Ragpicking community goes home rich after collecting 20 bags of plastic bottles dumped outside Navi Mumbai's DY Patil stadium, the venue of international pop sensation Justin Bieber's concert



Ragpickers struck gold outside the stadium last night, where they collected thousands of plastic bottles. Pics/Satej Shinde



Last night when Justin Bieber crooned at DY Patil stadium, his sensational Indian debut did not just leave his large posse of fans happy, but also a small group of ragpickers, who struck gold, outside the concert venue.



With a massive audience of over 40,000 in attendance at the stadium, the ragpickers collected more than 20 huge sacks of plastic bottles that had been recklessly dumped outside the stadium. The ragpickers, who were at the venue for over five hours, were seen picking up bottles from the parking lot and service road. They later took away their spoils in a specially booked autorickshaw.



Ragpickers struck gold outside the stadium last night, where they collected thousands of plastic bottles. Pics/Satej Shinde



Ten times the earnings



"Usually, we manage to fill just bag of plastic, and barely make Rs. 100-150 per day. But, thanks to the show, we collected over 20 bags of plastic bottles. We hope to earn anywhere between Rs. 1,500 to Rs. 2,000 after selling the bottles,” said ragpicker Vijwala Kale. The group will be selling the plastic waste for Rs. 50 per kilo. After the day came to a close, Kale was so happy with the collection that she started calling herself a Belieber. "I have now become a Belieber. Because of him, we hit jackpot," she said.



The bags were later transported in an autorickshaw. Pic/Satej Shinde



The group that lives in Sector 9 of Navi Mumbai was seen collecting bottles till late after midnight. "We will be returning later during the day, because there are many more plastic bottles lying around," Kale said.



Ragpickers struck gold outside the stadium last night, where they collected thousands of plastic bottles. Pics/Satej Shinde



Extra pocket money



Two other young boys, Akash Ubare (10) and Ashish Bhagwan Vankhande (15), who accompanied Kale, were also seen pacing the vicinity with bags in tow. “Our school vacations are on, so we decided to help out with the plastic collection and make some extra money," said Vankhande. "It was a tough day, because we walked for more than one kilometre, and had to take five rounds of the stadium. But, the result was worth it," he added.

Rs. 2,000 - Amount they hope to earn from the bottles

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