Standing to hold the bang
At Soc Trang solid waste treatment complex Enterprise under Soc Trang Urban Construction Joint Stock Company (Can Tho City), it receives about 160 - 200 tons of waste per day. In the sorting workshop, 20 female workers are busy picking up pieces of nylon and plastic bottles on the treadmill. Each person in a position, moving regularly and rhythmically.
Ms. Lam Thi Sieu said she has been in this job for 9 years. "The first day I arrived here, I couldn't stand it, the stench was so strong that I wanted to sell off. But it's a habit. If I do it carefully and classify it correctly, I can recycle more waste and reduce pollution in the environment. The company's ceremony and Tet gifts, and health check-ups twice a year are also motivation to stick with the profession".
In the middle of the ribbon, Ms. Lam Thi Nga is sorting PET plastic bottles. Every day, she and her colleagues have to process dozens of tons of waste. "There is garbage, but the most frustrating is from hospitals or slaughterhouses for livestock and poultry because it still retains blood and gives off a strong smell. Sometimes plastic wires and plastic bags are tightly wrapped in 2-3 people to pull them out. But if the waste is classified carefully, it can be recycled more, avoiding landfill," said Ms. Nga.
Ms. Nga said that their work starts from 9am to 5pm, sometimes later if the line has an incident or a lot of garbage. They work all day, until about 2pm to rest. Most of the women live far away so they bring rice and water to eat right at the factory. At break time, everyone sat eating in the midst of the smell of garbage still surrounding them.
In the middle of the garbage mountain, keeping children's dreams
Outside the treatment area, in the middle of the high mountain of garbage are the lives of more than 20 poor households without land for production, the profession they stick to here to make a living.
Ms. Son Kien (63 years old) has been attached to this profession for more than half of her life. Early in the morning, she and her children went to the landfill, and when the car had just fallen, the whole family was busy picking it up. "It's very difficult, but I'm old, I can't do any other job. Here, I pick up a few dozen coins a day, selling scrap is enough to eat after meals," said Ms. Kien.
Not far away, Mrs. Tra Thi Thai and her husband are also struggling at the landfill. Both have made a living in this profession for more than 10 years. "Every day, from 5am to 3pm, rain or shine. After 10 - 15 days, traders bought again, earning about 2 million VND. Thanks to that, I was able to send my 2 children to school. I just hope the children have a stable job and don't have to smell garbage like their parents," said Ms. Thai.
In another corner, Mrs. Thach Thi Sa Khum (53 years old) is still plowing through trash, her eyes still watching her 4-year-old granddaughter in a temporary tent by the pond. "My child is divorced, leaving 2 grandchildren for me to raise. I'm old and don't have any job so I have to come here to pick up trash. I just hope to be healthy enough to send my child to school, so that I won't have to live in the trash like my grandparents," she said choking up.
Ms. Khum said that this job is prone to hand, foot and foot injuries due to used metal, broken glass, and even used syringes. "My toes are broken almost every day. If it is too weak, take the bang back and pick it up again, if it is too painful, buy medicine to drink. It's a good thing to do," said Ms. Khum.
Ms. Khum added that there were days when the weather was very hot and the stench made her faint in the middle of the landfill. After a few days off to recover, she returned to her old job, because that was the only livelihood of the family.
Ms. Tra Thi Thai said about the profession: "In the dry season, the stewed water is hot, but in the rainy season, it gives off a terrible smell, the water flows into the trash, making it difficult to pick up. The price of scrap is unstable, like plastic bags sold for 800 - 900 VND/kg in the dry season, only 750 VND/kg in the rainy season. But if I don't have a job, I have to accept this job."
