Dignity and Identity: Waste Pickers of Phnom Penh

• Prize
  Curator Selection
• Photographer
  Steff Gruber, Switzerland
• Date of Photograph
  2025
• Category
  Asia

In Phnom Penh, the vibrant capital of Cambodia, another reality exists behind economic growth. In the Dangkor district, a landfill of 31 hectares receives about 80% of the city’s 3,000 tons of daily waste. Every day hundreds of people search this site for recyclable materials to sell for small amounts. Around 400 people live nearby in basic huts without reliable water, electricity, or sanitation. Conditions are hazardous, with exposure to toxins and injuries. Despite this, pickers value the independence their work provides, though they remain stigmatized and largely unseen by society.