JEDDAH, 7 April 2007 — From abandoned babies to expensive jewelry, street cleaners around the Kingdom come across all sorts of valuable items while rummaging through people’s garbage.
For many low paid Asian street cleaners, going through rubbish is a fantastic way to find items to sell and gain an additional source of income.
“One night while going through a large garbage tip, I could hear a little baby whimpering. The baby had been abandoned in a plastic bag. I felt afraid and told some workers at a nearby shop who telephoned the police,” Angur Miah, a Bangladeshi street cleaner, told Al-Watan newspaper.
Miah said he sometimes find things of value. “While doing my everyday work, I found a shining piece of gold in a garbage can. In many cases, I find different things that are in good condition and that can be useful,” he added.
Shamsuddin, another Bangladeshi worker who operates in the Al-Rabwa district, said he also finds useful things in garbage cans. “I wonder why people throw away such valuable items. It doesn’t make sense to me,” he said.
“I think maids are the ones who throw things in the rubbish as a way of taking revenge on their employers. Once I found the ID of a Saudi woman in the garbage. Another time I found a large and expensive gold necklace. I remember even finding SR3,000 in a plastic bag. I kept some of it for myself and I sent the rest to my family in Bangladesh,” he said.
In the Al-Shati district of Jeddah, a cleaning worker expressed worry after finding a gun in a rubbish trolley. “I found a large rug in a garbage can. I pulled it out and there was an AK47 machine gun with bullets inside. It worried me and I left it there,” he said, adding that sometimes he finds photos, cassettes, movies, gold, electric items and even makeup.
The garbage cans in and around Jeddah Corniche are notoriously full of useful items. Badr, a street cleaner, said, “I often find food that is in good condition as well as unopened food cans. I also find swimming suits and other items of worth.”
Asian street cleaners are also in close competition with African women known as Hajas, who also rummage through garbage cans.
One such Haja said she regularly finds items that have been accidentally thrown away. “Recently, on Tahlia Street I found a wedding dress with shoes and makeup in brilliant condition,” she said, adding she often finds men’s clothes of different sizes in intact state.
Another Bangladeshi street cleaner said he often discovers official documents in rubbish bins. “You can find driving licenses, ID cards and iqamas. Sometimes, I find needles probably used by drug addicts and empty alcohol bottles,” he said.
Meanwhile, Muhammad Hisham, a Pakistani laundry man in the Hira Street, said he often finds useful items in the laundry he receives.
“I find documents, ID cards, keys, photographs and even money. Once I found more than SR10,000. Three hours later the customer came asking for it and we returned it to him,” he added.
