Dateline: Beirut, Lebanon
Local entrepreneur, Jerry Smith, has found a lucrative new business opportunity right in the trashiest parts of Beirut. Smith saw an untapped market in the heaps of recyclable waste that fill the city’s bins, and decided to make a profit from it.
While most eco-conscious cities around the world pay people to recycle, Smith has turned the tables by paying residents like Debra Zaneur pennies for each piece of recyclable waste they bring him. Not only is Smith making a killing off of the waste he buys for next to nothing, but he talks unsuspecting people like Zaneur into sifting through the filthiest and most disgusting bins in the city to find it!
But Zaneur isn’t the only one diving head first into Beirut’s rubbish bins. Meet Deiri Farquhar, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Trash.” Rumor has it that she’s even brought in a throne made entirely of old milk cartons to tout her title.
“I can’t believe people throw this stuff out!” said Farquhar, cradling an empty Coke can like it was her newborn child. “I’m finding so much treasure in these bins. It’s like a never-ending goldmine!”
Some critics are questioning Smith’s tactics, saying he’s taking advantage of a community that doesn’t have the resources to properly recycle.
But Smith insists he’s doing his part to help clean up the streets of Beirut.
“It’s a win-win,” said Smith. “I’m helping the environment, and people are making money in the process. What’s not to love?”
We can only hope that Smith’s innovative business model makes its way to other cities. Because who wouldn’t want to spend their mornings elbow-deep in other people’s garbage?
