Grandmother Dara Fighting Life by Scraping Used Plastic

Polman, Sulbarkita.com -- Since early in the morning, grandmother Dara, 75, a resident of the Perumtel neighborhood, Maddate village, Polewali rushed out of the house to earn a fortune by collecting various types of plastic waste.

Enthusiastically, this elderly woman circled the capital city of Polman by carrying a sack to store used plastic. He committed not to go home if his sack was not filled with used plastic waste. Grandma Dara hunted used plastic in the trash can in front of government offices, private offices, mosques and homes.

This hunted plastic waste is wrapped and compacted in a sack, then sold to collectors at a price of 1000 rupiah per kilogram. Within a day, Dara's grandmother can pick up five to 10 kilos of plastic waste. "Everyday I work like this, it's normal, kid," he said when met in front of the Syuhada, Polewali mosque, Thursday, May 23, 2019.

He worked since he died five years ago. Practically, his family's economic life faded after his late husband was gone. "I have seven children, six women and one male, all of whom are married. My husband worked during his working life," said Dara.

However, his seven children could not do much to help his mother, because the economy of their family was still growing deflated. Six of Dara's grandmother's daughters have husbands who work as sand miners.

While his eldest son also worked as a sand transporter. "If I don't collect, what do I use to buy rice, fish and pay for electricity. The important thing is that I don't go begging, son, "said Dara.

Although scavenging in the heat of the sun, Dara's grandmother, who was found in the atmosphere of Ramadan, continued to carry out her obligations as a Muslim, namely performing fasting. "Alhamdullilh, son, my fasting until now has not fallen," he said.

At present, Dara's grandmother has two grandchildren who live with her. He also hopes that there will be concern from the government because the grandson who lives with him is forced to drop out of school due to lack of funds. "Even though life is limited, I am still grateful," said Dara.

Ahmad G