ONE man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Those words ring true in the lives of so many people in and around Cape Town. Take Raymond Blankenberg and his ‘vennoot’ Charlotte from Delft for example.
For your average Joe, bin day is just a regular weekly routine to get rid of all the gemors in and around your house. But for them it’s is an opportunity “om ietsie op die tafel te sit”.
The two live in the same street in Roosendal, Delft, but say they have been skarreling together every day for a number of years already. While on one of their missions, the Daily Voice caught up with them to find out exactly what it is that they are doing on a daily basis and how they go about their business.
So enjoy ‘spending a day in the life of’ waste picker Raymond Blankenberg, 59, and his getuie Charlotte.
Raymond knows the early bird catches the worm and tells the Daily Voice of his daily routine: “We need to start our day at 4am or else we will be late. Ek loop baie ver, from Bellville to Pelican Park to Blackheath and even Brackenfell. I collect everything from mixed plastics to cans, cardboards, paper, anything that the scrapyard will take. I collect barley sakke vol and take them in for cash.”
Charlotte, 52, concurs and adds: “We walk very far, my voete kan dit nie hou nie but we have no choice, our families need to eat.”
Despite walking the northern suburbs plat, Charlotte revealed that they don’t get much in return for their efforts. She says: “We don’t get much money from the scrapyard for these bags, not even R100 yet, baie min but the scrapyard is skelm, every day the price differs."
Getting their bags full is also a challenge, as there is big competition among bin pickers. Charlotte’s advice is to kyk die kat eers uit die boom uit. She explains: "There is a lot of competition on the street but what can we do, work is skaars and we need to eat. When the road is full [of mense skarreling] then we don’t worry, then we move on to the next road and get the other drompies. We already know on which days the lorrie comes and in which areas, so we make sure we are there before the others get there.”
Timing is everything when it comes to bin picking, you have to beat the vullislorries to the bins.
“In one day I go to three different areas,” beduie Raymond. Some people look out for us and will keep us scrap or food aside but others are stingy with their bins.”
Raymond says he worked with waste in the Waterfront and in Town, but skarreling has become his daily routine. He says his family supports his way of making a living. He adds: “My kleinkinders help my, they collect cans and bring them home to me. I know about waste, this is why I do this. Some scrapyards take everything but others don’t but I collect alles for my bread and butter.”
As the Daily Voice walks with Raymond and Charlotte while they are going through the bins, Charlotte asks one of the residents: “Good morning Meneer, gaan U nie die drompie uitsit nie?” Moments later the resident brings his bin out along with some plastic bags for Charlotte.
“Last week when it was raining we walked in this rain, come rain or sunshine we walk. I have gout and I was very sore because I don’t go to hospital for treatment, she continues. I can’t still think of a hospital... who is going to provide for me? And if you ask people they don’t have to help you. I know I must sort out my hospital goed so that I can get a oulappie [All Pay or Sassa], but I don’t get kans to get to that because that is a hele process and just thinking about it sak my plak.”
As we talk to the pair, they get tipped-off by a fellow bin picker that the lorrie is in the next road and they simply had to spat.