région du Tonle Sap, le plus grand lac d'Asie du Sud-Est avec un phénomène naturel unique, qui est aujourd'hui menacé.

Burning garbage that was disposed of in the holy Bagmati River, Kathmandu, Nepal, Asia

Woman separating used plastics at the "Lixao" waste dump in the satellite town of Estrutural near Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil, South America

The slum of Duari Para in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh, home to mainly climate migrants from the southern countryside where they have suffered the effects of climate change: rising water levels, soil erosion and salinisation. Bangladesh.

Bank of the Buriganga River, rubbish-filled shore, pedestrians crossing over a bridge to the ferry terminal, Dhaka, Bangladesh, South Asia, Asia

Factory industry with stack of different types of large garbage dump, plastic bags, bottles and trash bins in urban area in Environmental pollution concept.

Garbage, mostly plastic, floating on the water at the Bajau Sea Gypsy village on Bungin Island, famous for living in stilt houses above the water and living entirely off the sea, off the coast of Sumbawa Island, Indonesia.

Calcutta city centre, people living on salvaging waste, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Asia

Two boys rummaging through a garbage dump site to earn a few rupees from recyclable waste in the slums of Howrah, Hooghly, West Bengal, India, Asia

Chattogram, Bangladesh - 26 November 2025: View of children playing with balloons amidst a vast, textured landscape of waste, juxtaposed against the heavy machinery.

Rag bundles in dumping ground Deonar Bombay Mumbai Maharashtra India Copyright: xAkellaxSrinivas/DinodiaxPhotox

A truck dumps garbage at St. Clair County's Smith's Creek Landfill; landfill operators collect methane from decaying refuse and burn it to generate electricity, Smith's Creek, Michigan, USA, North America

Factory industry with stack of different types of large garbage dump, plastic bags, bottles and trash bins in urban area in Environmental pollution concept.

A Boy Stands In A Pile Of Garbage, Guatemala City Guatemala

Sirajganj, Bangladesh - 10 January 2025: View of a young man amidst a towering, colorful heap of plastic waste near the riverbank, highlighting the stark reality of pollution.

Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, main market in city with recycling everywhere of bottle metal containers

dirty river in Munshiganji, Bangladesh, Asia

Cuba, Guantanamo, Baracoa

Local boys looking for valuables in the public rubbish dump, Niamey, Niger, Africa

Garbage recycling in Brasilia, Brazil.

Taizhou Scrap Yards in China

Dhaka, Bangladesh - 09 September 2025: View of the water's edge, where vibrant clothing contrasts with the muted tones of containers and the textured pavement.

Bangladesh, Satkhira Province, Pratab Nagar on 2021-10-27. Pratab Nagar village severely affected by climate change, including rising water levels, erosion and salinisation. Photograph by Martin Bertrand.Bangladesh, Province de Satkhira, Pratab Nagar le 2021-10-27. Le village de Pratab Nagar durement affecte par le dereglement climatique, nottamment la montee des eaux, l erosion des et la salinisation. Photographie de Martin Bertrand.

A minor child working as a garbage collector at the landfill

Haiti, Port-au-Prince, People searching informal dump for usable things

Nicaragua, Managua Province, Managua, 'The 'Waste Basket Of Chureca' Has Existed Since The Late 1960'S In The Acahualinca District Of Managua, Nicaragua. It Covers 42 Hectares, Is Bombarded With Thousands Of Tonnes Of Waste A Day And Is Home To Over 170 Struggling Families. By Day Over 1500 More Nicaraguans Arrive At The Site, Some Of Whom Are Children Who Have Been Sent By Their Parents, Others Come By Their Own Initiative. All Compete With The Adults To Find, Harvest And Re-Sell Recyclable Mat

Factory industry with stack of different types of large garbage dump, plastic bags, bottles and trash bins in urban area in Environmental pollution concept.

Shibpur district, Howrah, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Asia

Dharavi Slum, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India, Asia

Africa, West Africa, Ghana, Jamestown. Sacks of calcium carbonate against wall.

Burning pyre and garbage collectors in the filthy holy Bagmati River, Pashupatinath, Nepal, Asia

Garbage recycling in Brasilia, Brazil.

High angle view of a polluted river, Tamil Nadu, India

RECYCLING, PHILIPPINES. Manila. Scavengers sorting through rubbish at Payatas landfill site. . They sell to dealers who re-sell glass, plastic, paper, etc to manufacturers who produce new products from waste.

People in search of recyclables at Lixao dump in the satellite city of Estrutural near Brasilia, Distrito Federal, Brazil, South America

Scrap Metal, Liverpool, Merseyside, England

Langa, Langa, Cape Town

Kano, Nigeria - 27 January 2024: View of the fire-ravaged Fatima Market at Dakata, a landscape of charred remains contrasting starkly with the somber sky.

Bangladesh, Khulna the 2021-10-27. Daily life in Khulna (Bengali: লনা), the third largest city in Bangladesh and the capital of Khulna division. Photograph by Martin Bertrand.Bangladesh, Khulna le 2021-10-27. Quotidien a Khulna (bengali : লনা), troisieme plus grande ville du Bangladesh et capitale de la division de Khulna.

Rubbish to recycle, Sundarbans, India

Slum quarter, Shibpur district, Howrah, Kolkata, West Bengal, India, Asia

Gypsy settlement BELGRADE, SERBIA - MAY 18: Gypsy settlement in Belgrade on MAY 18, 2014. Gypsy settlement after floods in Belgrade, Serbia. Copyright: xZoonar.com/MarkoxBericx 11049750

Children playing at a place littered with garbage while donkeys searching in the garbage for food in Timbuktu, Mali, a city on the edge of the Sahara.

Workers clear plastic and other debris from the grinding head of a digging machine along the polluted banks of the Karnaphuli River in Chittagong. Piles of garbage have contaminated the river, accumulating along the banks and harming both the marine ecosystem and human health. Bangladesh.

Women are risking their lives to wash cement bags beside the Surma River in Sylhet. It is harmful to their health, and plastic dust is filling the river bed too which damages the environment. Exposure to high levels of cement dust irritates their nose and throat, which could lead to occupational asthma and other illnesses. Mortar can also contain respirable crystalline silica (RCS), which is also found in concrete and can lead to the development of silicosis or scarring of the lungs, which results in a loss of lung function and severe shortness of breath. Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Aerial view of a vast landfill where heavy machinery and numerous people are dwarfed by the sheer volume of waste, Dhaka, Dhaka Division, Bangladesh.

Illegal gypsy colony Illegal camp settlement of ethnic Gypsies Romani Copyright: xZoonar.com/MarkoxBericx 6786750

Polluted areas near Pushkar, Rajasthan, India.

in ethiopia africa the discard garbage and plastic bottle near the city. the discard garbage and plastic bottle

Collective washing in a river at Sao Tome Island, Republic of Sao Tome and Principe, Africa

Garbage being prepared for compacting trash in sanitary landfill of the city of Goiania, Brazil

Garbage collector carries cloth garbage on tricycle, Gazipur dumping ground, Delhi, India Copyright: xSubhashxSharma/DinodiaxPhotox

Verrostetes Altmetall auf einem Recyclinghof

Women workers in Sylhet, Bangladesh, risk their lives unloading abandoned cement bags near the Surma River, unaware of the severe health risks. Prolonged exposure to cement and plastic dust irritates their respiratory systems, potentially causing occupational asthma and silicosis due to respirable crystalline silica (RCS). Contamination of the riverbed further exacerbates the issue, highlighting the need for better health awareness and protective measures. Sylhet, Bangladesh.

Sirajganj, Bangladesh - 10 January 2025: View of a person sitting in front of a landfill, amidst the colorful chaos of discarded plastic and waste, a stark contrast to the individual's masked face.

Sirajganj, Bangladesh - 10 January 2025: View of a young boy amidst a landscape of stark, dark plastic containers, contrasting with the pale building behind him.

Vehicles and Debris Choke Canal

Passing Havana (off). With more than 2 million people, the Cuban capital is not lacking in vitality. It is a city that moves , a city that will soon. Here it is as much in the street than at home . Carts roam there selling fruit , cookies and other everyday products . noisy children the means to play with whatever they find ; the whole city is their playing field. The buildings and sidewalks being increasingly faded , a renovation plan of the city has been ongoing for several years. Building sites abound and signs proudly displayed the new architectural projects. Through this series, a moment of Havana is fixed, different from the previous and next . La Havane passagère (off). Avec plus de 2 millions dhabitants, la capitale cubaine ne manque pas de vitalité. Cest une ville qui sagite, une ville qui va vite.Ici, on est autant dans la rue que chez soi. Des chariots y déambulent vendant fruits, biscuits et autres produits du quotidien. On entend les enfants jouer bruyamment avec tout

Dumping ground Deonar Bombay Mumbai Maharashtra India Copyright: xAkellaxSrinivas/DinodiaxPhotox

Boy running through Smokey Mountain rubbish dump carrying bags

Poverty and ruins on the sea shore in Nha Trang, Vietnam

Bangladesh, Satkhira Province, Pratab Nagar on 2021-10-27. Pratab Nagar village severely affected by climate change, including rising water levels, erosion and salinisation. Photograph by Martin Bertrand.Bangladesh, Province de Satkhira, Pratab Nagar le 2021-10-27. Le village de Pratab Nagar durement affecte par le dereglement climatique, nottamment la montee des eaux, l erosion des et la salinisation. Photographie de Martin Bertrand.

Debris and trash lay scattered on Girgaum Chowpatty in Bombay now Mumbai, Maharashtra, India Copyright: xAkellaxSrinivas/DinodiaxPhotox

The Pratab Nagar village is severely affected by climate change, including rising water levels, erosion and salinisation. Satkhira Province, Bangladesh.

Fishing boats seen early morning before the International Ocean Conservancy beach clean up in Manila Bay, Philippines.

Schrottplatz

Animal market grounds polluted mostly with plastic bags. Suburbs of Omdurman, Sudan.

Wild rubbish dump in Africa, Banjul, in Gambia, 16.06.2021., Banjul, Gambia, Africa

Kokelnde Müllhalde, Müllgrube mit Abfall und Plastikmüll, Karstlandschaft bei Vang Vieng, Provinz Vientiane, Laos, Asien *** Cocooning Landfill, Garbage pit with Waste and Plastic waste, Karst landscape at Vang Vieng, Province Vientiane, Laos, Asia 1031609384

Slum, filthy canal, huts, poverty, waste, Manila, Luzon, Philippines, Asia

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