The Trash Diggers

Dhapa-Have you ever heard of it? It is a dump site that lies on the fringes of eastern Kolkata. It has been in existence for many years. The people of Dhapa, much ahead of conservation thinkers, have been doing the ‘dirty’ work. They work barefoot, but have a positive ecological footprint. Nowhere else is a low-carbon option for urban waste management so clearly demonstrated as in Dhapa. And yet not many have heard of the place or the small community of waste pickers that inhabits it.

This small yet powerful book documents the lives of the trash diggers who serve society, sincerely and silently, unsung, unremarked, and un-respected. It brings to light the utility of waste pickers in the context of proliferation of city waste, the urgent need for cost-effective waste management in third-world countries, and why we must understand existing best practices in waste management and adopt environment-friendly options of managing solid waste.