Story Collection

Jakarta and the nearby places are house to 28 million individuals, and the Indonesian town is having difficulties to deal with all the useless it creates. What's it like for the binmen?

Each day soon after dawn, Imam Syaffi places off with his hand-pulled island to gather the useless from some of the more suitable properties in Jakarta.

With his satisfied cry of "Sampa!" (rubbish), he allows the citizens in their private properties know that he has came.

The huge homes and green roads of Guntur, near to the economical section are a marked comparison to the little circumstances elsewhere in Jakarta where many huge numbers reside in lower income.

In Guntur, the properties have walled courtyards or even backyards with palms or beautiful plants and trees and shrubs.

Toughest Spot to be a Binman was on BBC Two on Saturday 29 Jan and Toughest position to be functions further testimonies Saturday 5 and 12 Feb at 21:00 GMT. Check out on the internet via iPlayer (UK only) using the website above. If you want your useless gathered in Jakarta, you have to pay for it. Only the well-off like those in Guntur can manage a binman.

While a few of Imam's wealthy clients bag up their useless, most just dispose of it in an opening in the yard walls. Imam opens it with his pitchfork and fresh. He has to depart it fresh for worry of grievances.

Almost no-one divides the recycle where possible. Family spend, meals, nasty and yard clippings all end up in the mix and removing it is back-breaking perform in the extreme warm.

Imam's island is the dimension a huge bathtub but three periods as higher - and it soon fills up up. He has to trample it down to fit in as much as possible.

"Imam performs increase challenging," says Manchester dustman Wilbur Ramirez, gasping in admiration, perspiration serving from his temple.

It is Wilbur's first of 10 periods, suffering from existing of a Jakartan useless enthusiast. He has eventually left his hi-tech, air-conditioned dustcart and group of other binmen 7,000 distance away to become a member of Imam beating the roads.

"It's been a soft challenging day and I don't even think I did a complete day, I did two out of his three units and I was passing away."

The town of Jakarta is continuing to grow in the last 20 decades to type a ongoing urban place with the nearby places of Bogor, Tangerang, Depok and Bekasi, known as Botadebek. The people in this country of this place known as Metropolitan Jakarta is 28 million, creating it one of the greatest places on the planet, rivalling South america City and Seattle. Most of Jakarta's spend comes to an end up at the huge rubbish website, Bantar Gebang. Each day it addresses enough useless to complete 10 Olympic-size regularly. Methane from the waster is used to produce 10 megawatts of energy for the nationwide electrical energy provide. Most periods, Imam fills up the hand-cart three periods, wheeling it again everytime to apparent it at the begin tip next to the row of shacks where many of the binmen stay.

Imam gathers useless from nearly 100 properties, compensated for by the regional residents' connections. For a six day weeks time he provides in 200,000 Indonesian rupiah ($22 or £14).

"This job is a lot more intense than I had predicted," says Wilbur. "This island weighs a ton and it's usually a one-man activity. These days it's me and him and I'm perspiration like a pig."

It is not just useless that Imam promotions with. The begin pipes outside his client's properties often get clogged, creating sewer and trash to develop up. The only way for him to keep the strain apparent is to get down into the circulation and " rake " out the obstructions.

"The person's in here in simple toes," says Wilbur, terrified. "There's cup, there's everything in there. This person's toes must be like rhinocerous epidermis."

A job as a compensated binman is sought after because of the frequent income it provides and there are only 3,000 of them in the whole town.

Imam concerns just one issue could create him the bag. "If it's not done, they cellphone the residents' connections. There are many other individuals who need a job," he says.

The huge Bantar Gebang rubbish website addresses Jakarta's waste

"I'm frightened of what would occur if I got shot. What would my spouse and kid eat?"

After completing his around, Imam still has time more perform prior to him. The cash he gets from the useless selection hardly will pay off the lease on his little house so Imam and his household begin their second job - recycle where possible.

From the spend gathered during the day, they choose out anything of value and type it into individual loads which they bag up and provide. They perform into the evening searching the useless.

Three evening duration of searching creates family members 28,000 rupiah, about $3. For Imam and his household this cash is the change between consuming and not consuming.

Imam is far better off than some. At Jakarta's huge rubbish website, Bantar Gebang, several million individuals create an income just from scavenging.

The volume of Jakarta's spend, about 6,000 plenty a day, comes to an end up at this huge tip such as the spend from Imam's around.

Jakarta creates enough useless daily to complete 10 Olympic-size regularly. But much of the municipality's useless - almost 20% - is basically thrown out in the waters which corner the town. The municipality's cleaning office draws useless out of the waters but it cannot keep up.

Imam is reconciled to his life as a binman. "Even though this is challenging, I have to do it, because I don't have any other abilities. I would do any job for my household."

But he and his spouse Windi are optimistic of a better upcoming, especially for their youthful son.

"We don't have much cash, but I'm still satisfied because my man performs challenging to deal with me and my son," says Windi.

"Although he performs with useless, he should get to be handled with admiration. He may be a binman but he is still a individual.