'Scavengers Deserve More Than Harassment, Apathy'

Old people who survive by scavenging waste from the streets do a great service for Hong Kong, but all they get in return is a pitiful income, official apathy and harassment.

This is the finding of a group of welfare organisations who carried out a survey of elderly people who making a living by recycling waste in the city.

The Hong Kong School of Poverty Caring said its survey found these so called "cardboard grannies" clear 193 tonnes of waste from the streets. But their efforts are vastly overlooked and they are often persecuted for their contributions.

The school surveyed over 500 scavengers in March and found that over 80 percent of them were aged 60 or above. While they worked an average of five-and-a-half hours each day, they were only able to make around HK$700 a month.

On top of their meagre income, they also faced regular prosecutions from Food and Environmental Hygiene Department officers, who accuse them of street obstruction.

Two of the so-called "cardboard grannies" were at the school's press conference and said they are often accused by members of the public of blocking and dirtying the streets, and are regularly fined by government officials for street obstruction, having their collections confiscated.

They also said they are only hoping to make enough money to survive and urged society to be more understanding towards them.

One of the school's member groups, the Hong Kong Christian Institute, said the government should adopt scavenger-friendly policies as these people play a significant role in the local recycling industry.

The institute's social ministry officer, Terence Lai, told RTHK's Priscilla Ng that schools and churches should open their doors for these elderly people to sit and sort out their collections without the risk of being fined for public obstruction.