Individuals from various backgrounds trying to make an honest living in order to feed, clothe and school their families.

These individuals travel very far per foot each day to collect and recycle waste – their full carts can weigh up to 200kg or more.

Their work is hard, tedious and dangerous. Pulling a large, heavy trolley along a road increases their risks of getting hit by cars.

Waste pickers collect that which they are able to sell at buy-back centres, for example clear PET bottles, plastic milk containers, Kreepy Krawly pipes, plastic plant pots, large yoghurt containers, aluminium cold drink tins, aluminium pie plates, electronic waste, cardboard and paper.

Most waste reclaimers are good people with families doing their best to make an honest living. They are generally not beggars and are prepared to work very hard for long hours (day and night) for very modest returns.

Most reclaimers work a number of different suburbs, going through rubbish trash bins on the night prior to, and on the day of, garbage collections. Most live in very modest accommodation outside of our suburbs.

When their carts are full, they may sometimes lie down in a park for an hour or two of sleep next to their carts rather than go home because most buy-back centres only function during business hours, and abandoning their precious trolleys and cargo would likely result in its theft.