Waste or Resource?

This photo was taken in a recyclable materials market and sorting facility in Beijing, China in July 2009. The man and woman in the photo spend their days (and probably much of their nights) sorting through a literal mountain of paper - glossy here, newsprint there, and so on - so that it may be sold to brokers or producers who then use it to make new materials. Clearly, what counts as "waste" in one place is often a resource in another.