In China, India, and Bangladesh, it's common to collect empty plastic cans, used pots of paint, discarded plastic foam and used cardboard boxes in order to sell them at junkyards or at recycling plants. Men will carry enormous piles of the recyclable goods on small carts in an effort to move as much material as quickly as possible. The incredible balancing act can be seen in these pictures from Dakar, Haryana, Nanjing, and other cities.
A man transports used empty plastic cans on a horse cart to a junkyard at Panchkula in the northern Indian state of Haryana Sept. 21, 2011REUTERSA man transports used pots of paints to sell in a market in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Apr. 10, 2007.REUTERSA vendor carries plastic balls for sale as he walks down the streets of Noida in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in Oct. 23, 2010.REUTERSA migrant worker pulls a cart loaded with discarded plastic foam for recycling in Nanjing, Jiangsu province on Feb. 7, 2009. With the Chinese government pinning its hopes for economic resurgence on stronger rural demand, the swelling ranks of jobless migrant workers are making it a much tougher task, Xinhua News Agency reported.REUTERSA man yawns while riding on a donkey cart loaded with recyclable materials in Changzhi, Shanxi province on Nov. 6, 2009.REUTERS