Immigrants squeak out living as Athens scrap metal mongers

Page last updated at 12:48 GMT, Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 17:48 EST

AFP:

Scrap yard employees in Athens weigh supermarket trolleys filled with scrap metal brought in by immigrants

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Zeeshan locks his supermarket trolley to a tree like others would lock their bicycles: it is a crucial tool for him and other immigrants who comb Athens streets for scrap metal they can sell.

The strange contraptions appeared in the Greek capital about a year ago, and are now seen everywhere, from the city centre to far-flung suburbs as their conductors weave in and out of traffic.

It takes considerable skill to manoeuvre a supermarket caddy that is overflowing with tin cans, electronic appliances, bed-springs, oil cans, stoves, cables and radiators.

After a day going through rubbish bins, the balance becomes precarious while potholes or curbs pose hidden obstacles in an urban quest that evokes images from the post-apocalyptic road movie "Mad Max".

Tens of kilometers (miles) later, the moment of truth arrives, at a weigh station. Scrap metal dealers in the southern neighbourhood of Tavros are used to seeing exhausted collectors, many from Bangladesh, arrive.

Read the whole story: AFP