Dhaka Mega City Post #3: Scavenging is a Good Job

Thirty year old Ranu told me she has been working at the Matuail dumpster for six months. She had to start working to pay off the debt of her daughter’s wedding. Scavenging for plastic, paper, metal and bones for her is a high paying job. She can collect up to 5 baskets in a day. Each basket can be worth 50 to 100 Taka; (USD 0.72 to 1.44) The average garment worker, one of Bangladesh’s most profitable businesses pays it’s workers a minimum monthly wage of 1,662 TK

Around 4,000 tonnes of solid waste are generated a day in Dhaka. Some 2,208 tonnes are collected and dumped into two city dumping grounds – one at Matuail (pictured) and the other at Amin Bazar. The rest get dumped into rivers, canals and other water bodies, open spaces and low-lying areas polluting the air and water of the city.