See how this man is making money from picking rubbish

The saying ‘one man’s junk is another man’s treasure’ reads true in the case of these men who have managed to eke out a living through scavenging. Even though scavengers are looked down upon by the society, they have somehow managed to maintain a certain lifestyle from proceeds after each round of ‘hunting’. Scavenging on its own requires getting down and dirty, and going through things other people have thrown away as rubbish, and eventually recycling the ones deemed useful, or even selling them to make money.


From time to time, we see scavengers going through our refuse bins and dumpsites and many wonder why they bother going through the stuff other people have already condemned. These men below have explained the pros of hunting for ‘lost treasures’. Mohammed Fausit who was seen scavenging at a waste site in Minna street, Garki, Abuja, said he has done this for three years: “I came from Kano to continue this job in Abuja. I like the job, it provides for me and my brothers instead of stealing. I do not want to steal though, I see my mates do better jobs. I pick cans, rubbers, metals, bottles, aluminium and other items and sell them with my brothers after washing or cleaning them. I sell my items in the market to people that sell kerosene, palm oil, groundnut oil, zobo and other local drinks. How much I make a day depends on how much items I gather; sometimes I make N500, sometimes N700 or even N 1,000 but, in a month, I can get up to N15,000 or even N20,000. The money is okay for me and my brothers to feed and take care of ourselves. Sometimes, when I pick these items from dust bins, I see money and other valuable items for my own use. Some times last year, I picked N25,000 from the waste bin. I was very happy. The challenge I face in this job is injury; if you see my finger, it is as a result of picking these items, a metal cut the finger but then, I still do it.”