Two Hong Kong cardboard collectors, aged 62 and 73, were arrested by police today after a street fight over the recyclable packaging which pitted two iron bars against an umbrella.
The pre-dawn battle began outside a block of flats in Cheung Sha Wan’s Un Chau Street about 3.45am, according to the SCMP, which noted the beatdown may suggest recycling prices are on the up after Beijing allowed Hong Kong to resume exporting waste to the mainland again.
Citing a police spokesperson, the newspaper reported that the more youthful of the women had been accused of attacking her septuagenarian collector counterpart with two iron bars after an argument over the used boxes.
The older woman, said the spokesman, picked up an umbrella to fight back, resulting in duel that left both combatants with minor injuries.
The pair were taken to hospital and are being questioned by police, who were called to the scene by an onlooker, likely startled by the abrupt brutality of the recycled cardboard box trade, which took a huge hit when Beijing blocked waste exports from Beijing in July.
The recent easing of restrictions, announced late last month, are expected to see the price of cardboard recover, reported the SCMP, after diving from 80 cents per kilogram to just 50 cents in September.
