Agony of waste collectors

In Malawi, many people do not care where they throw leftovers.

As they dump waste anywhere, garbage keeps piling in waterways and open grounds, including marketplaces where refuse collection attracts jeers and risks their lives while cleaning up.

Clearing refuse from public spaces to dumpsites is essential for the environment and human health.

When refuse lies uncollected for days, concerned citizens promptly cry foul.

Mauzeni Peter, 35, who collects refuse in Mzuzu City, finds this ironic.

Every day, the Mzuzu City Council employee meets people who utter disgusting stuff about his job worth K90 000 a month.

From 7am, he and his team shovel heaps of stinking dumps into trucks destined for Msiro Waste Management Facility. From rotten food to broken glasses and tattered towels, the smelly cargo constitutes an eyesore and a public health threat.

 “When we go working, we put our lives at risk. Most of the time, we find human waste in the rot,” he says, rubbing sweat off his brow with his upper arm.

Last month, a speck pricked his left eye, leaving it bloodshot and itchy.

“I was bedridden for a week and no one cared how I was doing,” says the father of three.

Peter, from the swampy Salisbury Lines, works as a refuse collector on a month-to-month contract.

 “Since 2021, I have been receiving K50 000 a month. The council hiked it to K90 000 two months ago,” he states.

Usually, the refuse collectors are seen working without personal protective equipment (PPE) such as face masks, gloves and gumboots.

During the interview, Peter was spotting worn-out gloves and boots.

“The protective gear is rarely provided,” he says. “These were dumped somewhere and we just picked them. We don’t even have proper wheelbarrows and shovels for the job.”

City councils frequently blame the shortage of tools for the piling waste in open grounds.

Robert Makunganya, 40, says apart from lacking the necessary resources, refuse collectors suffer insults in their line of duty.

“People say we stink even when we take a bath. They deliberately throw garbage on the ground instead of using bins, saying we are paid to clean up,” narrates the father of six.

He describes the indiscriminate dumping of waste as irresponsible and a health hazard.

It exposes the public to sanitation-related disease outbreaks, including cholera.

According to the Ministry of Health, 52 percent of outpatients nationwide seek treatment for sanitation-related diseases.

For Peter and Makunganya, theirs is a thankless but vital job.

“Jobs are scarce, so we only do it to survive and keep our country clean,” says Makunganya.

Section 13 of the Constitution requires the government and its agencies to ensure a sustainable, healthy living and working environment for all. This includes protecting waste collectors from their occupational hazards as they reduce deaths and illnesses from dangerous chemicals; air, water and soil pollution; and contaminated waste.

Centre for Environmental Policy and Advocacy executive director Herbert Malukomo says it is unacceptable for refuse collectors to work without PPE.

He states: “This a serious health hazard as most Malawians do not even segregate waste at the source.

“It exposes refuse collectors to grave harm from the micro-organisms found in and around the garbage, which can cause deadly diseases.”

Mzuzu City Council spokesperson McDonald Gondwe says only 100 of its 250 permanent cleaners have protective gear.

This exposes the remaining 150 and the temporary workforce to health risks.

According to Gondwe, the council initially engaged Peter and other temporary workers to evict illegal vendors from the streets, “but assigned them other duties” in the middle of their contracts.

The roles changed when “the operation hit a snag due to negotiations between the council and vendors”, he says.

Gondwe says the six-month contracts are renewable upon satisfactory performance and mutual interest.

He agrees that refuse collectors lack personal protection tools, contrary to labour laws and occupation safety standards.

Gondwe states: “Usually, we assign those who have PPEs to conditions that require absolute protection

“Those who don’t have are deployed to markets to collect day-to-day garbage such as banana peels, which is less hazardous.”

However, the publicist quickly adds the council has no excuse for ignoring labour laws, including occupational health and safety standards.

“As a requirement, every cleaner is supposed to work with protective gear,” he says.

Keeping Mzuzu clean consumes 60 to 70 percent of the council’s revenue, according to Gondwe. The cost includes hauling waste to Msiro.

“We last bought PPE in 2019. Since then, some have been stolen and others worn out. We normally purchase about 10 [sets] for frontline workers,” says Gondwe.  

Recently, Habitat for Humanity Malawi donated about 20 gumboots for refuse collectors.

Health rights activist George Jobe says councils should be exemplars of labour standards.

He says: “The council should find money and provide safety to all its employees, especially those working in risky sections.

“They should not employ people in excess, but only enough they can protect.”

Jobe urges the Ministry of Labour to ensure councils and refuse-collection businesses respect workers’ rights and safety standards.

“If an institution does not comply with occupational health standards and measures, they should be fined heavily or get deregistered,” he argues.