Wherever you go in Istanbul, you see a person with a cart rummaging through trash bins looking for plastic, paper, cardboard and metal in order to earn some cash. Unfortunately, many people usually have a negative perception about them for various reasons such as being dirty and scary, and/or involved in criminal activity. However, in general, these common stereotypes are a complete fallacy and wrong. Just think if you had to sift through a trash can all day. How would you look?
Actually, it is an undeniable fact that these recyclers benefit society in many ways that you probably have never thought of:
- Reduction of garbage in bins and on the street
- Less land used for dumps & land fills (who wants to live near one?)
- Help protect the environment (less trees being cut down and less plastic waste in the sea
- Lower taxes (remember the plastic bag tax)
- Less pollution (plastic and metal factories emit less waste)
- Economic contribution and jobs
I interviewed a half dozen recyclers and many asserted they make between 50-80TRY ($9-14) a day working 12+ hours a day in hazardous conditions. Also, with the influx of Syrians and Afghanis the competition has intensified, so they have to rush from one bin to another. When their cart gets full, they need to quickly find a recycling depot usually run by a middleman who then sell their material to big recycling centers, chemical plants, packing stations and factories.
Overall, most of the ones who I talked to were friendly but camera shy. In addition, about half were from foreign countries like Afghanistan and Syria. Their age ranged from 16 to 55.
Indisputably, they are very productive and efficient at what they do. Also, they provide a valuable service for Istanbul, so next time you see one by your house, say “thank you.”
