Waste pickers of Dakar
In Senegal, thousands of waste pickers scavenge one of the world's largest dump sites for plastic and other trash they might be able to sell. But the area is a massive environmental hazard.
On the hunt for plastic and metals
About 2,000 waste pickers work at the Mbeubeuss landfill outside the Senegalese capital, Dakar. With an iron hook, they scour the waste for recyclable plastic, or burn the trash to find valuable metals.
Wholesalers buy recyclables
The workers make their money by selling recyclable material to wholesalers. Some of them can make more than 100,000 West African CFA francs (about €150/$180) per month, according to the NGO Wiego — an income on the lower end in Senegal. But many pickers earn far less than that.
Stench of new trash
To earn this living, the pickers don't only have to face brutal heat but also the stench of the landfill. Every day, they wait for trucks to dump new trash on the massive mountain of garbage in the middle of the site. Then they start picking as fast as possible.
Cattle roam the dump site
Overall, 230 trucks bring about 1,300 tons of waste to the landfill site every day. The trash also attracts cattle and birds, who wander the 114-hectare site (280-acre) to scavenge for food.
Pickers are 'always the losers'
Pape Ndiaye, spokesman for the waste pickers association, says it's becoming increasingly hard to make a living at Mbeubeuss. Besides the competition, there is also the problem of stagnating wholesale prices for the waste. Though the pickers are providing an environmental service by helping recycle, they "are always the losers," he told news agency Agence France-Presse.
An environmental hazard
Mbeubeuss is known as a major environmental hazard. When the workers burn the waste, toxic smoke wafts through the entire dump site, reaching surrounding residential areas. A lake on the outskirts of the landfill has turned red from the pollution.
Dump's days are numbered
But after neglecting Mbeubeuss for decades, the Senegalese government has now decided to close the open-air landfill. In 2025, it will be turned into a waste separation center. For the pickers, that will mark the end of their livelihood.