He ‘redeems’ the trash New Yorkers throw away, finding value – and opportunity – in waste

Pedro Romero is one of hundreds of thousands of informal waste workers the world over, from Paris to Bangalore

Pedro Romero’s story is a familiar one in New York: he wasn’t born or raised here, but he moved to the city to take advantage of the bustling metropolis’s many opportunities. And in a city full of people willing to hustle to make it work, he’s found an opportunity others might overlook: in the trash.

Romero is a Mexico-born, Brooklyn-based waste picker who collects, sorts and redeems empty bottles and cans. Having formerly worked at grocery stores, as a food delivery driver and in restaurants, he got into waste picking through his wife, Josefa Marín, 14 years ago, and has been at it ever since. He works seven days a week, digging through the things his fellow New Yorkers throw out and salvaging what he can.