Kyrgyzstan, Sulyukta, April 2016. Miners heading back home after a 24-hour shift.
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, March 2016. The old part of the landfill in Bishkek. People works here all the year round. They collect things for resale.
Kyrgyzstan, Sulyukta, April 2016. The workers leave the mine in a trolley after the night shift.
Kyrgyzstan, Dunguromo coal section, November 2016. Askat is sitting in his car together with other drivers and watching movies while waiting for coal in the "Dunguromo" coal section. Usually the drivers are in the queue for the coal for a few days, but sometimes they have to wait for weeks. They sleep in the cars, and the food is cooked on fires and gas stoves.
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, February 2016. 18-year-old Berdegul is putting coal into the bucket near the ash dump of the heat and power plant. He started working after release from the orphanage. He has no relatives; he earns his living as a worker.
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, June 2016. The patrol police in Bishkek is checking the water canal. They were told that some man jumped into the water.
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, March 2016. Alexey is sleeping on the territory of the landfill along with his friend Vyacheslav. He could not get a job due to the criminal record; so he started working at the dump. His home and family are in Berdik village.
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, February 2016. Arsen is washing his hair near his home. His house is located next to the ash dump of the heat and power plant. He moves here for the winter season to live with his parents and brothers. He started working here when he was 12 years old. Now he is 24, he has a family and children. In 2015, he graduated from the Conservatory and now he plays with his music band named "The Red East".
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, February 2016. Myktybek is walking along the road from Bakai-Ata towards the ash dump of Bishkek heat and power plant. During the summer, he works at his field growing strawberries; during the winter, he comes here to sow coal.
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, June 2016. Sex worker covers her face during the police detention.
Kyrgyzstan, Sulyukta, April 2016. Nurlan pushing trolley with coal to exit the mine in the town of Sulukta. He was born in 1987 and worked at the mine for 6 years.
Kyrgyzstan, Naryn region, November 2016. Askat smokes a cigarette with a driver at a roadside cafe near the village Tyugel Sai. Together, they transport coal for sale.
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, March 2016. Alexey is bringing belongings to their parking lot at the dump. He usually collects broken glass and plastic. In the morning, he delivers everything to the local recycling center. Because of the difference in price (the price at the landfill site is lower) some try to sell recyclable materials outside the landfill, but it is severely repressed by security guards.
Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek, February 2016. Myktybek is hiding from cars not far from his sister’s house after smoking marijuana. He began working at the ash dump after deportation from Russia for violating the law.