North Korean authorities are reportedly incurring the ire of Hyesan residents after ordering local families to provide materials for recycling.
According to a Daily NK source in Yanggang Province on Sunday, inminban (people’s units) in Hyesan have been engaged in a focused campaign to gather recyclables since Aug. 1. People already struggling due to economic difficulties are reportedly being forced to provide 500 grams of waste paper and one kilogram of rubber.
Local authorities ordered residents to “precisely execute the planned amounts,” warning locals against “fobbing off” their quotas. Residents who fail to fulfill their tasks are being “mobilized” to repair roads.
The source says residents are complaining about the move, with some noting that while the authorities fail to properly provide the food they have promised, “they are mercilessly persistent about taking [what they need].”
North Korea has long established recyclable purchasing centers throughout the country, tasking locals with collecting waste and recyclables such as waste paper, scrap metal and disused glass, plastic and aluminum.
In the 1990s, locals could exchange waste or recyclables for manufactured goods they needed at sundry shops in residential districts. Recently, however, authorities are merely giving people certificates that they completed their tasks.
“This campaign is basically a trick to get free labor out of the people,” said the source. “Calling on people to gather recyclables when not just food, but even firewood is in short supply is ultimately just an excuse to mobilize the people [for labor].”
