In April this year, I got to visit the Dandora Dumpsite in Nairobi for Global Citizen. I was capturing visuals of Solomon Njoroge and Joyce Wangari who are leaders in the Waste Pickers Association of Kenya.

Waste pickers are responsible for 60% of the plastic recycled in the world.

Solomon, Joyce and 8,000 other waste pickers sort through the 2,000 metric tonnes of waste that are delivered to Dandora Dumpsite every day looking for plastics that can be recycled.

As you can imagine, hazards abound.

Scars on waste pickers’ limbs narrate tales of injuries received from broken glass, missteps and accidental dips in acid containers.

And with no ability to access healthcare, many succumb to infections, respiratory infections and cancer, all in an effort to eke a living in some of the worst conditions possible.

Watch the documentary done about Solomon and Joyce here.