By Farzana Yasmin Mousumi

This is the story of those, who survive from the waste thrown away. I have to tell the story that remains almost untold in our regular life.

The filthy waste that makes us hold our breath and turn away is what puts food on someone else’s table. Polash Sikder is one of them, garbage management is a part of his everyday life. While much of the city is still waking up, Polash takes his waste-collection cart and starts moving through residential areas, going from one household to another to collect the garbage people leave behind. The narrow lanes are quiet at this hour, broken only by the creak of his cart’s wheels and the occasional bark of a stray dog. The 41-year-old has been working as a waste collector for the past 12 years.

Hailed from Narail, he moved to Dhaka around 25 years ago in search of better opportunities. Since then, collecting and transporting household waste has been his livelihood.

“I came here with a lot of hope. I had no idea what I would do in the city or what kind of job I would find. But I knew I had to work hard to support my family. I believe that, if I worked honestly and gave my best, my children could have a better future than I did,” Polash said.

His working day begins in the morning and continues until the day’s collection is complete. Moving from door to door, he picks up household waste and fills his cart, before taking it to a designated dumping site. It is physically demanding work, carried out largely without gloves, masks, or any of the protective equipment that might make the job safer. Workers like Polash make sure the waste produced by households does not remain on streets or around residential buildings.

Dhaka generates thousands of tonnes of household waste every day, and much of the responsibility for collecting it falls on informal workers who are rarely counted in official records or covered by labour protections. Yet despite their role in keeping neighbourhoods clean, waste collectors often receive little recognition for their work.

“I don’t think much about whether people appreciate us or not. I have to work hard to earn money and support my family,” Polash said. “I don’t think there is any shame in doing this work. Every kind of work is necessary. I work honestly and take my hard-earned money home to my family.”

Polash is married and has two children, a son and a daughter. His daughter is now married, while his son is studying in the second year of an Honours programme at Chougacha National College.

He continues working despite the difficulties of the job due to his son’s education, also one of the major reasons.

“I work hard so that my son can get a good education. When I see him studying, I feel proud. I want my children to have a better future than I did,” Polash said.

For Polash, waste collection is not an easy profession, but it is his main source of income. Each day he goes out with his cart is another day spent working towards the future he wants for his children.

“Every day I work, I think about my children and feel that one day they may not have to work as hard as I do. That gives me strength to continue. I believe that with a proper education, they can build a better future for themselves,” he said.

“I don’t regret doing this work. It is honest work, and it allows me to support my family. That is what matters to me,” Polash said.

By the time the sun is fully up and the city has begun its day in earnest, Polash’s cart is already heavy with what others have discarded. He will make the same journey again tomorrow, and the day after that, largely unseen by the people whose waste he carries away. His work may go unnoticed, but thousands of residents rely on workers like him every day to keep their communities clean.