At S$0.04 per kg, S'poreans surprised at how little cardboard collectors earn

The value of cardboard boxes has apparently gone down.

Fasiha Nazren | November 05, 2019, 11:58 AM

Collecting cardboards in Singapore is one of the toughest and lowest-paying work, especially for the senior citizens who keep this industry going.

And it's excruciatingly painful to know that some of them earn as little as S$0.04 for a kilogram worth of used cardboard.

S$0.04 per kg of cardboard

On Nov. 5, community group Happy People Helping People Community (HPHPC) shared the following post on their Facebook page:

According to the post, a group of cardboard collectors were comparing their earnings for the day.

The price of cardboard boxes has allegedly dropped to just S$0.04 per kilogram.

In a 2015 Yahoo article, cardboard collectors used to apparently earn S$0.10 for a kilogram of cardboard boxes.

Rounded down

Apart from the very low earnings, online commenters also noticed how the earnings were rounded down instead of up.

Photo from Happy People Helping People Community's Facebook page

In a picture posted by HPHPC, a person who collected S$0.28 worth of cardboard was paid S$0.25 instead of a 2-cent round up of S$0.30.

Angry reactions

The post has since received over 250 reactions and more than 200 shares.

Some Singaporeans have expressed their surprise and anger over the issue:

Screenshot from Happy People Helping People Community

Screenshot from Happy People Helping People Community

Screenshot from Happy People Helping People Community

Screenshot from Happy People Helping People Community

Meanwhile, others gave alternative solutions for these cardboard collectors to earn their keep.

Screenshot from Happy People Helping People Community

Screenshot from Happy People Helping People Community

Screenshot from Happy People Helping People Community

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Top image from Happy People Helping People Community's Facebook page