While the rest of the city remains locked down amid COVID-19 fears, Rukmini P.U. steps out to work at 5 a.m., armed with gloves and a towel to keep her nose and mouth covered.
Whether some residents of the houses she collects waste from at Vennala may have returned from abroad or may possibly carry the infection, she does not know, she says. But she is certain that she cannot skip even a day’s work.
“If waste is not collected and piles up for days, that could lead to more diseases,” she says.
Her collection runs have become brisk lately. She heads out in a goods autorickshaw driven by her daughter. They do not stop to talk to anybody and try to avoid entering gates of houses.
They have asked residents to keep waste outside the previous night, she says, and they wash the vehicle thoroughly after they hand over waste to the Kochi Corporation’s truck that transports it to the dumpyard.
Each household pays her ₹150 to ₹200 per month for the job that has sustained her family of five for nearly 20 years. Her three children, husband, and grandchildren are all mostly dependant on her, she says.
More than the possibility of contracting the virus, Fasila Faisal, who collects waste from MG Road and Pallimukku areas, is worried that she might not be paid for a while. “Shops are mostly shut now. Each shop would pay between ₹250 and ₹400. If they are not open for some time, they may not pay,” she says. Most people who go door-to-door collecting waste are not salaried employees of the corporation and rely on whatever households were willing to pay, she points out. Some are either part of local self-help groups or have landed the job with the help of the local councillor.
Fasila has not been provided with gloves but has a towel to cover her nose and mouth. She returns home after the corporation truck picks up the waste any time between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. to cook for her husband and three children, she adds.
Masks have recently been finding their way into trash along with other plastic waste, says Mohanan who collects waste from Kaloor on a tricycle. “Everything else aside, that could cause trouble for us,” he said.
