Jakarta's Enterprising Litter Merchants

Thousands of people are literally living off garbage in Jakarta. A brisk recycling business is helping to ease the problem of waste disposal.

February 19, 2002

EDI Perkasa is immune to the stench of the city's garbage. For 15 years, he has worked as a garbage collector in Central Jakarta's Menteng district. Like an office worker, Edi begins his daily routine at 7am, making the rounds of the exclusive residential area to collect garbage which he carries off in a hand-drawn cart to a dump site. But unlike an office worker, Edi is dressed in tattered, worn-out clothing for the job. Still, the 40-year-ol

...

More Articles