Ezekiel Mabhiza hunts through garbage piles every day just to survive. The 36-year-old father digs through dirty diapers and broken machines around Zimbabwe's capital city. His bare hands search for any scrap metal he can sell to buyers. Each day brings him about $8 from his metal finds. That small amount feeds his five children and keeps them housed.
Thousands of people like Mabhiza make their living from trash picking across Harare. These workers accidentally help save the planet from pollution. Steel companies burn lots of coal to make new metal products. Recycling old metal uses much less energy and creates fewer harmful gases. The trash pickers clean up metal that would otherwise rot on city streets.
Harare creates 1,000 tons of garbage daily but city workers cannot collect it all. Frustrated residents dump their waste on roadsides and empty lots. Some people burn their trash piles. Beautiful neighborhoods have turned into ugly dumping grounds. The informal metal hunters have become the city's unofficial cleanup crew.
Factory owners across Zimbabwe buy 600,000 tons of recycled metal each year. All this scrap comes from local collectors who walk miles searching through dumps. The dangerous work exposes them to medical waste and dead animals. Many cannot afford protective gloves or masks. Despite the risks, these workers provide an essential service that helps both the environment and the economy.
Thousands of people like Mabhiza make their living from trash picking across Harare. These workers accidentally help save the planet from pollution. Steel companies burn lots of coal to make new metal products. Recycling old metal uses much less energy and creates fewer harmful gases. The trash pickers clean up metal that would otherwise rot on city streets.
Harare creates 1,000 tons of garbage daily but city workers cannot collect it all. Frustrated residents dump their waste on roadsides and empty lots. Some people burn their trash piles. Beautiful neighborhoods have turned into ugly dumping grounds. The informal metal hunters have become the city's unofficial cleanup crew.
Factory owners across Zimbabwe buy 600,000 tons of recycled metal each year. All this scrap comes from local collectors who walk miles searching through dumps. The dangerous work exposes them to medical waste and dead animals. Many cannot afford protective gloves or masks. Despite the risks, these workers provide an essential service that helps both the environment and the economy.
