I had an interesting conversation with one of my co-workers this past week, which actually cleared up one of the things that I hadn’t really understood from my wanderings around the streets of Istanbul. There have always been these people around (normally generalized as gypsies although I am not sure if that has an truth to it or not) who do one of two things. They either have these enormous bags (think taller than the person is and about as wide as my outstretched arms) which are on a set of wheels somewhat like a trolley and are steadily stuffed with cardboard and paper as their owners dig through the dumpsters and trashcans on the street. Or it is a man pushing a cart scattered over with what simple looks like refuse but is normally some form of electronic waste or else scrap metal. It turns out that these people are Istanbul’s answer to recycling. They collect the waste cardboard and metal and haul it out (huh…that’s what the horse carts on the main road are transporting so slowly!) to the factory where they are paid by weight for they have collected. The theory was also shared that some of these people work in groups, as it is not uncommon to see one pull out a cell phone and inform a friend that they have finished a certain street and are moving on to the next. It just makes me wonder how many other jobs there are out in this city that I have never imagined!
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