1.   A final factor contributes to the low income of garbage pickers and this relates to their involvement in the international economy.

2.   The garbage picker appears to work for himself but is in fact part of an industrial organisation.

3.   A garbage picker from Sichuan said he was taken to the Changping center last year.

4.   Garbage pickers comb the streets for cartons and other wrapping that smugglers discard to save space.

5.   Yet, reflecting the contradictory attitudes that Chinese cities have toward poor migrants, the garbage pickers are despised by many permanent residents and officials as unwelcome invaders.