In July 1997 Development Workshop carried out a study on scavenging activities in the city of Luanda. The study was performed to gather concrete and accurate information on scavenging activities and to dispel misconceptions. No previous studies of this nature are known. The objective of the study was to identify which items are being scavenged, who is scavenging and under what circumstances, where scavenging is occurring, and what is the life-cycle of the scavenged items.