sanitation workers

National
Health & Safety

Garbage and recyclables pile up as omicron takes its toll on sanitation workers

5:17pm January 14, 2022

by The Associated Press

Some cities are so shorthanded they have temporarily stopped collecting things like recyclables or oversized junk to focus on the grosser, smellier stuff.

A man wearing a protective mask looks at piled-up trash in New York City on April 24. Cities are struggling with collection as the volume of residential garbage surges during the stay-at-home era.

Economy
Environment
Health & Safety

'Hard, Dirty Job': Cities Struggle To Clear Garbage Glut In Stay-At-Home World

6:23am September 21, 2020

by Scott Horsley

As people stay at home, they are putting out more trash, from pizza boxes to cardboard delivery boxes. That's putting a big strain on residential garbage collectors.

Queue Listen Now

Gabriel Toto is a bayakou, or latrine cleaner, in Haiti.

World News
Health & Safety

Even Researchers Were Shocked By How Tough Life Is For Sanitation Workers

10:00am November 17, 2019

by Nurith Aizenman

In lower-income countries, snakes, cow carcasses and collapsing walls are among the hazards faced by this critical but long-ignored group of workers.