Turning trash into cash

Lorraine Mathe

THEY may see it as trash but we are making money out of it.”

These are the words from three women from Iminyela suburb in Bulawayo who have been making money out of picking waste for the past three years and they are still counting on their trash-picking journey.

Speaking to B-Metro, one of the waste pickers who preferred not to be named said waste collection was a subject dear to her heart.

“I ventured into waste picking after I was inspired by other women who were making money through trash picking.”

“This is my third year and I am surviving with my family through waste picking. I can manage to pay fees for my grandchild and cover other household expenses,” she said.

She said her family members looked down upon her when she started her waste-picking business but she had no regrets.

She said as a waste picker she had on several occasions been seen as mentally challenged by people who always see her combing through dumpsites and carrying large bales of waste.

She said people called it trash but she sees money out of it and that makes her continue rummaging around looking for what brings food on her table.

According to studies besides making money waste pickers contribute to public health, reduce the costs associated with municipal solid waste management, and significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions to the environment.

Experts on environmental issues have warned that by 2050, worldwide municipal solid waste generation is expected to have increased by roughly 70 percent to 3,4 billion metric tonnes.

Waste picking is a critical step in managing waste and environment rehabilitation.

Her neighbour, who also requested anonymity echoed similar sentiments.

“We are not only picking up trash but cleaning the city. We have about 12 bales and over 600 kilogrammes of waste and with our small yards, it is now difficult to keep the waste while we wait to go and sell it,” she said.

She said that was now causing problems with their neighbours who were always complaining about the litter in front of their yards.

“We hunt for waste everywhere, we have no specific places where we go to. We pick up plastic materials that include buckets, lids, crates, chairs, bottles, cans, dishes, bins and among other metals.

“After collection of cans, we then grind them and make them flat so that they weigh heavier, because the heavier the weight, the more the money,” she said.

They sell their waste at 0,39 cents per kg.

When a B-Metro news crew went to their houses, it found the two women separating colours of pet lids, grading similar colours in 50kg sacks.

“We received information from a local company that buys plastics from us. This company requested for colour separation of the gathered waste material that is black only; white only; mixture of green and yellow; blue, silver and purple; and red, brown and pink.”

“This seems a bit challenging because some of our bales are even ready for sale but the strain is, we now have to separate the colours from all the packed waste bales,” she said.

Another resident who is also a waste picker, Mrs Andrina Mathe (58) said she started picking up waste in 2019.

“I remember after my daughter completed her A-Levels she delayed going to university by a year because I didn’t have money.

“I then embarked on the waste picking journey and in 2020 I managed to register her for a place at university and she is now in her third year,” said Mathe.

Mrs Mathe who is also a Community Health Worker (CHW) said she was facing challenges because she now spends most of her time at work.

Mrs Mathe said despite the fact that she works at a clinic, it does not change much though it snatches some of her time from picking waste materials.

She said: “I am an everyday waste picker. I don’t have a specific date or place where I pick waste.

“My husband is a pensioner and has also been helping me with waste picking. Whenever he goes to watch soccer at beer gardens he always makes sure he brings calabash lids and cans”.

She said it was also high time that Government and environmentalists recognised them and accord them full rights to operate without hindrance and that Zimbabwe Women’s Microfinance Bank extended empowerment loans to women entrepreneurs regardless of their line of trade.