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 garment 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 almost always keep them in a closet.

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

Ms. Thuy Anh, a senior officer in charge of communications and community development at 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 female scrap collector 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 scrap 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 and silently

Hoi An City is a tourist center. Unlike other places, garbage in Hoi An City is almost completely collected to protect the safety of the tourism industry. Therefore, people who collect bottles and cans 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 they are contributing to efforts to reduce solid waste. Scrap is “an early form of the circular economy .”

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

In Hoi An City today, there are 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 their own buyers.

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

After receiving flowers and gifts on the morning of March 7, on the morning of March 8, Mrs. Tai was still wearing a neat 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.

"I do this job out of necessity, just to make a living to support my family, no one wants to follow. No one else "takes over" the scrap metal collecting business like ours because no one ever dreams of doing that job. Now I'm weak, my main source of income is from hotels.

"I've been collecting for decades, so the hotel has their phone number. When they collect a lot, they call me to come and get it and sell it to agents. The income is just enough to get by. The work is hard, sometimes I feel sorry for myself. But the good thing is that I have freedom, I can work and when I'm tired, I can rest," 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. Mrs. 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 words of love, 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 scrap collectors 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 scrap collectors in the city and to respond to 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 budget expenditure 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 connect them to 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