The City council of Botswana has made an official statement meant to recognise waste pickers and accept them equal to other workers.
The city has noted with concern that most people do not appreciate these workers as part of society, even though these workers help keep the environment clean.
Waste pickers have helped communities with getting rid of their home garbage and help keep the stay cities clean. Their job has not been easy during the pandemic as they are exposing themselves to the coronavirus only to maintain general cleanliness.
In a statement issued by the city council, waste workers were thanked for their commitment during such crucial times.
“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,” the statement read.
Recently, people have praised these workers on social media after recognising how hard they are working to keep the surrounding clean. Some of them are only volunteers and not formally employed for the job they do.
In order to perform their job to total satisfaction, the waste workers have pleaded with the council for more protective wear as they sometimes come across stray needles and sharp objects that make them susceptible to cuts, injuries, and contracting Hepatitis C and HIV.
