Mud Below, Sun Above

Amidst Hanoi’s suffocating pollution, an informal sector of elderly female recycling workers endure harsh working conditions and societal stigma to address the city’s growing waste crisis. Among them, 64-year-old Bể harbours precious insight into the hidden costs of Vietnam’s economic boom. Bể scrapes labels from bottles, haggles with customers and performs a necessary service as the backbone of the country’s waste recovery program.