Paper Waste and Women

In 2019, the second-largest constituent of Municipal Solid Waste was waste paper, ranking above plastic, which came in third. People who collect paper and cardboards are a common scene in Hong Kong’s street life.On this see Forgotten Hong Kong Icon: The Wan Chai Paper Collector by Zolimacitymag/Gabriella Zanzanaini

Especially elderly women try to supplement their retirement fund with additional income gained from the collecting of recyclable goods.See article in The Guardian Previously, cardboard collectors could sell what they gathered from the streets for about HK$0.7 to HK$0.8 per kilogram. However, prices have fallen since then, and a new study into ‘cardboard grannies’ finds they earn just HK$716 a month and HK$0.4 to HK$0.5 per kilogram.See article in SCMP In addition to being collected and recycled, cardboard is used to build structures that serve as shelters to homeless people all over East Asia. In Hong Kong, similar structures are displayed on Sundays when female domestic helpers gather in public spaces all over the city.