Confessions of a Garbage Disposal Worker

“Alcoholism is very high among garbage collectors. No onereally cares whether we are drunk; there’s no training manual”

Many garbage collectors are literate. They have studied at least till Class VIII. This is a field where there is always a vacancy.

I am 30 years old and still unmarried. No girl is willing to marry a garbage collector. Girls are very ambitious these days. If a man does not have a good job, no girl will marry him. My parents have been looking for girls in the villages, too, but they haven’t found a bride yet.

We are appointed to collect garbage by the local contractor. Our wages are deducted if we take even a day’s leave. It’s a dirty business but it’s also good money for a casual worker like me. I sort the garbage and sell off stuff of any value, like plastic, to the scrap dealer. On an average, I earn Rs 200 per day on the side.

Alcoholism is very high among garbage collectors. No one really cares whether we are drunk; there is no training manual or code of conduct. The most important thing is that the garbage has to be disposed of. With the number of housing societies and offices increasing, there is too much to be collected.
The wages are as low as Rs 500 per month. So we have to depend on the money we make selling scrap to survive. If a garbage collector does not turn up for even one day, there is so much inconvenience, but somehow this is never considered when the contractor pays us low wages.

The drivers employed by the contractors are not very experienced at driving. In fact, they too are often drunk.

I passed my SSC exams but could not study further. After doing a series of odd jobs, I became a garbage collector. I don’t like the job, but there is no option. My experience of garbage collection counts for nothing in getting another job.

(He has been working in south Mumbai for the past two years)

As told to Haima Deshpande

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arindam