“Trash of the City”

Knowledge workers, you can call these people, the ones that collect waste from the street for a living

Working the hassle

Detroit -  A man has set up a yard sale in front of his house in Detroit’s Near East Side. He’s trying to sell the contents of a neighbouring house. Three chairs…
Marcin Szczepanski – Migrationpapa

What a waste...

Rotterdam -  There are many signs in the city that are a bit peculiar, like the one on this bin. I would describe the sign as a ‘do not walk here’ sign…
Erika Blikman – Rotterdam Lab

Waste baskets

Sao Paulo -  Just saw a lady carefully spreading the crusts of bread after she dropped her waste in the basket. All along the streets you find these baskets. Sometimes the size of…
Lino Hellings – Sao Paulo Lab

Tired worker

Sao Paulo -  Street worker collects papers to sell per kilo, followed his path for some time, he collected a good amount of paper and then sat on the floor with his head…
Luciana Camargo – Sao Paulo Lab

Sunny garbage

Rotterdam -  This sack of garbage is enjoying the sun on the canal in the centre of Rotterdam. It’s got its mind made up: ‘I will not go down!’…
Martijn Nieuwenhuis – Rotterdam Lab

Sewage

Dhaka -  Much of the land on either side of the Beri Bandh embankment used to be a swamp, and most homes are built on stilts. The refuse from nearby tanneries and…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

Rooftop

Dhaka -  With the upper floors of the bazaar demolished, light and rain come through the new openings. Plastic sheets of different colours make up the impromptu rooftop. Nice colours and space…
Shahidul Alam – Migrationpapa

RE- Cycling

Ramallah -  In the refugee camp al Am’ari the bicycle shop has hundreds of used, mainly children’s bicycles. This is a way to display some of the frames on the wall opposite…
Lino Hellings – Ramallah Lab

Washmachine drum

The Hague -  Prins Clausplein. The first washingmachine drum in the vegetables gardens I saw, made me think mmm quite untidy to leave this object lying around. Then I saw every garden had…
Lino Hellings – Flyoverpapa

The Qalandiya Nightmare

Qalandia -  This rubble mound is the result of the Israeli bulldozers who swept 11 houses from Qalandiya village in summer 2016 because they were built without Israeli permits. This is the…
Khaldun Bshara – 50 Villages Qalandia

sorting oil

Sao Paulo -  The catadores are organised in a coöperative with equal rights. The young women are sorting out bottles of oil. It is an informal but highly specialized profession.…
Lino Hellings – Sao Paulo Lab

scrap metal 1

Rotterdam -  The Tarwewijk Rotterdam. A man transports scrap metal with his ship from one harbor to another. His hands are poison and acid resistant, he says. …
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

Repair shop

Ramallah -  This man in  al Am’ari  sits next to a huge heap of pure rubbish. Office chairs sofas , a satellite dish and bicycle parts is what I see…
Lino Hellings – Ramallah Lab

Together 1

Rotterdam -  To my surprise, the Chinese poet Bei Dao (now living in Danmark, is quoted on a garbage truck. It says: ‘ The source dries out, the fire rages, the road…
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

The encroachment

Dhaka -  People keep encroaching the river to make new slum for the people who usually migrate from the other part of the country to Dhaka for better income. Since the…
Haque Habibul – Dhaka Lab

Snowdrop

Bishkek -  Winter has just disappeared and the grass has started to grow. On his way to the supermarket (to buy booze?) this man takes a nap on the side of…
Lino Hellings – Bishkek Lab

scrap metal

Rotterdam -  A man transports scrap metal with his ship from one harbour to another. He says his hands are resistant to poison and acid. His ships’ name is De Volharding (Perseverance)…
Nies Medema – Migrationpapa

Recycling@Am'ari refugee camp

Ramallah -  All materials: steel, wood, glass, plastic, paper... are gathered in this spot by a refugee for classifying and recycling. it is not only environment frindly but also is a way…
Khaldun Bshara – Ramallah Lab

to rest

Rotterdam -  Statues are popular places to sit on. These Roteb’ guys found the statue ‘Resurrected Rotterdam’ a perfect spot to have a break. The statue visualizes a woman with a child…
Erika Blikman – Rotterdam Lab

The Bishop

Sao Paulo -  Sergio, or the bishop as his friends call him, educates himself reading the magazines he finds in people’s rubbish while sorting the recyclable waste. Sergio is happy here with…
Lino Hellings – Sao Paulo Lab

Shared Bread Value

Asira ash Shamaliya -  Bread left on the sides of the streets is a common view in Muslim villages as well as amongst ultra orthodox Jewish communities. Both Muslims and religious Jews consider bread…
Renad Shqeirat – 50 villages Asira ash Shamaliya

Rules & regulation: or not?

Rotterdam -  In front of the dumpster you see a daiper. This is one of the daipers I found on the street. Somebody put it there or maybe a dog lost it…
Erika Blikman – Rotterdam Lab

Recyclable life

Sao Paulo -  Apart from migration from other countries that happen here for years, the city of Sao Paulo has migratory people from the north and northeast of the country seeking work. Many…
Ines Correa – Migrationpapa