• A child resident of Cairo's Zabaleen known as "Garbage City" and member of charity Mesaha, known as "Space" in Arabic, shows a creation made with materials collected from rubbish to recycle, in Manshiyat Nasser, Cairo, Egypt March 17, 2023. REUTERS / Hanaa Habib
    A child resident of Cairo's Zabaleen known as "Garbage City" and member of charity Mesaha, known as "Space" in Arabic, shows a creation made with materials collected from rubbish to recycle, in Manshiyat Nasser, Cairo, Egypt March 17, 2023. REUTERS / Hanaa Habib
  • Children and members of local charity Mesaha, which means space in Arabic, collect materials to be recycled
    Children and members of local charity Mesaha, which means space in Arabic, collect materials to be recycled
  • Mesaha founder Teresa Saeed, 34, works with children to collect materials to recycle
    Mesaha founder Teresa Saeed, 34, works with children to collect materials to recycle
  • Shahinda Adel, a resident of El Zabaleen, also known as 'Garbage City', searches for rubbish that can be recyled
    Shahinda Adel, a resident of El Zabaleen, also known as 'Garbage City', searches for rubbish that can be recyled
  • El Zabaleen is an unofficial district near Cairo’s Nasr City district
    El Zabaleen is an unofficial district near Cairo’s Nasr City district
  • People from the district are looked down upon because of their association with waste
    People from the district are looked down upon because of their association with waste
  • Despite its poverty and marginalisation, El Zabaleen has been lauded for its efficiency
    Despite its poverty and marginalisation, El Zabaleen has been lauded for its efficiency
  • It recycles more than 85 per cent of all the rubbish produced by Cairo's 22 million residents
    It recycles more than 85 per cent of all the rubbish produced by Cairo's 22 million residents
  • Each day, dozens of lorries carrying rubbish line up to enter El Zabaleen’s narrow streets to unload their cargo
    Each day, dozens of lorries carrying rubbish line up to enter El Zabaleen’s narrow streets to unload their cargo
  • El Zabaleen is home to more than 70,000 people, predominantly Coptic Christians
    El Zabaleen is home to more than 70,000 people, predominantly Coptic Christians
  • The rubbish is then sorted by recyclers in the area’s rundown homes and warehouses
    The rubbish is then sorted by recyclers in the area’s rundown homes and warehouses

MENA

Egyptian charity teaches children in Cairo to recycle - in pictures

Many of the children are from the Zabaleen area, also known as 'Garbage City'

The National

March 31, 2023

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Updated: March 31, 2023, 12:17 PM
Egypt