I want to extend my heartfelt salute to the unsung heroes of our city—the trash collectors who roam the back lanes, often pushing worn-out shopping carts or carrying tattered plastic bags. These individuals, many of whom face poverty and hardship, contribute more to our environment than most of us realize.
Every Tuesday, when our garbage, compost, and recycling are picked up, the back lanes transform into a bustling hub. For these collectors, the lanes become a goldmine, offering the chance to collect refundable empty beer, liquor, soda bottles, cans, and juice containers. These discarded items are their treasures, carefully extracted from garbage bins and blue boxes, then loaded into wobbly carts or overstuffed bags.
Their work is a delicate dance of timing and perseverance. How much one can gather often depends on how much was missed by the previous collector. They keep searching for that one more bottle, one more can, until the big trucks sweep everything away.
These street environmentalists, as I like to call them, are doing a service to our community. Tuesday is their day—a day to earn a few extra coins while making our city a cleaner place. Our waste is given new life in their hands, one bottle at a time.
—Promod Puri
Promod Puri.com 