Bangladesh: Chittagong Pit

Bangladesh is a rapidly urbanising country where many of the urban poor have to make their homes wherever available – industrial wastelands, slums built atop sewage pipes and landfills. Waste picking provides a source of livelihood to extremely poor people with no other employment opportunities. It’s the last resort to street children, the elderly, widows, migrants, and the disabled. Living and/or working on the landfills they’re exposed to hazardous materials such as faecal matter, toxic materials, chemical residues and heavy metals.