Across Harare, thousands of scrap metal hunters like Ezekiel Mabhiza live off scrap metal. Quietly, they are helping to sustain a cleaner environment and combat climate change.
HARARE, Zimbabwe “Any gold in there today?” Ezekiel Mabhiza called to a man hunched over a mound of trash, hoe in hand, rummaging through one of the many illegal dumpsites that scar Zimbabwe’s capital.
Mabhiza joined in. For the next several hours, he scoured the sites around Harare, using a stick or his bare hands to sift through piles of filth, from discarded diapers to broken appliances. By midday, his pushcart was full. Springs from old mattresses, car parts, tin cans — it all added up to 66 kilograms (145 pounds) of salvaged metal.
The haul earned him $8. It’s enough to feed his five children for the day, maybe even cover a utility bill in a country where the majority of people survive through informal work.
“I have given up looking for a formal job,” the 36-year-old said. “You walk the industrial areas all day and come back with nothing. This is my job now. I pay rent, my children eat and go to school.”
Across Harare, thousands like Mabhiza live off scrap metal. Quietly, they are helping to sustain a cleaner environment and combat climate change.
Making steel relies heavily on burning highly polluting coal, and the industry accounts for nearly 8% of the carbon dioxide emissions that come from the energy sector and contribute to Earth’s warming, according to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development, or OECD. It takes less energy to turn scrap metal into new steel, so the pickers are helping reduce carbon emissions with their work in addition to cleaning up metals that would otherwise pollute the city.
Continue reading with Eandel
Subscribe to unlock the complete story and receive your subscriber benefits.
