Foundation 23 - Re-materializing Construction

26 Keynote speech Garbage City. That’s what Cairo’s district of Manshiet Nasr is called by outsiders. The name was given due to the rotten stench that hangs in the air there. The neighborhood residents live in the midst of the trash. They are the so-called Zabbaleen, the garbage collectors of the Egyptian capital, one of the most populous cities in the world. And the garbage of others is their livelihood. From early morning until late evening, the narrow streets are bustling with activity. The Zabbaleen go from door to door in Cairo with Materials science is social science Garbage is a valuable resource because it is easy to recycle. Today, however, sys- tems are set up in such a way that most of it is simply discarded – so rethinking is necessary. In her keynote speech, former Egyptian Minister Laila Iskandar pointed out what needs to be done in terms of sustainable management of materials. Waste is money. To simply dump it some- where is unthinkable for the Zabbaleen. “Rethinking is absolutely necessary.”