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Solid waste may look like waste but its not really waste to those that know how to make money out it. Recently, i picked interest in this topic because it came to my attention that many people after dumping their waste actually do not really care where it goes.

There are many people involved in various activities to do with waste. There are those who testify that they have actually made investments, built houses, paid school fees for their children, provided basic needs, among others, all out of waste. All their livelihood depends on what thy get out of waste.

![IMG_20180608_163713_753.jpg](https://cdn.steemitimages.com/DQmW5UEGhCv3Tw94aB8qWz6MBqnriLFdGZe4KWqKKx8Emd5/IMG_20180608_163713_753.jpg) Some of what they collect include specifically recyclables like plastic, metal, paper. Aso the food residues are collected separately and sold off in kilograms at a fee, to those raring animals that feast on them.

Categories of people acquainted with the solid waste;ategories of people acquainted with the solid waste;

waste collectors or street children

These move within households and temporary collection points looking for recyclable materials like plastics, among others and the difference between the two is that waste collectors sometimes pay for the recyclables while street children just search for them and they are mostly spotted around temporary collection points collecting products to sell to refuse loaders.

Refuse loaders

These are contracted by the City Authority and are paid salaries for the work they do. They move on trucks loading waste with in the city.

Since they have access to waste sources, they are able to pick out recyclables from the waste and sell it to earn an extra income.

Scavengers or waste pickers

These collect different products from the landfill though the quality of these products is much lower than that collected by refuse loaders.

This is because in most incidences these refuse loaders first pick out quality ones before the waste reach the landfill.

Traders

These are selective in what they buy. They normally buy from small scale merchants and dealers. It also stands that the cleaner the product, the higher the price.

Plastic processing plants

These are usually small scale firms that target plastic recycling at the landfill with an aim of adding value to the products which are later sold to bigger factories. One of the activities they do is cutting up plastics into smaller pellets.

Factories and Industries

These usually require clean materials, which they process and remanufacture, hence adding value.

Methods of sorting the waste:

Manual sorting

This is considered the best way of sorting waste because it takes it to detail of even the small fines that remain. This is commonly done by scavengers.; and is considered the best way of sorting waste because it takes it to detail of even the small fines that remain.

2. Folks

These can also be used to sort. They as well help in opening up the waste in order to pick out various categories.

3. Mechanical sorting

This involves use of machines to work on the waste. Its good but not so effective enough to pick or sort waste to detail.

Many ways of survival, many ways of making money out of anything. What really counts is surviving no matter what.

Thanks again steemit for the opportunity to share.

nnN