London refuse collector Wilbur Ramirez has become something of a celebrity following his appearance in a BBC television documentary, where he swapped his normal round collecting rubbish and recycling in Hammersmith & Fulham for the mean streets of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta.
Wilbur recently featured in a BBC2 series called Toughest Place to be a ... where it followed his time working as a binman with local street sweeper and dustman Imam, and living with Imam’s family just yards away from a huge rubbish tip. Imam works seven days a week, not only collecting rubbish, but also sweeping the front of houses and opening and clearing the storm drains, all in bare feet and without gloves.
Imam receives a tiny wage for the job – so meagre that it is not enough to support his wife, child and parents. So he works late into the night, every night, sorting recyclables like plastic bottles and tins from the rubbish pile to sell on for a little more cash. Most of the 3,000 people living near the tip in shacks must live off what they can scavenge.
The 43-year-old from Cricklewood recently met Cllr Frances Stainton, the Mayor of Hammersmith & Fulham, at Hammersmith Town Hall, to discuss his experiences."I couldn't believe how people live,” said Wilbur. "Nobody has a toilet there, and there is just one cable where everybody gets their electricity from. I've seen countless rats in my daily work but out there they are the size of rabbits. One of them even ran across my face when I was trying to get to sleep one night and Imam’s wife was bitten right on the thigh by a rat."
Cllr Stainton said: “Having listened to the stories Wilbur told, it really makes you realise how lucky we are to have proper sanitation and ways of getting rid of waste. He talked about Imam, his family and the people he met out there with real affection and the programme showed how caring and thoughtful Wilbur is. We are incredibly proud of Wilbur and all his efforts both in Jakarta and in H&F.”
Wilbur and Imam built a strong bond while working together and he even managed to get his new friend a pay rise after confronting the head of the residents’ association, who pays the sweepers' wages. After ten days working together, Wilbur took on the round alone, meaning that Imam could finally have a day off.
Wilbur said: "Imam told me I was like a brother to him and he couldn't understand why I cared so much for him and his family. I thought it would be tough, but I could never imagine how tough. For me I go back to my job, driving a truck, with a uniform and gloves, and at the end of my shift go home to my family. For them this nightmare goes on every day."
Since Wilbur returned to the UK, Imam has received a pay rise and now is working as a taxi driver in the evenings to bring in more much-needed money. Serco, H&F Council’s waste contractor and Wilbur’s employer, has pledged to send some additional safety equipment to Imam and his fellow binmen, while Wilbur is planning a charity concert with his soul band later this year. You can follow Wilbur on Twitter for more details - @tenderness42.
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