Syrians turn plastic waste into rugs to make a living

A child leaving a dump site with a bag full of plastic to be sold for recycling near the village of Hazreh in Syria's northwestern Idlib province. Photos: Aaref Watad/AFP

Aq a rubbish dump in northwest Syria, Mohammed Behlal rummages for plastic to be sold to recyclers and transformed into floor rugs and other items in the impoverished rebel enclave.

In rebel-held Syria, recycling is rarely an environmental impulse but rather a grim lifeline for needy residents looking for work or items they otherwise could not afford.