NEWS

After Masihlule abandoned the workshop, some of the waste pickers started to use the old workshop as a shade from the sun (there is not a single tree at the dumpsite), for cooking, and shelter from rain. When we visit the landfill, we are accustomed to finding the guys seated around a fire, preparing breakfast under this shelter. Despite how essential this broken down structure is, the iron sheets have since been disappearing.

The driveway into the dump is a dirt road surrounded by shrubs covered in dust that have grocery bags clinging onto their branches. The area looks like a disaster. Except for a tiny security room at the gate, and a grader that occasionally levels heaps of waste, there is no municipal presence. There is no infrastructure or ablution facilities to practice basic hygiene.

"An important, dirty, low-status profession: millions of people globally pick garbage to survive.