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Overloaded Depok dumpsite provides livelihood for local scavengers
The Cipayung dumpsite provides a livelihood for a community of scavengers that live in the area.
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Scavenger Armani, 56, sorts through recyclable waste at the Cipayung dumpsite in Depok, West Java, on Wednesday, Jan. 15. (JP/Yunindita Prasidya)
D
ump trucks could be seen lining up against the backdrop of an overloaded dumpsite, waiting for their turn to unload the waste they had collected throughout, Depok, West Java, on Wednesday.
The Cipayung dumpsite was a hive of activity, with truck drivers and excavator operators working behind the wheel, while field officer directed operations and scavengers rummaged through the waste.
Amid the mountains of trash that could reach as high as 20 meters, Armani could be seen sorting through a pile of rubbish she had collected at the site, dressed in her work boots and caping (cone shaped traditional hat) to protect her from the sun.
The 56-year-old has worked as a scavenger at the site for some 30 years.
She said her work day started at around 8 a.m. and ended around 4 p.m. She did not mind the hard labor, nor the smell.
“I do not want a different line of work. I’m comfortable here. They say it smells, but I am used to it,” said Armani, who earns around Rp 50,000 (US$3.66) per day, or around Rp 1 million each month selling recyclable waste.
Her children once begged her to stop working at the site but she refused, as she needed the money to support herself, especially after her husband passed away.
