Rawa Kucing scavengers on the rise
Multa Fidrus, The Jakarta Post, Tangerang
People who visit the Rawa Kucing dump site in Kedaung Wetan, Tangerang, and observe how hard the scavengers there work to survive, will likely realize and be grateful for all the blessings in their lives.
As trucks came to unload garbage at the site, dozens of shabbily dressed scavengers comprised of children, teenagers and adults, immediately ran towards the trucks with baskets on their backs, oblivious to the rain, heat and pungent odor. They sifted through the dump for recyclable trash such as plastic bags, cans, iron plates and bars, and plastic and glass bottles, then cleaned them with water from puddles and placed them on the ground to dry.
When The Jakarta Post arrived at the site last Saturday, a young family was busy in front of their bamboo house, collecting the plastic recyclables they had washed and dried, and putting them into large bags, while surrounded by the smell of garbage and a hoard of buzzing flies.
Ignoring the unpleasant situation, 19-year-old Yani and her year-old son relaxed on a rickety, torn and grimy sofa as they watched Yani's husband Manto, 22, working in the garbage.
Manto, who comes originally from Indramayu, West Java, told the Post that he has been a scavenger since 1997. He has no intention to change his occupation, because he has no formal education.
"I'm not interested in changing jobs. Garbage, though ugly and smelly, is not without use. If handled properly, it can be a source of money," he said.
Hamid, 52, who comes from East Java, said that he has been a scavenger for 30 years and would continue with scavenging, because he no longer has the strength to take up other work.
"Perhaps it is my fate to rake garbage until the end of my life," said the father of three, who dropped out from elementary school in the third grade.
Manto said that the income of scavengers depended on how hard they worked. If he was diligent, he could earn up to Rp 200,000 a week without having to leave the dump site, since buyers always came to his house to purchase recyclable items.
Hamid added that he could average Rp 10,000 daily, while his wife and two children could also collect enough garbage to make the same amount every day.
Many underage children from scavenger families also help in collecting garbage, so they have no time to go to school.
Yuyun, who works with husband Aji to collect plastic refuse, said that the plastic they collected could be sold at Rp 900 per kilogram while cans, iron plates and iron bars could be sold at Rp 200 per kilogram. She and her husband collected up to 20 kilograms of plastic and 30 kilograms of cans per day.
"But the most lucrative item is medicine. One kilogram of expired medicines can be sold at Rp 25,000. Unfortunately, medicine can't be found every day," she added.
Despite living on the edge of poverty and under unsanitary conditions, the number of scavengers continue to increase.
Neighborhood head Edi Suharja said about 1,000 scavengers had built a small village among the piles of garbage on the 5-hectare dump site. He also explained that the scavengers' work helps the municipal administration in reducing the 3,290-cubic-meter heap of garbage produced daily by its population of 1.4 million.
"The scavengers come from many different regions such as East Java, Central Java, West Java and Banten," he said, adding that several unemployed local residents had also joined the migrant scavengers in collecting recyclable items.
Agus, 20, a native of Kedaung Wetan and father of one, was among the several locals who had joined the scavengers. Agus was dismissed from his job at a tile factory in Karawaci two years ago due to company closure, and although technically unemployed, he can make at least Rp 7,000 daily as a scavenger.
"It's difficult to find a job, and I think more local residents will join us due to rising unemployment," he said. He explained further that many people became scavengers at the dump site while awaiting their next job opportunity.