Qiu Shenghua rides his bicycle to collect scraps on the streets of Xinyang, Henan province. Photos by Xiang Mingchao / China Daily

Qiu Shenghua, 66, is carefully counting his money to purchase stamps at a post office in Xinyang, Henan province.

"I'd like to buy 20 1.2-yuan stamps, 10 0.8 yuan stamps, and 100 envelopes, which altogether is 42 yuan ($6.93)," says Qiu after counting up the amount of mail he has to post.

Qiu is not sending letters or postcards, he is buying the stamps and envelopes to mail the identification cards and certificates he has found on the street while collecting scrap.

Qiu retired from his job as a factory cleaner in 1997, and has made a living as a scavenger ever since.

Qiu's main job is to collect scrap such as bottles, nails and discarded daily utensils at the train station, on street corners, or in the thick grass near the river. This is his second source of income after his monthly pension of 1,700 yuan. Since 2005, Qiu has spent about 2,000 yuan posting more than 1,000 letters returning ID cards, or identification certificates he finds on the street, to their owners. He has posted these lost items to places as far away as the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.

Wang Zuguo, who has worked at the post office for 10 years, is used to seeing Qiu buy his stamps.

"Some people choose to send cards back once or twice when they find them on the bus. However, Qiu has insisted on doing it for many years," Wang says.

"I just want to follow my heart and do something without regret," Qiu says.