According to the World Bank, waste pickers constitute around 2% of the world population. The International Labour Organization (ILO), dealing with labor problems, reports that there are about six million waste pickers in India.

In Belo Horizonte, in south-east Brazil, waste pickers recycle beer cans and other trash into stylish jewelry. Here, waste pickers can make up to 1700 reais ($800) per month from recycling and craft-making, apart from their regular income of 678 reais.

In Malawi, one of the poorest countries in the world, car tires, which are generally considered as a pile of non-reusable rubber, are stripped down to their layers of nylon string enclosed in rubber. These strips are then sold all across the country as thatching string to tie bundles of reeds or grass mats, or even to make soccer balls.

Waste pickers are paid only for what they deliver, and do not get any profits. Since they are freelancers and are not recorded in any official sector, labor laws do not apply to them. While the world marches towards its aims of cleanliness and electricity generation, unnoticed waste pickers sorting trash struggle for their livelihood.