We’ve seen it all too often in English movies from around the globe, where every member of the family takes turns to ‘take out the trash’. As a society, India has often sought to look down on chores that are otherwise considered routine in daily life elsewhere. In almost every Hollywood flick it is common for a scene to include someone taking out the trash and this someone is a member of the household. Picking up your own waste and disposing of it should after all not be considered a menial task, don’t you think?
Granted that the lifestyle and set-up overseas allows for people to take on these tasks themselves. For starters, it’s been a tradition of sorts for them since years, so on the other hand one shouldn’t brutally attack our tradition – wherein our beloved waste collector does the needful. Most morning scenes in residential societies depicts a bermuda clad man walking from door to door collecting the garbage. He then proceeds to dump it in the corner of the building or complex, a special corner meant to store the day’s waste. After which the local municipal truck takes on the responsibility of collecting it in bulk and disposing of it in the city’s waste disposal grounds.
Waste disposal, be it household or industrial waste are both important factors in maintain health and hygiene. Sadly, most cities in India lag behind when it comes to conforming to basic norms. While we may work hard toward keeping our homes clean, how often do we agree to do the same when on our own streets?
Imagine a day wherein the garbage collector just didn’t show up to work. He anyway works for a meagre sum of money and is expected to pick up after us and ensure that our waste bin is fit enough for the next day’s waste to go into. Would you even think of picking up your garbage bag and disposing of it yourself in this event? Probably not! I mean, what a major shame would that be right, if you were to walk into your own compound with your own garbage in full view of the other domestic helpers, liftman and the sorts!
Our waste collector is like any other – a human being at the core who is willing to perform this task to feed himself and his family. At the end of it all, it’s not about what these unsung heroes do or how trivial the task may seem. It’s about how you, me and everyone around us needs them in ways more than one. Think about it. Would there be any order if your milkman, newspaper man, garbage collector and car washer man all disappeared at the same time never to show up again?
The next time you send your waste collector off with your garbage bag, try throwing him a smile or two.