RECYCLING FOR A LIVING

What you see above is the recyclables collected by a 70 year old lady at the Manjung Sports Complex.  I did have a chat with her and she claimed that she was a retired nurse and she collected plastic bottles, aluminium cans and cardboard boxes to sell as she was bored.
I am now wondering if she was a trained nurse or just a nursing aid for a the clinic of a medical practitioner.  As far as I know, retired nurses attached to the government sector get a pension and even trained nurses working for the private sector would get a tidy sum when they retire.
Furthermore, one of my colleagues tells me that as far as he knows the lady collects the recyclables as a means to earn a living and not as a way to kill boredom.  There are quite a number of elderly ladies whom I know who have made good use of their time by taking care of their grandchildren, going for line dancing, Tai Chi, doing gardening, watching dramas on telly, doing charity work for the churches, mosques and temples.
I am sure the lady was trying to save face when she gave me reason.  My colleague also told me that the same old lady fell off her bicycle a few weeks ago and injured herself.  It is sad, isn't it?