
In 2000, Lin Yuehua began the work under a large umbrella on an empty plot of land next to her house. She used an old scooter to collect re-usable items in the town of Fenglin, a conservative farming town in Hualien county, east Taiwan and store them in a tent. It was no easy task – she was suffering from lupus and the incomprehension of her family to what she was doing.

Another recruit was Lai Lizhen. “The recycling volunteers were very dedicated to their work and I could not bear to see them working under the baking sun,” she said. So, in 2005, she paid out of her own pocket to replace the tent with a tin shed. The number of volunteers grew and, with it, the volume of goods. Transporting them became a problem. Another volunteer, Jiuhe, decided to provide a truck. “She was so kind,” said Lin. “She thought it was very dangerous for me to carry the rubbish around on my motorcycle, so she obtained a truck and transferred it to my name. When she delivered it to me, it had a full tank. I was so grateful.” Jiuhe said that Lin was very passionate about the work: “she mobilized many people in the community to participate in the work.”

The bravery and persistence of a single woman has built a thriving team, from a leaky tent to the security of a tin shed and from a motor cycle to a truck. Over the past decade, the recycling station of Fenglin has become a landmark to Lin Yuehua and her team of dedicated volunteers.
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