A man in personal protective equipment (PPE) clears bags filled with medical waste at a hospital, amidst the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Mumbai, India, August 11, 2020. REUTERS/Francis Mascarenhas

Waste picker Virgilio Estueta, 60, walks with his cart filled with trash amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 7, 2020. Picture taken July 7, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Waste picker Virgilio Estueta, 60, is photographed in his junk shop amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 7, 2020. Picture taken July 7, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Waste picker Virgilio Estueta, 60, carries bags of trash out of his junk shop amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 7, 2020. Picture taken July 7, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

Waste picker Virgilio Estueta, 60, walks with his cart filled with trash amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in Quezon City, Metro Manila, Philippines, July 7, 2020. Picture taken July 7, 2020. REUTERS/Eloisa Lopez

A scavenger carries recyclable waste at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A scavenger carries recyclable waste at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A general view shows scavengers searching for recyclable waste at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A general view shows scavengers searching for recyclable waste at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A scavenger's child sits near a bag of collected recyclable waste at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A scavenger carries recyclable waste at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A scavenger walks through smouldering waste as he looks for recyclables at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A marabou stork searches for food under glass wastes at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Rubber gloves are seen among recyclable waste at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A scavenger pulls a handcart with recyclable waste from the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Rubber gloves are seen among recyclable waste at the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

A scavenger wears a cloth as a face mask as he searches for recyclable waste from the Dandora dumpsite, amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak in Eastlands Nairobi, Kenya July 29, 2020. Picture taken July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Thomas Mukoya

Men recycle electronic waste or e-waste from computers at a workshop in New Delhi, India, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Electronic waste or e-waste from computers is pictured at a workshop in New Delhi, India, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

A man sits in front of electronic waste or e-waste from computers at a workshop in New Delhi, India, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Electronic waste or e-waste from computers is pictured at a workshop in New Delhi, India, July 29, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi

Mansoor Khan and his wife Latifa Bibi (pictured below) have been collecting scraps of plastic and other items at an enormous landfill site on the outskirts of New Delhi for nearly 20 years. The $5 daily earnings enable their three children to go to school, in search of a better future than their parents' lives amid the stench of rotting garbage. But over the past few months, increasing amounts of biomedical waste have been arriving at the dump - a result, experts say, of the novel coronavirus pandemic and a huge risk for those who work there. Spread over 52 acres and rising more than 60 metres, the site is littered with used, plastic coronavirus test kits, protective gear and cotton stained with blood and pus - among hundreds of tonnes of waste coming daily from across the Indian capital, including small hospitals and nursing homes. Sifting with bare hands, hundreds of scavengers including children expose themselves to a disease that has infected more than 15 million people globally and claimed over 600,000 lives. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Mansoor Khan, 44, a waste collector, walks as he carries a sack of recyclable material after finishing work for the day at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A man drives into a landfill site to offload waste from his truck, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, New Delhi, India, July 18, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Waste collectors look for recyclable materials at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A man burns discarded personal protective equipment (PPE) suits and gloves that were left by people at a graveyard, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 13, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A waste collector walks along a muddy path through a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A waste collector walks over disposed medical waste bags inside a rubbish dump outside a hospital, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 17, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mansoor Khan, 44, who works as a waste collector, eats breakfast with his son Latif Khan, 11, outside their house which is next to a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 16, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mansoor Khan, 44, who works as a waste collector, puts on his shoes as he gets ready to look for recyclable materials from a landfill site next to his house, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 16, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A medical staff member wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) pushes a trolley containing medical waste bags to a Bio-Medical Waste storage area, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 17, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Shoes belonging to Mansoor Khan, a waste collector, are left outside of his home, next to a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 16, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Rubbish bags stand at a landfill site, near a residential area, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Waste collectors look for recyclable materials at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Waste collectors look for recyclable materials near bags of disposed medical waste at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Waste collectors look for recyclable materials among bags of disposed medical waste at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A dog rests on a pile of rubbish at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A disposed pair of protective eye glasses lie amongst other bits of waste at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Discarded syringes lie amongst other bits of disposed medical waste at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A COVID-19 testing kit lies on the floor at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Latifa Bibi, 38, who is married to Mansoor Khan, a waste collector, looks for recyclable materials at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 16, 2020. "When I return from there, I feel afraid to enter my house because I have children at home. We are really afraid of this disease," said Bibi. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A young waste collector, waits for a truck to offload rubbish onto a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 16, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A discarded N95 protective face mask lies amongst other bits of disposed medical waste at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A waste collector goes through bags of rubbish as he throws them off the truck into the landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A waste collector runs behind a truck carrying rubbish at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Disposed medical waste lies on the floor of a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 4, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A waste collector walks through a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A waste collector stands inside a truck at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

Mansoor Khan, 44, a waste collector, washes his trousers with water, after returning from work at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mansoor Khan, 44, a waste collector, goes through bags of rubbish containing personal protective equipment (PPE) suits, as he looks for recyclable materials at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. "What if we die? What if we get this disease? But fear will not fill our bellies, that is why we have to do this work," said Khan. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mansoor Khan, 44, a waste collector, carries a sack of recyclable materials that he found at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Latifa Bibi, 38, helps her husband Mansoor Khan, 44, a waste collector, carrying a sack of recyclable materials that they found at a landfill site, after finishing work for the day, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mansoor Khan, 44, a waste collector, looks for recyclable materials at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

A waste collector, carries a sack of recyclable materials, after he finishes work for the day at a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Latif Khan, 11, who's father Mansoor Khan works as a waste collector, watches a movie on television inside their home, which is next to a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Latifa Bibi, 38, who is married to Mansoor Khan, a waste collector, shields herself from the sun, under a blanket with other waste collectors, at a landfill site during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 9, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mansoor Khan, 44, a waste collector, uses a piece of charcoal to clean his teeth, outside his home which is next to a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 16, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Latifa Bibi, 38, who is married to Mansoor Khan, a waste collector, applies cream onto her dog, outside their home which is next to a landfill site, during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) outbreak, in New Delhi, India, July 15, 2020. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES.

Mansoor Khan and his wife Latifa Bibi (pictured below) have been collecting scraps of plastic and other items at an enormous landfill site on the outskirts of New Delhi for nearly 20 years. The $5 daily earnings enable their three children to go to school, in search of a better future than their parents' lives amid the stench of rotting garbage. But over the past few months, increasing amounts of biomedical waste have been arriving at the dump - a result, experts say, of the novel coronavirus pandemic and a huge risk for those who work there. Spread over 52 acres and rising more than 60 metres, the site is littered with used, plastic coronavirus test kits, protective gear and cotton stained with blood and pus ? among hundreds of tonnes of waste coming daily from across the Indian capital, including small hospitals and nursing homes. Sifting with bare hands, hundreds of scavengers including children expose themselves to a disease that has infected more than 15 million people globally and claimed over 600,000 lives. REUTERS/Adnan Abidi SEARCH "COVID-19 MEDICAL WASTE" FOR THIS STORY. SEARCH "WIDER IMAGE" FOR ALL STORIES. TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

A water quality scientist, conducts tests on a water sample at the Eau de Paris research and analysis laboratories in Ivry-sur-Seine, near Paris, France, July 22, 2020. Scientists study the Paris waste water to detect the concentration of COVID-19 traces as France remains vigilant against the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). Picture taken July 22, 2020. REUTERS/Benoit Tessier