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...