"waste sorting"

#12029726

8 February 2025

A man collects empty beer cans from a garbage dump for resale in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, on February 7, 2024. In Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, a large garbage dump becomes a place where both animals and people gather. The government collects garbage from houses and brings it here. Workers burn the trash, creating thick smoke, but the dump remains full of activity. Elephants, cows, dogs, birds, crows, and even people come to this place, each searching for something. The elephants come looking for food but end up eating harmful things like plastic, rotten food, and other waste. This makes them very sick and can even kill them. Other animals, like stray dogs, cows, and birds, also pick through the garbage, trying to find scraps to eat. Among the animals, a man walks through the trash, collecting empty beer cans to sell. It is how he makes a living, but it is risky. He shares the space with large elephants and other animals, and the burning garbage creates a smoky, unhealthy environment. This dump shows the problems caused by poor waste management. Burning trash pollutes the air, and the open garbage attracts animals. Wild elephants, which should be in forests, are forced to eat waste, while people face health and safety risks. To fix this, better solutions are needed. Sorting and recycling garbage can reduce the amount dumped here. Burning trash should stop, and proper waste disposal methods should be used instead. Forests must be protected so elephants and other animals have food and space in their natural habitats. Communities also need to learn about safe waste handling and how to live peacefully with wildlife. This garbage dump is a reminder of how badly nature is being treated. It is time to take action to protect the environment, wildlife, and the people who live near these places. Together, a cleaner and safer future can be created.

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#12029727

8 February 2025

A man collects empty beer cans from a garbage dump for resale in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, on February 7, 2024. In Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, a large garbage dump becomes a place where both animals and people gather. The government collects garbage from houses and brings it here. Workers burn the trash, creating thick smoke, but the dump remains full of activity. Elephants, cows, dogs, birds, crows, and even people come to this place, each searching for something. The elephants come looking for food but end up eating harmful things like plastic, rotten food, and other waste. This makes them very sick and can even kill them. Other animals, like stray dogs, cows, and birds, also pick through the garbage, trying to find scraps to eat. Among the animals, a man walks through the trash, collecting empty beer cans to sell. It is how he makes a living, but it is risky. He shares the space with large elephants and other animals, and the burning garbage creates a smoky, unhealthy environment. This dump shows the problems caused by poor waste management. Burning trash pollutes the air, and the open garbage attracts animals. Wild elephants, which should be in forests, are forced to eat waste, while people face health and safety risks. To fix this, better solutions are needed. Sorting and recycling garbage can reduce the amount dumped here. Burning trash should stop, and proper waste disposal methods should be used instead. Forests must be protected so elephants and other animals have food and space in their natural habitats. Communities also need to learn about safe waste handling and how to live peacefully with wildlife. This garbage dump is a reminder of how badly nature is being treated. It is time to take action to protect the environment, wildlife, and the people who live near these places. Together, a cleaner and safer future can be created.

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#12029720

8 February 2025

A wild elephant kicks a dog at the garbage dump in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, on February 7, 2024. In Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka (231 km from Colombo), a large garbage dump becomes a place where both animals and people gather. The government collects garbage from houses and brings it here. Workers burn the trash, creating thick smoke, but the dump remains full of activity. Elephants, cows, dogs, birds, crows, and even people come to this place, each searching for something. The elephants are a sad sight. They come looking for food but end up eating harmful things like plastic, rotten food, and other waste. This makes them very sick and can even kill them. Other animals, like stray dogs, cows, and birds, also pick through the garbage, trying to find scraps to eat. Among the animals, a man walks through the trash, collecting empty beer cans to sell. It is how he makes a living, but it is risky. He has to share the space with large elephants and other animals, and the burning garbage creates a smoky, unhealthy environment. This dump shows the problems caused by poor waste management. Burning trash pollutes the air, and the open garbage attracts animals. Wild elephants, which should be in forests, are forced to eat waste, while people face health and safety risks. To fix this, better solutions are needed. Sorting and recycling garbage can reduce the amount dumped here. Burning trash should stop, and proper waste disposal methods should be used instead. Forests must be protected so elephants and other animals have food and space in their natural habitats. Communities also need to learn about safe waste handling and how to live peacefully with wildlife. This garbage dump is a reminder of how badly we treat nature. It is time to take action to protect the environment, wildlife, and the people who live near these places. Together, we can create a cleaner and safer future.

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#12029721

8 February 2025

A wild elephant comes from the jungle to the garbage dump in Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, on February 7, 2024. In Polonnaruwa, Sri Lanka, a large garbage dump becomes a place where both animals and people gather. The government collects garbage from houses and brings it here. Workers burn the trash, creating thick smoke, but the dump remains full of activity. Elephants, cows, dogs, birds, crows, and even people come to this place, each searching for something. The elephants are a sad sight. They come looking for food but end up eating harmful things like plastic, rotten food, and other waste. This makes them very sick and can even kill them. Other animals, like stray dogs, cows, and birds, also pick through the garbage, trying to find scraps to eat. Among the animals, a man walks through the trash, collecting empty beer cans to sell. It is how he makes a living, but it is risky. He has to share the space with large elephants and other animals, and the burning garbage creates a smoky, unhealthy environment. This dump shows the problems caused by poor waste management. Burning trash pollutes the air, and the open garbage attracts animals. Wild elephants, which should be in forests, are forced to eat waste, while people face health and safety risks. To fix this, better solutions are needed. Sorting and recycling garbage can reduce the amount dumped here. Burning trash should stop, and proper waste disposal methods should be used instead. Forests must be protected so elephants and other animals have food and space in their natural habitats. Communities also need to learn about safe waste handling and how to live peacefully with wildlife. This garbage dump is a reminder of how badly we are treating nature. It is time to take action to protect the environment, wildlife, and the people who live near these places. Together, we can create a cleaner and safer future.

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#11972879

22 January 2025

Jannat, 28, sorts and dries plastic bags beside the Buriganga River channel in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 22, 2025. She works in this area for eight years, earning 2,000 Bangladeshi taka per week while facing the harsh realities of life in a low-income community.

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#11972880

22 January 2025

Jannat, 28, sorts and dries plastic bags beside the Buriganga River channel in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on January 22, 2025. She works in this area for eight years, earning 2,000 Bangladeshi taka per week while facing the harsh realities of life in a low-income community.

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#11943480

13 January 2025

In Benediktbeuern, Bad Toelz-Wolfratshausen, Upper Bavaria, Bavaria, Germany, on January 11, 2025, a local glass recycling station features several labeled containers for white and green glass. A person actively disposes of glass bottles. The area is surrounded by trees, woodpiles, and stacked planks, reflecting a rural setting.

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#11849427

9 December 2024

Rag picker children collect plastic bottles and other reusable items from the garbage thrown at the roadside in Siliguri, India, on December 9, 2024.

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#11776558

14 November 2024

People walk as piles of plastic bottles are kept for recycling outside a factory in the industrial area in Sopore, Jammu and Kashmir, India, on November 14, 2024.

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#11727457

31 October 2024

Garbage bins are seen in Krakow, Poland on October 31, 2024.

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#11641966

6 October 2024

An Indian rag-picker sorts plastic bags at a landfill in the Boragoan area in Guwahati, India, on June 4, 2018.

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#11595611

22 September 2024

Volunteers sort the waste collected during a beach cleanup day in the municipality of Alges in Lisbon, Portugal, on September 21, 2024. The Mares Circulares foundation, together with a private company, carries out a cleaning day on one of the many beaches near the Portuguese capital. According to data collected in the last Coastal Marine Litter Census, and as a result of joint work between coastal institutions in several locations in Portugal, plastic waste and cigarette butts continue to be one of the biggest problems on the Portuguese Atlantic coast. Plastic pollution is one of the global environmental problems that worsen the most in recent years and puts people's health at risk.

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#11436384

27 July 2024

Scrap items are waiting to be sorted in Konni, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India, on April 05, 2024.

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#11436385

27 July 2024

Scrap items are waiting to be sorted in Konni, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India, on April 05, 2024.

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#11436386

27 July 2024

Scrap items are waiting to be sorted in Konni, Pathanamthitta, Kerala, India, on April 05, 2024.

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#11427411

22 July 2024

Food waste is rotting at a sorting facility in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 22, 2024

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