Turkish retirees collect cardboard to survive amid rising costs

Retirees in Isparta, Turkey, are voicing deep concerns about their inability to cope with the rising cost of living on their pensions. Many describe a daily struggle to afford basic necessities, with some resorting to collecting recyclable materials for supplemental income.

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My pension is 27,000 lira. I do small side jobs, I collect cardboard, at worst it reaches 30,000 lira. We are managing.

One retiree, Ramazan Yılmaz, shared that his pension amounts to 27,000 Turkish lira per month. To make ends meet, he engages in collecting cardboard, which brings his total monthly income to around 30,000 lira. "We are managing," he stated, adding that they try to shop for groceries in the evening to find better prices. He noted their situation is manageable partly because they do not have children still in education.

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If your rent is outside, you have no chance of living.

Others paint a bleaker picture. Arif Eski, who owns his home, said he can "manage" because he doesn't have rent to pay. "If your rent is outside, you have no chance of living," he explained. Mafiz Selçuk, living in an apartment, described the situation as "dire." "If we had children, we would have no chance of surviving. The life of a retiree is over," Selçuk lamented.

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The life of a retiree is over.

Osman Korkmaz mentioned that while they are "managing," his pension primarily covers rent and grocery shopping. He echoed the sentiment that a single pension is insufficient, and families rely on additional income from working children. İbrahim Altınok expressed his pain seeing minimum wage earners and those struggling with daily expenses, stating, "How can you survive? It's impossible."

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How can you survive? It's impossible.