How the Garbage Pickers of Athens Predicted the Greek Economic Crisis

Having more people share their woes has made times even tougher for the garbage pickers, who remain at the margins of Greek society and face increased competition for shrinking resources. Karakepelis says two or three times as many people are now picking over smaller and smaller pieces of trash as sharply reduced consumption by the middle class means fewer bonanzas like old refrigerators left out on the street.

The scavengers depicted in Raw Material, who came to Athens from Albania, India, Turkey, and elsewhere, are at additional risk due to a rise in violent attacks against immigrants in the city. Their status as illegal immigrants makes it difficult for them to organize themselves and demand more money and rights—as members of the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers gathered recently to do on the sidelines of the Rio+20 summit in Brazil.

More...