Wu Sau-jing, 71, is on the streets from 2 AM daily, collecting cardboard discarded by businesses. After sorting, she sells this scrap material to a recycling center, finishing work at 11 AM. "I view this work as a personal hobby", Wu said. She has collected scrap on the same street every night for three decades and says she will continue until her health no longer permits.
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Wu Sau-jing, 71, goes to Hong Kong's Hung Hom district every night to collect cardboard. Photo: Catherine Phillips/CNN |
Wu Sau-jing, 71, goes to Hong Kong's Hung Hom district every night to collect cardboard. Photo: Catherine Phillips/CNN
In Hong Kong, elderly people earning a living by collecting scrap paper are known as "cardboard grannies". Many in this profession are over 70. They daily navigate numerous slopes and narrow streets, enduring harsh weather, to collect tens of kilograms of scrap paper for about 12 USD, enough for two meals. Oxfam Hong Kong estimates 580,000 elderly people live in poverty. They receive monthly a small government subsidy but must still seek additional work to cover living costs in this expensive metropolis.
Their meager earnings are often precarious. Lai, in her 70s, reported her income halved over the past year because recycling companies reduced purchase prices from 0,6 HKD to 0,3 HKD. Sometimes, she loses her earnings entirely when passersby discard her collected goods or urban officers confiscate them, mistaking the cardboard piles for traffic obstructions.
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Chan, 95, collects cardboard to sell to a recycling station in Hong Kong. Photo: Catherine Phillips/CNN |
Chan, 95, collects cardboard to sell to a recycling station in Hong Kong. Photo: Catherine Phillips/CNN
Chan Ngai-kan, 95, reported losing income in recent months because her usual recycling point stopped buying. "I have nothing left to live on", she said.
Elderly men also join this work. Cheung, 80, has no fixed schedule. After collecting enough cardboard on the streets, he pushes his cart for 30 minutes across slopes to the recycling center. Despite generating large amounts of waste, Hong Kong only recycles about 30-40%. These elderly waste collectors play a vital link in this recycling cycle.
Minh Phuong (According to CNN)
