The quiet heroes of the plastic crisis

In the Global South, there is a growing initiative to support vulnerable informal waste workers embedded within global business value chains. In the Soc Soc District in Vietnam’s capital Hanoi, black rolling hills bear the weight of a substantial mountain of solid waste. Namson landfill, Hanoi’s largest landfill, receives approximately 5,000 tonnes of domestic waste daily.

Here, throngs of informal waste workers pick their way through overflowing rubbish, scouring for high-value waste that they can sell to junk shops, collection and recycling companies for cash in order to support their families.