Anthony O. Maceira, Esq.
An unsung hero is someone who has achieved great things like any other hero, but without the songs being sung or stories being told in their name. Throughout history they have always been present. Present in every war, in every breakthrough and yes, in every emergency.
The CDC has advised that one of the main ways of avoiding COVID-19 contagion is by “social distancing”. For this reason, many jurisdictions, including Puerto Rico, have mandated lockdowns at home to minimize the contact and thus reducing the risk for exposure and contagion. As you read this, most of you are probably at home and have been for the past couple of weeks. However, some of our neighbors, family and friends don’t have the luxury of staying in due to the nature of their jobs.
The declared COVID-19 pandemic that finally knocked on our door has made the importance of the chain of first response to the health crisis that goes beyond doctors and nurses highly visible. There we meet the police officers, port security, supermarket and food chain personnel, among others. However, the team that goes from house to house, to hospitals, restaurants and other locations collecting all the waste, that has increased even more during the quarantine, has not yet been made visible. There is still a very important “unsung hero” amongst our ranks, and it’s about time we recognize their crucial role, I’m talking about our sanitation workers.
Sanitation workers have been first responders in every recent emergency. 24 hours after Hurricane María devastated the Island, sanitation workers had already reported to their workplaces and inspected any damages to the landfills that needed immediate attention and the next day, I remember seeing green and yellow garbage trucks already on the road. Same happened with the recent earthquakes that severely impacted our Island and during this pandemic, even with a 15% increase in residential waste, the hard work of sanitation workers, has been efficient as ever.
Their work is extremely essential to avoid outbreaks of infection and diseases that would make the present situation even worse or create a subsequent one that is not currently in our radar. There are reports that show that in 1918, when the world was fighting the Spanish Flu, major cities in the U.S. went through a crisis in solid waste crisis that in some cases had people walking over piles of garbage. In the absence of sanitation workers to pick up residential and medical waste, extreme measures had to be taken such as covering piles of garbage on the side of the road with dirt, to mitigate the health issues that the lack of adequate management of waste brought.
In that whole chain there are people involved, that nobody applauds or mentions because we really don’t meet them and are taken for granted. But the work these men and women do, be it on the streets, in their trucks, transfer stations or landfills, is as important as the work of the many other professionals who every day are facing an invisible enemy while they do their work to protect us from further harm. It is important that we take our measures when disposing waste but also, for employers to put in place plans to keep them active, healthy and doing their jobs.
As a believer that knowing the past prepares you for the future, it’s time to sing a song to these heroes in recognition that they are part of our front.