What you need to know:
- They rid our homes of garbage and help keep our cities clean.
- These men and women are the unsung heroes of our urban centres.
Recent photos of waste pickers at the Dandora dumpsite donning used and disposed Covid-19 personal protective equipment (PPEs) for their day job lit up social media.
In this pandemic, waste workers are at great risk of contracting and spreading the virus.
These men and women are the unsung heroes of our urban centres. Long before Covid-19 landed on our shores, these individuals were already frontline workers ridding our homes of garbage and keeping our cities clean.
However, in a sector that remains largely unregulated by county governments, these waste managers are not accorded adequate
Research shows that frequent exposure to smoke and heavy-metal fumes leads to respiratory complications, cancer, and kidney failures.
Moreover, stray needles and sharp objects make waste pickers susceptible to cuts, injuries, and contracting Hepatitis C and HIV. Read more
