Ghana's Agbogbloshie

In Ghana, the Agbogbloshie neighborhood houses the country's largest landfill. It is filled with old appliances and scrap metal - and migrant workers have for decades descended on the former marshland to try to make a living. 

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Copper is valuable and used liberally in many appliances due to its high rates of conductivity. Copper sets the standard, making it incredibly valuable on the secondhand market.  

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Workers in Agbogbloshie will collect the coils inside of old appliances, and with a hammer and chisel, take the wiring off its coil. Mounds of old copper wiring can be collected from old appliances, all to then be sold on the market.