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Ghana's children scavenging for scrap

September 18, 2021

The numbers of children in parts of Ghana picking through rubbish for scrap metal and plastic to sell to recycling dealers has surged during the COVID-19 pandemic.

https://p.dw.com/p/40P3m

These children are eking out a living picking through rubbish. They are scavenging for plastic and metal. From tin containers to iron bars and zinc. Children are at the frontlines of the scrap business. Plastic is harder to sell than the scrap metal. They sell it to the dealers who roam the streets. Dealers melt down the tin and aluminum. The number of children collecting waste has surged. It's become worse during the pandemic. And due to a lack of transparency, dealers are said to cheat the kids. 
 

Portait photo of Maxwell Suuk
Maxwell Suuk Maxwell is a DW reporter based in Tamale, Northern Ghana.