"We buy scrap from the waste pickers. On average we buy and sell 15 to 20 sacks a week. We sell one full cement-sack at Tk 50 and gunny bag at Tk 250. We sell per kg plastic at Tk 35, cow bones at Tk 4 and glass at Tk 2."

Habibullah is satisfied with his income. "I could improve my business further if I had Tk 1,00,000 capital and my own godown," he said.

"Summer is our peak season as people drink lots of beverages during this period. Plastic bottles of soft drinks earn us some extra bucks," he said.

Liton Mia, owner of a glass scarp shop, said per maund (around 37 kg) of glass sells at Tk 120. "I sell the glass bits to the glass factory owners in Tejgaon and Tongi. There are many glass-scarp shops like mine so there is lots of competition in this business," he said.

There are factories in Matuail, Islambagh and Mitford area where workers sort out plastic, paper and glass from the waste. Then those are sold to the plastic or glass factory owners. This is a chain of the market of recycling where waste pickers remain at the bottom and factory owners at the top.