Pengutip Sampah

Aku tertarik membaca tajuk berita ni; 'Foraging Hard For Extra Duit Raya'. My first impression when reading the title, 'kesiannya'. But when I read through the article, I said 'WOW!!'

Wanna know why? I copied the article from NST, feel free to read.

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Foraging hard for extra 'duit raya'

BACHOK: For about 100 scavengers at the Kampung Gong Nibong dumpsite in Beris Lalang, looking for recyclable items in exchange for cash has become more urgent during the month of Ramadan as they make preparations for Hari Raya Aidilfitri.
Picking through the heaps, they gathered materials such as plastic and glass bottles, aluminium cans and scrap metal which could be sold to recycling agents and scrapyard dealers.

Some of them could cash in their day's collection for between RM50 and RM70 -- enough to feed their families.


One of the scavengers, Tuan Jarah Tuan Ismail, 62, from Kampung Pantai Dasar Sabak said she had been involved in collecting recyclable materials for the past 20 years.

"I earn between RM30 and RM40 a day selling the waste to recycling agents. I took up this work to get earn extra income while my husband works as a security guard in Kota Baru."

She said with their combined income, she and her husband could raise their nine children, aged between 20 and 35.


Noriah Mat San, 52, from Pengkalan Chepa in Kota Baru, said her husband and their 19-year-old son joined her recently in search for the recyclable waste.

"We begin about 9am and finish about 5pm. During the fasting month, there are times that we have to break our fast at the dumpsite as we have to work long hours to collect more stuff.

"On a good day, we can get as much as RM70 from our efforts."


Mohd Faizal Mohd Salleh, 24, said he switched from driving taxi to scavenging at the dumpsite early this year as it was more lucrative to sell recyclable materials.

He claimed that he could earn as much as RM2,000 a month, a vast improvement from the time he drove the taxi, which earned him only about RM400 a month.

"The coming Hari Raya will be meaningful for my family as I can afford to buy many things including getting new clothes for my two daughters, who are 1 and 3 years old."

He admitted that he felt embarrassed in the beginning when some friends knew that he worked at a rubbish site.

But, he added, he gradually overcame the shame as the income from his efforts was more than sufficient to support his family.



Read more: Foraging hard for extra 'duit raya' http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/8thrashing/Article/#ixzz0xfoYZU5H

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RM30 per day? Just by scavenging?

I got several points here. First, we produce huge mass of rubbish per day. Isn't that amazing. Next we can feed our kids with the money from the rubbish we threw eh?

Can see that a 19 years old guy joined his parents collecting rubbish in the article above? And how much money can he get per day? With that money, young people may stop going to school even at very young age. Isn't that a waste for the country?

And, see a RM400-per-month-paid taxi driver stop from driving taxi because by scavenging he got 5 times more than that. We in Malaysia are paid low, but in the same time the country is rich and got many money. Where does the money goes?

Just a point to ponder.