3 generations of landfill
At the Soc Trang solid waste treatment society, about 200 tons of waste are dumped every day. Besides the giant mountain of garbage, the landfill is also the only source of life for about 20 poor households without land or jobs. They stay here, making a living by collecting trash.
Every day, from 4 - 5 am, this landfill is bustling with the footsteps of dozens of people making a living. When trucks that have just dumped garbage, they quickly surround and take advantage of the opportunity to pick up what can be sold such as plastic bags, plastic bottles, scrap paper... Depending on the type, the collected scrap will be sold at prices ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand dong per kg.
This year, at the age of 63, Ms. Son Kien in Ward 7 (Soc Trang City, Soc Trang Province) has been attached to the landfill for more than half of her life. Currently, both her children and grandchildren have followed in the footsteps. Ms. Kien shared that before, her family picked up trash at the landfill in Ward 7, then the landfill was moved to the Soc Trang Solid Waste Treatment Union, so the whole family moved here to continue making a living.
At 4-5 am, the whole family moved to the landfill to pick up. On average, each person receives about tens to hundreds of kilograms of garbage/day, earning about 150,000 VND, said Ms. Kien.
Ms. Kien said that due to her old age, no job, no land, she could only rely on the landfill to survive. "This job is foul and dirty! It is so hard work, but it is so poor, no one is old enough to hire me to do anything, so I come here to dig up trash to find a cup of broken rice and clothes," said Ms. Kien.
Similar to Ms. Kien, Ms. Tra Thi Thai has also been involved in garbage collection for more than 10 years. The couple was present at the landfill from 5-6 am to 3 pm, regardless of holidays or Tet. Ms. Thai said that on average, she picks up about a hundred kilograms of plastic bags and plastic bottles of all kinds every day. About 10-15 days, traders will buy, earning about 2 million VND.
"Thanks to this job, my wife and I can send our two children to school and hope that they will have stable jobs in the future and not have to smell the stench from the garbage like their parents," said Ms. Thai.
Not far away, Ms. Thach Thi Sa Khum (53 years old) is also digging through the piles of garbage that have just been dumped, trying to find things that can be sold. She did not forget to pay attention to her 4-year-old niece who was playing in a makeshift tent next to the pond.
"My child divorced so that I could raise my two grandchildren. My wife and I are old and do not have any jobs, so we come here to pick up trash. The 4-year-old girl did not dare to leave it at home, so she took it to the landfill to look after it. I just hope to have the health to send my child to school, and not work like your grandparents in the future," Ms. Khum said, choking up.
Changing health to make a living
The work of digging up garbage contains countless risks of disease. The stench is strong, the limbs are vulnerable to metal, broken glass, and even used syringes.
"My toes are broken almost every day. When it was too weak, I took the fabric and picked it up again, it was too painful so I bought medicine to drink. It's a habit to work," said Mr. Danh Son, who has been involved in the garbage collection profession for more than 10 years.
Ms. Ly, another garbage collector, said: "This job is very hard, it is hot in the hot season and hot in the hot season, but in the rainy season, it gives off a terrible smell, the water flowing into the garbage is difficult to pick up. But prices are unstable, such as plastic bags in the dry season costing about 800 - 900 VND/kg and in the rainy season only 750 VND/kg. But if it is not a profession, I have to accept this profession".
Ms. Thach Thi Sa Khum shared that she often fainted when it was hot and sunny, combined with a foul smell coming straight into her nose. When tired, she rests for a few days and then continues to return to the landfill, because that is the only livelihood of her and her family.
