Indeed. I see them every day. If I have something interesting for them I'll hand it to them. Much rather they get some money out of it than throwing it in the bin and getting damaged before they find it. Like an appliance that I have to get rid of but might still work but is not worth selling. Things with scrap metal indeed. They're always friendly and grateful. I don't have much to throw out myself but at our local makerspace we do often have substantial stuff.

I like them. I wish the government would support them more though. They're really being abused. As chatarreros they earn almost nothing, and as topmantas (street vendors selling fake handbags) they're often rounded up by the police and insulted by tourists. I'm pretty sure they get only peanuts from the people that import all these fake goods too. They're really at the bottom of the food chain.

It's really sad. I wish I could do more for them, but I can't even vote here. I heard the mayor of Barcelona (Ada Colau) is really aware of their plight, but there is only so much she can do either. Most of the core issues are national formalities like residency.