The clean-up act
"Being a street sweeper is an honourable job, despite what society tells you," Sinuan Cha-ngak told the Bangkok Post. Here, in her own words, are some of the things she said about her job.
"Being a street sweeper is an honourable job, despite what society tells you," Sinuan Cha-ngak told the Bangkok Post. Here, in her own words, are some of the things she said about her job.
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Sinuan Cha-ngak: "I have nothing to be ashamed of because my family is financially secure and emotionally healthy." Photos by Yvonne Bohwongprasert.
Here is an excerpt from the latest of a series in our Life section on ordinary people often overlooked by society. The complete story is well worth reading and you can find it here: http://www.bangkokpost.com/lifestyle/social-and-lifestyle/507947/the-clean-up-act
Bangkok Post reporter Yvonne Bohwongprasert recently spent much of the day with Sinuan Cha-ngak, a street sweeper at Ratchaprasong. Sinuan's shift begins at 5am, but she is there by 4am. She goes home at 2pm. She has been doing her job for 27 years and has put two children through university and into good jobs.
Sinuan's job begins before dawn.
Here, in her own words, are some of the things Sinuan said about her job:
The clean-up act
Yvonne Bohwongprasert
"I have found that the public has the impression that street sweepers are lowly, uneducated and poor, and maybe they look down on us. It used to disturb me, but not any more. I have never been embarrassed of my career because I look at myself as a civil servant."
"For 27 years the amount of garbage has increased. Ever since the BMA allowed a larger number of vendors to open shop in this vicinity, this amount has spiked," she says.
Sinuan says she is no longer offended by people who stay away from her because she works with garbage.
"Trash generated by them can include everything from rotting fruits and food to metal, foam, plastic containers and other recyclable materials, and more. From my observation, I would say 90% of junk comes from the vendors, while the rest is from pedestrians. Back when they were allowed to sell on the bridge overlooking the Erawan shrine, vendors threw trash in the area reserved for flower pots.
"They don't feel it is their duty to get rid of their own garbage. When I once asked a vendor to put her litter in a bag, she refused, saying that it was my duty to sweep the mess because she paid a fee to the BMA inspectors to sell here.
''This is the general mindset. They feel we are their maids. I used to get upset, but ever since I began practicing dhamma, it doesn't bother me. Since then, I take their bad behaviour in stride."
Sinuan criticises undisciplined vendors, but she has also made long-time friends with many others.
"When my children were growing up, I worked my shift as a street sweeper and then took up odd jobs to make enough money to put them through school."
"My husband is much older than me, so I could not depend on him. However, I never felt desperate. But it wasn't always easy. There were numerous times I found myself in a financial bind. Once I even thought of committing suicide because I could not find enough money to pay for my daughter's college tuition. But eventually we pulled through."
Sinuan is an avid collector of items for recycling, supplementing her income by about 100 baht a day which she uses to make merit.
"Being a street sweeper is an honourable job, despite what society otherwise tells you," says Sinuan. "If my broom accidentally brushes against someone, they often get upset. Some of them even don't want to walk close to me because I work with garbage. I don't get offended by this behaviour because I feel I am an integral part of keeping our city clean, so pedestrians can enjoy the time they spend shopping.
"Moreover, I have nothing to be ashamed of because my family is financially secure and emotionally healthy."
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