China’s economic boom and burgeoning middle class have led it to become the world’s second leading producer of electronic garbage (or e-waste) in the world. Every year, the country throws out over 100 million computers, 40 million televisions, 20 million air conditioners, and 10 million fridges, to purchase new models.
The vast majority of e-waste from China’s capital, Beijing, makes its to Dongxiaokou, a small village on the outskirts of the city, where hundreds of families make a living by stripping the garbage to its components and reselling the parts.
All that could change in the coming year as the Chinese government has announced that Dongxiaokou is facing demolition to make way for new urban development.
Reuters photographer Kim Kyung-Hoon recently traveled down to the village to capture the bustling recycling trade, even as demolition looms.
Dongxiaokou used to be a small farming community in the northern suburbs of Beijing. However, as the demand for electronic goods has grown over the last 15 years, families have moved in to deal with the ensuing electronic waste.
While large-scale recycling operations capture e-waste from corporations, most everyday consumers give their old and broken electronics to independent garbage collectors who pay for the waste.
Waste-collectors head to wealthy, downtown Beijing with tricycle carriers to wait for residents to offer up potentially lucrative waste. In addition to electronics, collectors will offer money for everything from plastic bottles to household appliances and even newspapers.
See the rest of the story at Business Insider
