Village muhtars come to metropolis to collect paper waste: Report
ISTANBUL
Muhtars (local heads) of many Anatolian villages come to Istanbul as seasonal workers to collect paper waste at the time of the year when they cannot earn a living with farming, according to a report by an agency affiliated with the Istanbul Metropolis Municipality.
The Istanbul Planning Agency’s report showed that some 18 tons of domestic waste are collected daily in the metropolis.
Some 90 percent of this waste was buried in large storage areas, some 4 percent was composted and the rest recycled.
According to the report published by daily Milliyet, there are some 15,000 “rickshaw-owners” in the city collecting the province’s wastes.
“Thinking of the seasonal waste collectors, the number of those earning a living from collecting wastes has reached some 500,000 across the country,” the daily reported on Feb. 28.
On average, rickshaw owners earn between 3,000 and 6,000 Turkish Liras ($217 to $434) if they collect some 100 kilos daily.
“Collecting wastes brings more money than farming,” the report highlighted. “Many muhtars from villages come to Istanbul to collect paper waste when they cannot earn from farming.”
While examining the report, the daily summarized that those growing up in a family of waste collectors give up school education and own a rickshaw as soon as they grow up.
