TAKUMI WADA
Junk Planet

Workers collect recyclable garbage for resale at landfills in outskirts of Dhaka, Bangladesh. They earn around TK80($1 USD) per day. Landfills and waste dumps are quickly fill up, because about 5,000 tons of waste is dumped every day. And also, dumps release large amount of methane, a potent greenhouse gas that traps heat in the atmosphere. Burning trash outdoors is also harmful, to the environment and people’s health. At least 1,000 people including children are engaged on picking up garbage in dangerous conditions, navigating mountains of unstable trash at risk of toppling in avalanches of garbage. Bangladesh currently holds one of the lowest minimum wages in the world at TK1,500 ($19 USD) per month. Workers are exposed to poor conditions with no health insurance and little help from the government. The government recently moved to raise the minimum wage for garment workers following nationwide strikes, however many are still surviving on extremely low income.

Author
TAKUMI WADA was born in 1988, based in Tokyo, Japan.
He is a documentary photographer who especially focusing on the human rights, social disparities. He has completed his undergraduate studies Economics and International Relations at universities in Japan. He has won several international awards and his works have been exhibited and published internationally. He is currently based in Tokyo, Japan and mainly covers people who live in harsh environments such as workers and refugees around the world.

Website
https://www.takumi-wada.com

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