Helsinki-Vantaa | Romania’s Amal, 20, found a way to earn – Goes around the airport several times an hour with her friend

To black a man dressed in a shirt and white shorts peeks into the hole of a white tank at Helsinki-Vantaa airport. The man has a red backpack on his back and a plastic bag in his hand, in which he picks up a plastic bottle from the hole.

There is a yellow sign next to it, which tells you to empty large liquid bottles before the security check. Many have left an empty bottle on the edge of the tank.

Bottle collectors are not a rare sight in Helsinki-Vantaa. Collectors appeared in the departure hall of the airport after the corona restrictions a few years ago.

At the beginning of September, strict liquid restrictions were re-introduced at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport, according to which liquid containers of no more than 100 milliliters can be carried in hand luggage. That’s why many people now leave their bottles in the designated garbage or next to the garbage. The change in liquid restrictions has made collecting bottles more profitable.

Romanian Amal20, and his friend Alexander21, arrived in Finland two weeks ago and they have been collecting bottles at Helsinki-Vantaa airport every night.

HS drew attention to the duo while watching the security check lines at the airport on Friday evening and asked them for an interview. At first the men refuse, but after a while they agree.

The men go around examining the trash in the hope that they will find the pawned bottle. If it goes well, you get a deposit on the bottles when you take them to the Aleppa bottle return machine located on the floor below.

Deputy head of Alepa Kati Kuuliainen says that bottle returners are a familiar sight in the store.

“Our store is the only one here with a bottle return machine,” says Kuuliainen.

The men alternately repeat the same round at least four to five times an hour. Some passenger may have left an empty bottle in the trash between rounds. If not fast enough, someone else will catch it.

In addition, the employees of the cleaning services are also diligently emptying the trash. Amal says that they are smart and that’s why they often manage to collect the bottles before the cleaners.

Amal and besides Alexandru, many others collect bottles at the airport. During the three hours, HS noticed that in addition to Amal and Alexandru, a Finnish-speaking woman and two young boys were collecting bottles.

An English-speaking man declines HS’s interview request after hearing that it will not be paid for.

“Then why would I answer? Follow what I’m doing for a moment and you’ll find out”, he says and continues his round.

When asked where he was from, the man answers with a broad smile: “I’m from Earth.”

Passing by the passenger empties his bottle into the tank and then hands the bottle to Alexandro. “Thank you,” he replies. That’s how much Finnish he has learned.

Alexandru does not know English either, and Amal interprets his answers. According to Amali, Alexandru has a one-month-old baby and a two-year-old older child at home in Romania. He misses them.

Despite her young age, Amal also has a family and a three-year-old child in Romania. In addition, his wife is currently pregnant.

Amal says that the men plan to return home to Romania in about a month. Before that, they try to make money in Finland by collecting bottles.

This Friday has been good, Amal says and shows the plastic bags on her bottle. You can get at least 20 euros from these.