Special ceremony of women collecting scrap metal

Scrap metal workers and people from other professions wearing Ao Dai receive flowers and gifts in Hoi An City on the morning of March 7 - Photo: THUY ANH

A very special ceremony was just held by the units in Hoi An City ( Quang Nam ).

The most touching thing was when on stage, the image of women struggling with the heat and dust outside the junk shops transformed into young girls wearing ao dai.

"I have never worn this shirt"

Like other Vietnamese women, the ao dai is not just a costume but a "property" souvenir that every woman, whether poor or rich, buys for herself.

For those who work as scrap collectors in Hoi An City, most of them have them, but due to the nature of their work, they usually keep them in a closet.

Although this is the second year the ceremony to honor and show gratitude to women who collect bottles has been held in Hoi An City, there are still mixed feelings of confusion and sadness.

Ms. Thuy Anh, a senior officer in communications and community development for an organization that participated in the event, said that a "cute" but also sad incident was when the organizers called out the names of each woman who collected scrap metal to receive gifts.

Each person was confused when they first went up to the podium to shake hands with the guests and then lined up to receive flowers. When the name of a bottle collector was called, she refused to go up because... she did not bring an ao dai.

"She was confused and shy, even though she was invited up," said Ms. Thuy Anh.

Gratitude to the team of sisters who work hard silently

Hoi An City is a tourist center. Unlike other places, garbage in Hoi An City is almost completely collected to ensure the safety of the tourism industry. Therefore, people who collect scrap metal not only do their job to earn a living but also contribute to "protecting the environment".

Showing gratitude and honoring women with this special job also aims to properly recognize their contributions to the image of the old town.

In honoring the scrap collectors, the organizers noted that scrap collectors are contributing to efforts to reduce solid waste. Scrap is "an early form of the circular economy ."

The phrase "circular economy" is originally intended for luxurious, large jobs, but when it is honored, it confuses many women working in this profession.

In Hoi An City, there are currently hundreds of people, most of whom collect scrap metal on a small scale. A few agencies accept purchases from this group, but the owners themselves used to be beer can and plastic bottle collectors. Over time, they have developed their own facilities and become collectors.

Mrs. Nguyen Thi Tai, 65 years old, said she has been collecting scrap metal for the past 40 years. The hard work and status have helped her raise three daughters, one of whom is in college. Her husband has been sick and unable to work for many years.

After receiving flowers and gifts on the morning of March 7, on the morning of March 8, Ms. Tai was still wearing a clean ao dai, wooden clogs, and lightly painted face to attend a discussion of experts at a luxury hotel near the old town. Her story was shared from the perspective of making a living, her status, and rarely receiving any attention or encouragement, which moved many people present.

"Doing this job is also reluctant, also for the sake of making a living to support the family, no one wants to follow. The job of collecting scrap like us has no one to "succeed" because no one ever dreams of doing that job. Now I'm weak, the main source of income is from hotels.

"I have been collecting for decades, so the hotel has their phone number. When they collect a lot, they call me to come and collect it and sell it to agents. The income is just enough to get by. The work is hard, sometimes I feel sorry for myself. The good thing is that I am free, I can work when I am tired and rest when I am tired," said Ms. Tai.

Many difficult circumstances

Most of the women who work as scrap collectors in Hoi An City are in difficult circumstances, many are sick, and their families are not complete. Ms. Pham Thi Sam in Son Phong block (Hoi An City) said that her husband is sick and her brother-in-law has an abnormal temperament, so over the years her burden of scrap collectors has become heavier to take care of the family members.

Not only Mrs. Sam, but also people in the same profession have the same feeling. The moment they are honored on March 8, they receive loving words, handshakes, exchanges and even warm hugs of gratitude.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), through the IUCN-PRO Vietnam Strategic Partnership Program, in collaboration with the Hoi An City Women's Union and the Association for the Support of People with Disabilities, Children's Rights and Poor Patients of Quang Nam Province, organized a ceremony to honor typical advanced women and women who collect scrap in Hoi An City on the morning of March 8.

This is the second year IUCN has collaborated with partners to organize this recognition ceremony.

The event was held to recognize the contributions of typical women in areas such as economic development, social security, especially women who collect scrap metal in the city, and to celebrate the 114th anniversary of International Women's Day, March 8.

The role of scrap collectors needs to be given due importance.

Women collecting scrap metal in Hoi An City - Photo: THUY ANH

According to statistics, globally, about 60% of plastic waste is collected and recycled thanks to 20 million informal workers, most of whom are the most vulnerable and marginalized groups of society.

In Vietnam, the informal sector, which is 90% female, collects more than 30% of recyclable plastic waste, reducing the financial burden on formal collectors and potentially reducing public spending on waste collection and treatment.

According to the IUCN country representative in Vietnam, Mr. Jake Brunner, the waste pickers, mainly women, are doing a very important job of collecting, transporting and pre-processing all kinds of waste.

So, according to Jake, this group plays a key role in the circular economy. The challenge is to improve their employment conditions and integrate them into the formal solid waste management system.

This requires effective implementation of waste classification at source, expansion of public investment in waste collection and treatment, and enforcement of anti-littering regulations."

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/buoi-le-dac-biet-cua-nhung-nguoi-phu-nu-nhat-ve-chai-20240309092559086.htm