Everwhere in Istanbul, I was bewildered by the sight of these mobile bin-men. Guys of all ages, collecting articles of trash, and trundling the amassed rubbish in these massive make-shift bags on wheels. So impressed and fascinated by this profession, I proceeded to wildly chasing them to snap a picture (they are deceptively speedy).
After some research I found out that these street collectors are part of a massive underground, unregulated Turkish recycling network. Hailed as the 'secret heroes of Turkey's zero waste efforts', they sort through public bins from dawn till dusk, sifting through the city's cardboard, plastics and various recyclables. Often, they are undocumented migrants who have little other options to earn a living.
In the UK, I deliver Deliveroo and Uber Eats food orders on my bicycle. I always quite proudly donned my oversized backpack but I now realise these dudes are clearly on another level.
- out and about in Istanbul
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