During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s image shows a Chinese refinery devoted to the extraction of copper from…
All posts in Scrap
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: India’s Acid Strippers
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s image reveals the low-tech, hazardous means of extracting copper from the surface…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: Power Strip.
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s scene shows a worker taking apart and separating the various components that…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: The “E-Waste” Man.
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s image shows a Shanghai scrap peddler who specializes in collecting old appliances…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: It’s like Christmas.
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today we round-out a week of scrapping families with a Chinese family that…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: The Brothers Scrap
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s scene continues this week’s ‘families of scrap’ theme, with two brothers who…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: The Charismatic Chen Family
In the run-up to the November 12 release date of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s scene shows a typical family of scrap recyclers in Yongchun, China. I took…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: Single Mother Scraps
In the run-up to the November 12 release date of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s scene shows a single mother in Vietnam, and one of her two sons,…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: the Sisters of Scrap.
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s scene shows a factory in Sylvassa, India, where hundreds of women –…
Scenes from a Junkyard Planet: It’s Never Easy
During the run-up to the November 12 release of my first book, Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion Dollar Trash Trade, every weekday I’m posting a new photo taken during my decade of reporting on the global waste, recycling, refurbishment, and repair trade. Today’s scene shows workers in Sichuan Province dismantling small television monitors inside of…