A man carrying a large bag on his back walking through traffic on a city street, with a mosque with minarets visible in the background.
Two men walking on sidewalk in front of a fence and a large building with glass windows, one man is pulling a cart covered with a tarp.
Two men are working with large bags in a narrow alleyway. One man is on top of a truck, and the other is carrying a large sack on his back. The alley is cluttered with garbage and debris, with an old stone archway in the background.
A man with dark hair and beard, wearing a brown shirt and camouflage shorts, sitting on a wooden bed in a dilapidated, graffiti-covered room with exposed wiring and trash on the floor.
Cluttered and dirty building exterior with garbage bags, empty bottles, and miscellaneous scrap materials in a neglected urban area.
Reflection of a man's face in a side-view mirror with a pile of trash and garbage in the background.
Man standing among a large pile of discarded plastic water bottles in a recycling or waste area.
A man sits in a small, rustic room with concrete and stone walls. Behind him, hanging on the wall, are a green sports bag, a dark jacket, and a Turkish flag. On the wall is a painting of a lighthouse on a body of water. The man is wearing a cap, a pu
A person working among large sacks filled with crushed and discarded bottles and cardboard in a recycling area.
A shirtless young man lying on a bed inside a damaged building with a broken window.
Three people sorting through a large pile of plastic bottles and trash in a recycling or waste facility.
A man pushing a large trash bag along a city sidewalk in front of a weathered brick wall, with two empty chairs nearby.
Stacks of compressed plastic bottles at a recycling facility.
Nighttime cityscape featuring a large illuminated suspension bridge with blue lighting and a downtown skyline with tall buildings in the background.
Two men sitting in a dimly lit, rustic room with exposed wall and ceiling wiring, one looking at the camera and the other holding a cigarette near his face.
A person working on a closed wooden door or shutter on a city street at night, illuminated by red lights, with buildings and lamps in the background.
Person climbing a rocky outdoor terrain at night, holding a stick or pole, with a red-lit tent in the foreground.
Pile of large, dirty, tied-up plastic bags in a dimly lit room with a dark painted wall, a chair, a stool, and a small table.
Person throwing crushed soda cans into a trash bin
A person rummaging through a large trash bin on a city sidewalk at night with a bus in the background.
People inspecting electronic items in a dimly lit room, some using flashlights, with boxes and packages on the floor.
A city street at night with people walking, cars, and shops. A man is pushing a cart loaded with bags while a young man and woman walk past.
Man sitting on a bed in a small room, looking at his phone. The room has hanging clothes, a clock on the wall, and various items and cardboard boxes.
A small, cluttered outdoor area of a rustic building with graffiti that says 'ASI REIS 68'. Inside, a man is sitting in a chair, surrounded by various items including a water dispenser, water bottles, and electrical wires. The area appears to be an i
Group of men socializing and sitting in a small, outdoor, street-side area of a building with exposed brick walls and graffiti, some standing, some sitting, engaged in conversation and laughter.
Man wearing yellow gloves sorting through a large pile of electronic waste and scrap parts in a cluttered workshop with an exposed brick wall background.
A man in a black shirt, wearing gloves and a cap, standing in a room filled with large bags filled with tangled wires and cables, inspecting or sorting the wires amidst a cluttered industrial or storage area.
A man with short hair and wearing a dark jacket is holding a cigarette in his hand. Behind him is a wall with graffiti that reads 'ASI REIS' and a rundown building with damaged roof.
Person counting Turkish 100 lira banknotes outdoors.
A large group of people, including children and adults, gathered outdoors on a sunny day for a celebration or event. Some are dancing and playing, with decorations and a table nearby.
A young boy walking on a hillside overlooking a small town with mountain and volcano in the background, under a blue sky.
A woman in traditional dress holding a large jug, smiling, surrounded by many children and women at night, some taking pictures.
Two men sitting and standing on rocky terrain overlooking a vast, arid landscape with hills under a partly cloudy sky.

  • District 68 is a story of family, of several generations, it's the story of a whole village... In Istanbul, you've surely noticed the men who constantly roam with their little hand carts, going from one trash bin to another, collecting paper, plastics, metals... They are the ragpickers of Istanbul, an essential part of sorting and recycling in Turkey's largest city, with hundreds of ragpickers working in various depots throughout Istanbul. District 68 is the origin of the ragpickers from the Kucuk Pazard (Little Bazaar) neighborhood in the European part of the city, as they all come from this district in central Anatolia, from a small village near the provincial capital Aksaray. It was Sevinç who created this depot in 1990. Today, his sons, along with all the men in his family and their extended family, well, almost the entire village works in this depot. It's a job that spans day and night; the men are in constant motion, with no set time for collecting plastic, cardboard, metal, and all sorts of recyclable materials. With their carts, they traverse the neighborhood, taking about three hours to fill their bags with recyclable materials, and once they return to the depot, it's time for sorting and weighing the collected items. Then they head out again, often making two or three rounds a day. Depending on what they collect, they can earn between 20 to 50 euros a day. District 68 is always on their minds while they are in Istanbul; they even write these numbers and this word on the walls of the neighborhood and the depot. They have left their wives and children for 2 to 3 months to earn as much money as possible at the depot. Then they return to the village for a month or two to reunite with their families and enjoy some leisure time while gradually renovating their homes…