Cell phones are like potato chips — you can’t have just one. Whether it’s because a new, more desirable phone came out or because we changed carriers, we’ve all ended up with a few old phones lying around somewhere, gathering dust, waiting for that day when we’ll get around to recycling them like we always say we will. And, chances are, that dusty box in the closet also contains a few extra batteries from days of yore.

You may think that a rechargeable battery that no longer works is not worth recycling, since it can’t be repurposed the way old cell phone parts may be, but in reality, it’s extra important to recycle your cell phone batteries. According to the advocacy group Californians Against Waste, more than 80% of rechargeable batteries contain the hazardous heavy metals nickel and cadmium — stuff you do not want seeping into your water supply. However, as of only a few years ago, less than 20% of rechargeable batteries were recycled. In California alone, more than 34,000 tons (tons!) of batteries were sent to landfills in 2004.

It doesn’t have to be this way. There are a growing number of cell phone and cell phone battery recycling options out there, many of which are organized by major retailers, making them convenient for most Americans. You can search 1-800-RECYCLING.com to find recycling locations near you. Near my home, you can drop off rechargeable batteries to be properly disposed of at several AT&T, Verizon and Radio Shack locations — and many other facilities as well.

So, you no longer have an excuse to allow that dusty box to sit in the closet for one more day! Get out there and recycle those batteries!

Gather your troops

Start an environmental group on your campus to mobilize like-minded peers. Once you have found a few green friends to join your group, spark interest among other students by talking the talk and walking the walk. Stop throwing away paper on campus, and ask computer lab staff, librarians and teachers if they mind adding a recycling bin to see how many students use it instead of the wastebasket. Since there is not a recycling program in place, you may have to take responsibility yourself by collecting recycling and transporting it to a recycling facility.

Get the facts

Find out how much your school is wasting by not recycling. If you collect recycling on your own from even a portion of the campus (including paper, plastic bottles, aluminum cans, etc.), document what you collect accurately and often. Taking pictures and/or video can add visuals to your case, which can further the effectiveness of your project. After obtaining permission from the school, you could even do an inventory of wasted food from the cafeteria or food court. Could you use the food stats to start a school compost program? Could the extra food be donated to a local charity or food bank? Take a poll or start a petition to show how many students and faculty are in support of a recycling program.

Present findings professionally and logically

Schedule a meeting with relevant school officials. If you are not sure who to talk to, ask your school’s guidance counselor, the school secretary, your principal or a respected teacher. How many times have you prepared PowerPoint presentations for topics in school? Use your knowledge and creativity to present your findings in a logical way. Show not only how recycling and reducing waste would benefit the environment, but also how it would benefit your school. Examine possible tax incentives and government aid by implementing a recycling program, donating food to local food banks and upgrading to energy-efficient products. Use numbers, graphs, student and faculty testimony and environmental impact to state your case. Come up with a clear plan for recycling, such as providing paper recycling bins in classrooms, plastic and aluminum recycling bins in hallways, and one electronic recycling bin in a common space on your school campus.

If you want to implement a recycling program, map out your plan carefully and use your resources. Ask parents, friends, teachers and local environmental groups for help. The rewards will be more than worth the effort. Check out tips from DoSomething.org and the EPA to begin a strong recycling program at school that will last long after you graduate.

Old habits die hard. Our culture is all about consumption and upgrading to the latest greatest thing, whatever that may be. While it’s in our nature to use something once and discard it in record speed without so much as batting an eyelash, anyone who has a pulse on the state of the world knows that the tide is finally beginning to turn in Mother Nature’s favor.

In addition to countless other industries, concert organizers are increasingly trying to green up their act through the implementation of creative new efforts that help consumers to tread lightly.

Ever had to pay a refundable deposit for a reusable plastic cup at a concert? If it hasn’t happened to you yet, it’s the wave of the future, so be prepared. There is no reason why any of us should be drinking beverages out of one-time-use cups and then chucking them — in fact, imagine removing the garbage pail from the equation altogether. That’s what the Incredible Cup Company is doing with its fully recyclable eco-glasses that are used at least 100 times before being transformed into household PVC pipes. Their concept is highly unique, since they charge a fully refundable deposit up front that encourages consumers to return their empties to the concession stand, significantly reducing the potential for waste.

A Greener Festival takes it to the next level by helping global events such as America’s Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival and Great Britain’s Bestival and Glastonbury (among many others) adopt greener practices through education and resources. While it’s beneficial to offer water bottles made with 100% recycled PET content, they feel that concert organizers can set a far greener standard by instead selling reusable bottles that come with automatic free H₂0 refills. Reward incentives are yet another concept that they believe can encourage responsible eco-crowd stewardship.

North Carolina-based Clean Vibes recognizes that despite the greatest green intentions, there will inevitably be piles of waste to contend with. The company’s sole purpose is to sift through material, properly collating it into recyclable and compostable piles that can then be efficiently processed. Wrap your brain around these eco-coups: In 2009, following San Francisco’s Outside Lands concert, Clean Vibes successfully diverted 68% of the material that was initially destined for landfills (the equivalent of 63,400 pounds of recyclable waste and 31,800 pounds of compostable waste), and at Tennessee’s Bonnaroo festival, they diverted 65% of landfill-bound waste (the equivalent of a staggering 261,480 pounds of recyclable material and 60,000 pounds of compostable material).

While Clean Vibes tackles a seemingly dirty business that very few would willingly partake in, it is a very necessary service with huge rewards for our environment, concert organizers and attendees. For those who are truly inspired by their business model and eco-mission, there are several upcoming opportunities to volunteer as a member of the cleanup crew.

Of course, we are all capable of making post-concert cleanup efforts a little easier without breaking much of a sweat. At the next outdoor event you attend, how about treating the site the same way you would of your very own home? If that’s still challenging for some inexplicable reason, remember that it takes just one split second to do the right thing and half a second to drop a plastic bottle or aluminum can in the proper recycling bin.

Although I hate roller coasters (much to my boyfriend’s chagrin), I do love a good amusement park. The fried foods, the Ferris wheels, the actors walking around in oversized cartoon suits — that’s all good stuff.

However, I also associate theme and amusement parks with waste. No matter how well the park is maintained, it seems like every few feet there are trashcans overflowing with plastic bottles and other recyclable materials. In addition to all the refuse, there are the giant rides and other attractions, all covered in flashing lights, using up electricity like crazy.

So, what can be done? For one thing, you can check with your local amusement park to see if it has recycling or energy conservation programs, and if it doesn’t, request that they be considered. There are also several theme parks out there that already have instituted eco-friendly initiatives. If they’re close to you, check them out! And, if nothing else, they offer good models for other theme parks to emulate.

Six Flags is at the forefront of theme park conservation.

Six Flags, one of the most popular amusement park chains in the country, last year launched an effort to convert all of its diesel-powered vehicles to run on vegetable oil generated in Six Flags kitchens; reduce the consumption of electricity by switching to LED lamps and lights; install low-flow, high-efficiency water fixtures; plant water-saving vegetation and groundcover; and, in partnership with Coca-Cola, add several thousand additional recycling bins to its parks.

Another big amusement park player, the Walt Disney Company, has its own environmental policy that focuses on minimizing waste, conserving water and energy, reducing greenhouse gas emissions and protecting local ecosystems.

If you’re ever on the other side of the pond, Tivoli Gardens in Copenhagen is apparently one of the greenest (not to mention oldest) amusement parks in the world. Like Six Flags, the park uses biofuel for its vehicles and LED lights whenever possible. It also has an impressive recycling program that keeps some 1.2 million plastic cups out of landfills each year; uses environmentally friendly cleaning products; utilizes local, seasonal and vegetarian ingredients in its eateries; and even has a wind turbine that the park hopes will one day be able to power the entire space. (I love Europe!)

Did you go to any theme or amusement parks this summer? If so, what (if any) recycling or energy conservation efforts did you notice?

Touted as an “indispensable handbook to recycling today,” “Recycle: The Essential Guide” gives readers 220 pages of recycling information for six common material categories: paper, glass, metal, plastic, household and office waste and compost.

For those that would like a peek, My Zero Waste is giving away three free copies (it retails for about $30). All you have to do is leave a comment on the blog post. Even if you don’t win the giveaway, My Zero Waste provides information on saving 40% when buying directly from the publisher — not too shabby!

The University of Washington is trying to change this fact. One UW news article written in early 2009 details one employee’s initiative to find the most sustainable solution for old, worn-out carpets. Operating with the conviction to do something “green” with the no longer necessary floor covering, Breona Gutschmidt, a facility services employee at UW, brings her struggle of finding an eco-friendly (and budget sensitive) option to campus.

Gutschmidt found a local company, Recovery 1, based in Tacoma, WA, that recovers and recycles not only carpeting, but also construction debris, land-clearing debris, unpainted wood, cement siding, railway cross ties, fiberglass and much, much more. In all of its operations, Recovery 1 has reclaimed over 1 million tons of material that would otherwise plug a landfill.

Gutschmidt’s journey is one shared by many throughout the United States — and surely the world. As people throw the status quo cycle of “buy, use, trash” to the wind, more and more cradle-to-cradle initiatives are growing. And, as the outcry for environmentally friendly services grows, so does the business opportunity.

Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) is an initiative tackling the issue of trashed carpeting head on. According to the company website, CARE has successfully kept billions of pounds of carpet out of our landfills. That’s right, billions, with a “b.” And, while these numbers are staggering, the number that really hit home is the little counter featured on CARE’s website that counts up all of the pounds of carpeting saved from lying uselessly in a junk pile while visiting the site. While spending roughly 10 minutes on the website, CARE has already saved 23,000 pounds from heading to the junk heap.

More statistics are offered from yet another company that has an interest in saving fuzzy flooring from an unnecessary demise. Color Your Carpet is a Jacksonville, FL-based flooring company that does exactly what the name implies — carpet coloring.

Motivated by the goal of making such fabric last much longer, Color Your Carpet offers the “only, onsite, fulltime, 100% carpet dyeing & color restoration service in the world.” By recoloring one’s carpet, property owners have a cost-effective alternative to throwing out their carpet when one area gets dull or the color no longer matches the design scheme. Color Your Carpet’s website also offers some incredible statistics:

• Roughly 4 billion pounds of carpet still arrives in landfills every year (that’s 800 millions square yards).
• An estimated 9 billion pounds of carpet is sold in the United States annually.
• The Carpet and Rug Industry (CRI) estimates that 70% of trashed carpet annually is thrown out for reasons other than wear. The following reasons top the list:
  • The owner states the carpet was the wrong color or an outdated color.
  • The owner was tired of the current color and wanted a change.
  • The owner states that the carpet is ugly, discolored or warn out.
• Of all floor covering, carpet accounts for 72% of the market.

Statistics like the above certainly bring the importance of recycling such an endlessly useful product to light. This sneak peak into the world of carpeting should certainly make you think a little greener when you view the warm, fuzzy material we take for granted every day.

Designed to make the recycling process easy and more accessible, 1-800-RECYCLING.com will now also be recommending 1-800-GOT-JUNK? as a service for times when no one else is able to “take it away.” The concept will provide a new accessibility to recycling for the elderly or infirm, for single parents or those who simply have no time but still want their space back and still want to “do the right thing.”

ERI's John Shegerian and 1-800-GOT-JUNK? founder Brian Scudamore

1-800-RECYCLING provides information about recycling services and facilities to anyone, anywhere by ZIP code. But in cases where there’s no service or facility suitable in the area, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? will now be their recommended service.

Of the partnership, Brian Scudamore, founder and CEO of 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, said, “1-800-RECYCLING is doing an important thing, providing information on responsible and accessible recycling to people all across the United States. We are very happy to partner with them and offer their users another alternative while helping to keep recyclable waste out of the garbage.”

“It’s a perfect partnership,” said John Shegerian, Chairman and CEO of Electronic Recyclers International, the nation’s leading recycler of electronics and e-waste, and parent company of 1-800-RECYCLING.com. “While we each provide different services, they are very complementary, and we are both dedicated to making life easier for the average person who simply wants to recycle everything in an environmentally responsible manner. We are honored to be teaming the two brands together!”

Both organizations hope that the partnership will provide users across the country with more accessible options to divert their waste from landfills. As of now, users of 1-800-RECYCLING.com will be able to book junk removal jobs quickly and easily by phone at, 1-800-GOT-JUNK? or online at 1800gotjunk.com, and avoid the dead end of the garbage truck.

Marat/Sebastiao — Pictures of Garbage. Photograph by Vik Muniz, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

If you think that Vik Muniz’s work looks like it stinks, then you’d be mistaken; while the artist works in garbage, he trades in photographs. Indeed, for the portraits seen in these pictures, Muniz collected junk from Jardim Gramacho, the world’s largest dump, found on the outskirts of Rio de Janeiro.

The Gipsy Magna — Pictures of Garbage. Photograph by Vik Muniz, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

To make the pieces, Muniz collaborated with the local catadores, the people who make their living from picking over and recycling the rubbish that fills the gigantic dump. Muniz’s original plan had been to paint the workers with garbage, but upon working with them, the project became a collaboration. After posing so that Muniz could sketch them, the catadores went on to help the artist to actually build the designs, filling them out with garbage. In several of the images, you can see that the models are wearing jackets with the word “catadores” printed across the chest.

B/W photo of Magna. Photograph by Vik Muniz, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

One of the people he met was Tiao, the head of the Catadores Union, who loves to read and can’t stand to see books thrown out. He posed as Marat, originally by Jacques-Louis David (“The Death of Marat”), seen top. Above is a photograph of Magna, who fell on hard times after losing her job. However, she says she would rather work as a catadore than as a prostitute. The image below shows the artist comparing the original photo (seen above) with the design that it would inspire.

Vik Muniz looks down at Magna’s photo and portrait. Screengrab from Wasteland, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

Other pickers say that however little they can manage, they take pride in reducing the level of waste in the dump and reducing its environmental impact.

View down onto Irma’s portrait on the floor. Photograph by Vik Muniz, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

For Muniz, who describes himself as a “low-tech illusionist,” the paintings aren’t the finished product — instead, he photographs the decidedly temporary pieces, capturing them on film as “photographic delusions.” As an artist, he then trades in prints of the lost originals.

Close-up of Irma’s face in portrait. Screengrab from Wasteland, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

Frequently copying widely recognized images, there is a playfulness to Muniz’s work — the photographs, which are now all that remain, are copies of a transitory piece, which is itself a copy of a mass-produced image, taken from a centuries-old original.

Vik takes photo of Tiao as Marat (as seen top). Screengrab from Wasteland, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

As well as working in junk, Muniz has worked in chocolate syrup, in caviar and in diamonds. He has gone as far as to make Leonardo’s “The Last Supper” in chocolate sauce and the “Mona Lisa” in peanut butter and jelly. Indeed, garbage is only one of the many perishables that Muniz has worked in.

Fabio and Tiao point down at Marat portrait (as seen top). Screengrab from Wasteland, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

While Muniz has lived in New York for the last 27 years, his origins are rather closer to Rio — he was born in São Paulo in 1961, where his mother was a switchboard operator and his father was a bartender. He has previously donated the proceeds of charity auctions of his work to the Centro Espacial Rio de Janeiro, an arts organization for poor children and teenagers in the city.

Vik at Jardim Gramacho beside Magna (who posed for “The Gipsy Magna”). Photograph by Camila Girandelli, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

Muniz’s taste for temporary art began early in his career when he started photographing his pieces, before the photographs eventually replaced the three-dimensional originals.

Vik at Jardim Gramacho. Photograph by Fabio Ghivelder, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

Then came a breakthrough when, after a time spent traveling in Europe, Muniz returned to New York, almost penniless. What he did have was a camera and a piece of plasticine. But, only one piece. So, after making a sculpture, he photographed it and then destroyed it, before repeating the process 51 times. The result was his 1992 solo show, “Individuals,” in which he displayed the photographs he had taken next to pedestals, with each pedestal symbolizing the destroyed sculpture that it might have held.

Suelem looks down an alley. Screengrab from Wasteland, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

Isis and Valeria. Photograph by Vik Muniz, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

Writing in “Reflex: A Vik Muniz Primer,” Muniz said, “The images of the sculptures are idealized objects. Seen from the perfect vantage, they offer no clues as to scale, material or weight. Their flatness leaves room for myriad interpretations; their ambiguity renders them part of anyone’s experience. They have become mental objects.” Whether he’s working with junk or rebuilding a da Vinci, Muniz’s work is all about recycling!

Sepia Jardim Gramacho landscape with vultures. Photograph by Vik Muniz, courtesy of Vik Muniz Studio.

To see Vik Muniz’s site, click here.
To find out more about Wasteland, click here

When we travel, the thoughts that typically come to mind as we walk into the hotel lobby are, “I hope my room is ready. I hope the bed is comfortable. I hope the view is good.” We never think, “How will they discard all this fabric at the end of their life?” The lodging industry has been slow to embrace sustainability, in large part, because there was no strong business case to embrace it. As recently as eight years ago, there were no green hotels. The U.S. lodging industry was completely lagging behind the rest of the world in the area of sustainability.

Things began to change in 2005 for the industry and for Valley Forge Fabrics, the world’s leading supplier of decorative interior textiles for the hospitality industry. The company was founded in 1977, is privately held, family owned and operated, and has always been dedicated to living and working together harmoniously for our environment. Although we had included recycled products in our line since 2002, we had no environmental mission.

Valley Forge's FRESH upholstery collection

Our market curiosity spurred by customer interest and concern for the environment developed into what we now call our FRESH® initiative. At this time, there are no mandated or even recommended environmental regulations for textiles. FRESH was born in early 2007 from the knowledge we gathered during two years of comprehensive research. FRESH started as a product line hosting low-impact products, and quickly became a companywide self-initiated program.

Our research moved from a focus simply on products to a much larger focus that includes our own production, processes and operating impact, as well as our suppliers’ production processes and operating impact. Our motivation and passion for FRESH comes from a combination of what the environmental reality is — and what Valley Forge can do to help. FRESH is an acronym for Fabrics Redefining Environmental Standards (for) Hospitality. We realized quickly after our research began that Valley Forge had a responsibility to make the greatest environmental impact that we possibly could, both in our products and our processes, and the hospitality industry as a whole. The FRESH initiative has changed our company culture and become a guiding light for our continued decision making and growth.

We decided to start using polyester for FRESH products from used plastic bottles, which saves precious natural resources. Just as vital, we find a home (not a landfill) for plastic bottles that are discarded by consumers. Due to the amount of product Valley Forge manufactures — millions of yards annually — the saving of petroleum is very substantial.

Valley Forge's FRESH Bliss drapery collection

In July 2007, Valley Forge created a requirement that all FRESH fabrics be 100% recycled polyester content only. There are absolutely no blends or non-recycled yarn in FRESH fabrics — and there are no exceptions to this rule. The majority of this content is made from recycled PET plastic beverage bottles.

We recognized that if our recycled products were destined to end up in a landfill after use by hotels, then we had not reached true sustainability. Valley Forge is the only textile or bedding company to date that has an established reclamation program in place to facilitate the recycling of textile products. Making a product using only 100% recycled content with a low-impact manufacturing platform is important, but without offering to reclaim products and facilitate the recycling process, all of these fabrics would simply end up in landfills. We are very proud to say that until our FRESH program, hotels never had a way to recycle fabric. Valley Forge will take back FRESH products and recycle them for various uses that today’s technologies allow. We will arrange the pick-up of FRESH products from the property loading dock and deliver them to one of our fabric recyclers. Valley Forge organizes specific plans tailored to each property to minimize freight cost and carbon emissions per shipment. Our goal is to harness the power of sustainability in a way that benefits the earth and all of the goals and aspirations of both our suppliers and clients.

During the same time that FRESH was introduced to the marketplace, many hotels and brands began to seek LEED certification for their properties. While Valley Forge’s FRESH line may contribute to LEED points in various categories for upholstery, we realized the item in the guestroom that consumes the most fabric is the bed. Bedding is typically replaced every 18 to 24 months while all the other fabrics are replaced every six years, on average. We developed a new product for the bed called LIVING FRESH Bedding. Made with Tencel+Plus™ Lyocell Eucalyptus Fiber blended with cotton, LIVING FRESH Bedding was the first product to potentially garner USGBC LEED points where FSC-certified paper or wood have been written in the LEED rating system specs. Tencel+Plus Lyocell Eucalyptus comes from FSC- or PEFC- certified forests and is considered a rapidly renewable resource. All of the LIVING FRESH products can also be reclaimed through Valley Forge’s reclamation program. Bedding goods get redistributed to homeless shelters, assisted living facilities and organizations such as The American Red Cross.

When we check in to a hotel now, each of us at Valley Forge breaths a huge sigh of relief knowing all of the fabrics can now be reclaimed. And then we think about that view!

Ken Koneck is the Public Affairs Manager of Valley Forge Fabrics. He graduated from Mount Union College in Alliance, OH, with a Bachelor of Arts degree in business administration with a concentration in marketing. He is leading a successful career in public relations, marketing and sustainability. Valley Forge Fabrics is the largest decorative fabric supplier to the hospitality industry worldwide, and boasts fully staffed offices in the U.S., China, South Africa, Italy and Dubai. A family-owned-and-operated company, Valley Forge is headquartered in South Florida and prides itself on its agility, speed and adaptability. Reach Ken at kkoneck@valleyforge.com.

The sweepstakes, which runs until September 1, is easy to enter: Simply download, rate and review the app, providing any necessary feedback, then fill out a short contest form to be eligible.

Christina Bobonski with a friend and an iPad in hand.

“This app is incredibly easy to use,” says Christina Bobonski, who recently downloaded and tried My Recycle List. “I searched for recycling centers in San Francisco that accept large appliances, and in seconds had a list of places within a 5-mile radius. The list included contact information, maps and directions available right on my phone.”

Bobonski, like others, is floored that 1-800-RECYCLING is offering My Recycle List users such a sought-after prize.

“I appreciate this company so much for giving away such a cool device to support the green effort,” she says. “I couldn’t ask for a better prize or a better cause.”

My Recycle List, 1-800-RECYCLING.com’s new iPhone app, is the easiest way to quickly find nearby recycling locations for nearly any recyclable material. Using the device’s built-in GPS, My Recycle List finds the closest locations within your ZIP code. Covering all of the United States and parts of Canada, the app is the premier place to find drop-off and pick-up recycling services. Users can search for as many materials at once as needed, and they can create grocery-like lists of upcoming recycling projects. My Recycle List also lets the user view the locations on a map and call them or visit their website directly.

If you can get over the punny name “Together We Can” (Get it? Can?), Purina’s cat food can recycling campaign is actually a great idea. The campaign, which ended earlier this year, encouraged cat owners to pledge online or over the phone to recycle their Fancy Feast and Friskies cans. For each pledge received, Purina committed to donate $1 (or up to $100,000 total) to the litter and waste prevention nonprofit Keep America Beautiful.

This little guy creates a lot of waste. Purina's "Together We Can" campaign aimed to raise awareness of just that.

Even though the campaign has ended now, it’s worth remembering how important it is to recycle even the small things, because they sure add up. We always recycle the cat food cans in our house, but think about how much we’d be wasting if we didn’t: two cats, one can of food each per day, 365 days per year — that’s 730 cans of cat food we go through each year! One of our cats is 15 years old, so you can imagine how many cans the little guy has gone through so far. And, that’s not even taking into account all the cardboard cat litter boxes, dry food bags, treat containers and other cat-related stuff we bring into our house. Who says you need opposable thumbs to be a consumer?

All that other stuff aside, cans alone have a significant environmental impact. According to Keep America Beautiful, recycling a 3-ounce aluminum can saves enough energy to power a 60-watt bulb for more than two hours, while recycling a 5.5-ounce can saves enough energy to power a 30-inch television for more than two hours. That’s not nothing!

So, don’t be aloof about recycling your cat food cans, even if your cat is aloof about everything.

Young waste pickers at Ghazipur. Photograph: mackenzienicole

In the West, we recycle because we know that doing so is essential for conserving our planet’s resources. However, for some of the poorest people in the developing world, recycling often isn’t a choice, but a necessity of life.

Photograph: dlisbona

In India, the people who make their living by recycling waste are known as ragpickers. In New Delhi alone, there are 300,000 ragpickers, with another 300,000 in Mumbai, of whom 120,000 are under the age of 14.

Critically endangered Greater Adjutant Storks at a landfill near the city of Guwahati, India. Photograph: Sandesh Kadur/felis.in

Many of these children, some of whom are as young as 5, work from the early hours of the morning until late in the evening every day in order to be able to collect enough waste for them to allow them to survive.

At Ghazipur dump. Photograph: mackenzienicole

Most of the ragpickers are rural immigrants who arrive in India’s mega cities with the hope of finding a job. Unable to find employment, and perhaps unable to speak the local language, they eventually turn to picking rags, collecting recyclable materials dumped by India’s burgeoning middle class, in order to support a meager living on the margins of society. While a great deal might be abandoned in this world, little is wasted — everything has a value to someone here.

A ragpicker on the Yamuna River. Photograph: Koshyk

The people picking through the waste come in several types: there are those who go door to door, collecting and disposing of waste from individual homes; there are the street children who collect waste left in the road; and there are whole families who make their living by sifting through urban dumps to reclaim garbage.

A man removes metal from circuit boards in a workshop. Photograph: mackenzienicole

Photograph: mackenzienicole

The ragpickers primarily collect easily recyclable materials such as glass, metal and plastic, which can be sold to scrap dealers, who then process the waste and sell it on, either to be recycled or to be used directly in industry. A particularly sought-after commodity comes in the form of disposable plastic tea cups, which can be sold for 8 rupees a kilo — or for around 15 cents. A salary of $1 a day is normal.

Overlooking Delhi from Ghazipur. Photograph: mackenzienicole

Ghazipur. Photograph: mackenzienicole

While some of the children who collect trash from the street manage to attend school, many simply do not have the time to do so, meaning that they lack even basic schooling and are entirely illiterate. It is a dangerous world for those who have been separated from their families.

A New Delhi landfill. Photograph: mackenzienicole

Photograph: delhigreens.com

Photograph: delhigreens.com

Extraordinarily, India has no municipal waste management policy and no program of recycling, which means that the work that the ragpickers do is indispensable. Without them, garbage would not be collected or recycled, let alone sorted. Where companies do collect waste, they fill up landfills until they are full and then sell the land for residential development.

Photograph: mackenzienicole

In fact, Mumbai itself is built on a landfill, which has connected what was once a group of islands into a single connected landmass.

Mumbai ragpicker. Photograph by Mumbaivasi

Despite all this, the industry is unregulated and the authorities tend to treat the ragpickers as if they have no legal rights. Children are officially banned from working in waste collection, though, aside from routine harassment by the police, the authorities tend to turn a blind eye to them. Instead, the collectors must go without political representation or access to the most basic of municipal services.

A heap of trash in a Delhi street. Photograph: say.wikki

As well as working in decaying garbage, barefoot and without gloves, in temperatures that can reach 110º F, the waste collectors are often exposed to medical and chemical waste and to noxious fumes. It is common for them to burn circuit boards to extract copper, thereby exposing themselves to toxic smoke. Because of the desperate and filthy conditions that they live and work in, it is common for the ragpickers to develop worms, anemia and respiratory problems, as well as a host of other illnesses.

Trash at Ghazipur. Photograph: mackenzienicole

With an accelerating consumer culture, waste is on the increase in India, ensuring that the ragpickers’ thankless task will become even more essential for the country in the future. However, the signs are few and far between that the authorities will either recognize or repay them any time soon. In the meantime, they must struggle on, surviving on the crumbs left behind by India’s boom.

Sources: 1, 2, 3, 4