TEDCity2.0
Robin Nagle: What I discovered in New York City trash
Robin Nagle: Nilichokigundua katika uchafu wa Jiji la New York
Filmed:
Readability: 3.6
1,728,898 views
Wakazi wa Jiji la New York, wanatengeneza tani 11,000 za uchafu kila siku.Kila Siku! Takwimu hii ya ajabu ni moja ya sababu iliyomfanya Robin Nagle kufanya utafiti pamoja na idara ya usafi.Alipita njia zao,akaendesha mifagio ya umeme, na hata kuendesha gari la taka yeye mwenyewe- yote haya ili aweze kujibu swali linaloonekana kuwa rahisi lakini gumu: Ni nani anayetakiwa kusafisha baada yetu?
Robin Nagle - Trash anthropologist
Robin Nagle is an anthropologist with a very particular focus... garbage. Full bio
Robin Nagle is an anthropologist with a very particular focus... garbage. Full bio
Double-click the English transcript below to play the video.
00:12
I was about 10 years old
0
315
2257
Nilikuwa na miaka 10
00:14
on a camping trip with my dad
1
2572
1699
katika tukiwa safari ya kambi na baba yangu
00:16
in the Adirondack Mountains, a wilderness area
2
4271
2760
Katika milima ya Adirondack, eneo la nyika
00:19
in the northern part of New York State.
3
7031
2995
Kaskazini mwa jimbo la New York.
00:22
It was a beautiful day.
4
10026
1441
Ilikuwa ni siku nzuri sana.
00:23
The forest was sparkling.
5
11467
2002
Msitu ulikuwa unang'aa.
00:25
The sun made the leaves glow like stained glass,
6
13469
3524
Jua lilifanya majani yawake kama kioo,
00:28
and if it weren't for the path we were following,
7
16993
3205
na kama si kwa njia tuliyofuata,
00:32
we could almost pretend we were
8
20198
1404
tungejifanya kama
00:33
the first human beings to ever walk that land.
9
21602
3562
wanadamu wa kwanza kupita eneo lile.
00:37
We got to our campsite.
10
25164
1651
tukafika katka eneo letu la kufanyia kambi.
00:38
It was a lean-to on a bluff
11
26815
1967
ilikuwa ni eneo
00:40
looking over a crystal, beautiful lake,
12
28782
2696
linalotazama ziwa zuri sana,
00:43
when I discovered a horror.
13
31478
2696
nilipogundua kitu kibaya.
00:46
Behind the lean-to was a dump,
14
34174
3098
nyuma ya eneo hilo kulikuwa na dampo
00:49
maybe 40 feet square
15
37272
1458
kama futi za mraba 40
00:50
with rotting apple cores
16
38730
2313
likiwa na matufaa yaliyooza
00:53
and balled-up aluminum foil,
17
41043
1747
na makaratasi ya madini ya aluminium
00:54
and a dead sneaker.
18
42790
1749
na vitu vilivyokufa,
00:56
And I was astonished,
19
44539
2571
nilishangazwa sana,
00:59
I was very angry, and I was deeply confused.
20
47110
3432
niliingiwa na hasira, na kuchanganyikiwa pia.
01:02
The campers who were too lazy
21
50542
1582
Wapiga kambi wazembe
01:04
to take out what they had brought in,
22
52124
1958
walioshindwa kuchukua vile walivyokuja navyo,
01:06
who did they think would clean up after them?
23
54082
3845
walifikiri ni nani atakayesafisha kama si wao?
01:09
That question stayed with me,
24
57927
1909
Swali hili lilikaa ndani yangu,
01:11
and it simplified a little.
25
59836
1967
lilirahisishwa kidogo.
01:13
Who cleans up after us?
26
61803
2376
nani atakayesafisha baada yetu?
01:16
However you configure
27
64179
1422
vyovyote utakavyofanya
01:17
or wherever you place the us,
28
65601
1707
au popote utakapotuweka,
01:19
who cleans up after us in Istanbul?
29
67308
2590
nani takayesafisha baada yetu Instanbul?
01:21
Who cleans up after us in Rio
30
69898
2256
nani takayesafisha baada yetu Rio?
01:24
or in Paris or in London?
31
72154
2529
au Paris na London?
01:26
Here in New York,
32
74683
1572
Hapa New York,
01:28
the Department of Sanitation cleans up after us,
33
76255
2592
Idara ya Usafi wa mazingira inasafisha baada yetu,
01:30
to the tune of 11,000 tons of garbage
34
78847
2670
kiasi cha tani 11,000 za uchafu
01:33
and 2,000 tons of recyclables every day.
35
81517
4362
na tani 2000 za uchafu wa kuchakatwa kila siku.
01:37
I wanted to get to know them as individuals.
36
85879
2633
nilitaka niwajue kama watu binafsi.
01:40
I wanted to understand who takes the job.
37
88512
2846
nilitaka kujua nani anyefanya kazi hii.
01:43
What's it like to wear the uniform
38
91358
2519
inakuwaje kuvaa sare
01:45
and bear that burden?
39
93877
1654
na kuchukua mzigo huo?
01:47
So I started a research project with them.
40
95531
2653
kwa hiyo nikaazisha utafiti nao.
01:50
I rode in the trucks and walked the routes
41
98184
2539
nilipanda magari yao na nikaanza kuzunguka nao
01:52
and interviewed people in offices and facilities
42
100723
2409
nikawahoji watu katika ofisi na maeneo mengine
01:55
all over the city,
43
103132
1507
kila sehemu ya mji,
01:56
and I learned a lot,
44
104639
1739
nilijifunza mengi,
01:58
but I was still an outsider.
45
106378
2349
lakini bado nilikuwa mtu wa nje tu.
02:00
I needed to go deeper.
46
108727
1878
nilitaka kujua zaidi.
02:02
So I took the job as a sanitation worker.
47
110605
3116
kwa hiyo niomba kazi ya usafi wa mazingira.
02:05
I didn't just ride in the trucks now. I drove the trucks.
48
113721
2647
sikupanda tu magari tena. bali niliyaendesha.
02:08
And I operated the mechanical brooms and I plowed the snow.
49
116368
3145
nikatumia mafagio ya kwenye magari na nikawa nakusanya barafu.
02:11
It was a remarkable privilege
50
119513
1899
ilikuwa ni neema ya ajabu
02:13
and an amazing education.
51
121412
2607
na elimu moja ya ajabu sana.
02:16
Everyone asks about the smell.
52
124019
2152
kila mtu anauliza juu ya harufu.
02:18
It's there, but it's not as prevalent as you think,
53
126171
3060
ipo,lakini si kama kali unavyofikiri,
02:21
and on days when it is really bad,
54
129231
1514
na katika siku ambazo inakuwa kali sana,
02:22
you get used to it rather quickly.
55
130745
2676
unaizoe mara moja.
02:25
The weight takes a long time to get used to.
56
133421
3197
uzito unachukua muda kuuzoea.
02:28
I knew people who were several years on the job
57
136618
2287
Niliwafahamu watu waliokuwa katika kazi miaka kadhaa
02:30
whose bodies were still adjusting to the burden
58
138905
2585
ambao miili yao ilikuwa inaendelea kuzoea
02:33
of bearing on your body
59
141490
2081
mzigo huo katika miili yao
02:35
tons of trash every week.
60
143571
2979
tani za uchafu kila wiki.
02:38
Then there's the danger.
61
146550
2184
halafu pia kuna hatari.
02:40
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics,
62
148734
2472
Kulingana na idara ya takwimu za kazi,
02:43
sanitation work is one of the 10 most dangerous
63
151206
2202
Kazi ya usafi wa mazingira ni moja kati ya kazi 10 za hatari sana
02:45
occupations in the country,
64
153408
1892
Katika nchi,
02:47
and I learned why.
65
155300
1751
na nilijifunza kwa nini.
02:49
You're in and out of traffic all day,
66
157051
1421
Uko katika foleni kila siku,
02:50
and it's zooming around you.
67
158472
961
inakuzunguka
02:51
It just wants to get past you, so it's often
68
159433
1884
wanataka kukupita, kwa hiyo
02:53
the motorist is not paying attention.
69
161317
2050
madereva hawajali.
02:55
That's really bad for the worker.
70
163367
1826
hii ni mbaya sana kwa mfanyakazi.
02:57
And then the garbage itself is full of hazards
71
165193
2160
na uchafu wenyewe umejaa sumu nyingi
02:59
that often fly back out of the truck
72
167353
2019
ambao unaruka nje ya gari
03:01
and do terrible harm.
73
169372
2081
na kusababisha madhara.
03:03
I also learned about the relentlessness of trash.
74
171453
2815
nikajifunza pia uking'ang'ani wa taka
03:06
When you step off the curb
75
174268
1311
unapushuka
03:07
and you see a city from behind a truck,
76
175579
2849
na kuuangalia mji kutokea kwenye gari la taka,
03:10
you come to understand that trash
77
178428
1786
unaelewa kuwa taka
03:12
is like a force of nature unto itself.
78
180214
2617
ni kama nguvu ya asili.
03:14
It never stops coming.
79
182831
2456
haiachi kuja.
03:17
It's also like a form of respiration or circulation.
80
185287
3479
na pia ni kama aina ya upumuaji au mzunguko.
03:20
It must always be in motion.
81
188766
3045
lazima iwe katika mwendo wakati wote.
03:23
And then there's the stigma.
82
191811
2048
halafu tena kuna unyanyapaa.
03:25
You put on the uniform, and you become invisible
83
193859
2916
unavaa sare , unakuwa kama hauonekani
03:28
until someone is upset with you for whatever reason
84
196775
2304
mpaka mtu anapokasirishwa na kwa sababu kama
03:31
like you've blocked traffic with your truck,
85
199079
2315
umezuia magari kwa kutumia gari lako,
03:33
or you're taking a break too close to their home,
86
201394
2651
au umepumzika karibu sana na nyumba yake,
03:36
or you're drinking coffee in their diner,
87
204045
3114
au unakunywa kahawa katika sehemu yao ya kulia chakula,
03:39
and they will come and scorn you,
88
207159
2410
watakuja na kukushutumu,
03:41
and tell you that they don't want you anywhere near them.
89
209569
3262
na kukwambia hawatak kukuona karibu yao.
03:44
I find the stigma especially ironic,
90
212831
2432
unyanyapaa huu naona unashangaza sana,
03:47
because I strongly believe that sanitation workers
91
215263
3311
kwa sababu naamini kuwa wafanyakazi wa usafi wa mazingira
03:50
are the most important labor force
92
218574
1680
ni wafanyakazi muhimu sana
03:52
on the streets of the city, for three reasons.
93
220254
3024
katika mitaa ya mji, kwa sababu tatu.
03:55
They are the first guardians of public health.
94
223278
2782
wao ndio walinzi wa kwanza wa afya ya jamii.
03:58
If they're not taking away trash
95
226060
2406
kama hawakusanyi taka
04:00
efficiently and effectively every day,
96
228466
2274
kwa ufanisi na usahihi kila siku,
04:02
it starts to spill out of its containments,
97
230740
2711
zinaanza kutoka katika sehemu zilizotunzwa
04:05
and the dangers inherent to it threaten us
98
233451
3726
na madhara yake yanatutishia wote
04:09
in very real ways.
99
237177
1174
katika ya halisi kabisa.
04:10
Diseases we've had in check for decades and centuries
100
238351
2971
magonjwa tuliyoyadhibiti kwa miaka mingi
04:13
burst forth again and start to harm us.
101
241322
2906
yanaibuka tena na kutudhuru.
04:16
The economy needs them.
102
244228
1672
Uchumi unahitaji wanyakazi hawa.
04:17
If we can't throw out the old stuff,
103
245900
2926
Kama hatuwezi kutupa vitu vya zamani,
04:20
we have no room for the new stuff,
104
248826
1890
hakuwezi kukawa na nafasi ya vitu vipya,
04:22
so then the engines of the economy
105
250716
2069
kwa hiyo injini za uchumi
04:24
start to sputter when consumption is compromised.
106
252785
2929
zinashindwa kuendelea kwa kuwa hakuna matumizi
04:27
I'm not advocating capitalism, I'm just pointing out their relationship.
107
255714
4064
Sipigii debe ubepari,lakini najaribu kuonyesha uhusiano uliopo.
04:31
And then there's what I call
108
259778
1988
Lakini pia kuna kile nachoita
04:33
our average, necessary quotidian velocity.
109
261766
4212
na mwendo wa wastani wetu
04:37
By that I simply mean
110
265978
1049
Na hii namaanisha
04:39
how fast we're used to moving
111
267027
2252
ni haraka kiasi gani tumezoea kwenda
04:41
in the contemporary day and age.
112
269279
2132
katika siku hizi za sasa.
04:43
We usually don't care for, repair, clean, carry around
113
271411
5344
Hatujali ,marekebisho,safi
04:48
our coffee cup, our shopping bag,
114
276755
2637
tulichochukua katika kikombe cha kahawa,
04:51
our bottle of water.
115
279392
1485
chupa yetu ya maji.
04:52
We use them, we throw them out, we forget about them,
116
280877
2679
Tunatumia,tunatupa,tunazisahau,
04:55
because we know there's a workforce
117
283556
1780
Kwa sababu tunajua kuna wafanyakazi
04:57
on the other side that's going to take it all away.
118
285336
3020
upande wa pili wataochukua wote.
05:00
So I want to suggest today a couple of ways
119
288356
2447
Sasa nataka nitoe mapendekezo
05:02
to think about sanitation that will perhaps help
120
290803
4514
ya kufikiria kuhusu usafi ambayo
05:07
ameliorate the stigma
121
295317
2474
yatapunguza unyanyapaa
05:09
and bring them into this conversation
122
297791
2231
na kuwaingiza katika mazungumzo haya
05:12
of how to craft a city that is sustainable and humane.
123
300022
5590
ya jinsi ya kuwa na mji unaokua kistaarabu.
05:17
Their work, I think, is kind of liturgical.
124
305612
4161
Kazi yao ni ile inayojirudia rudia.
05:21
They're on the streets every day, rhythmically.
125
309773
2461
wako mitaani kila siku,
05:24
They wear a uniform in many cities.
126
312234
2061
Wakiwa na sare zao katika miji mingi
05:26
You know when to expect them.
127
314295
1869
Unajua wakati gani wa kuwategemea.
05:28
And their work lets us do our work.
128
316164
3923
Kazi yao inasabisha sisi pia tufanye kazi.
05:32
They are almost a form of reassurance.
129
320087
2791
Ni kama uhakikisho
05:34
The flow that they maintain
130
322878
1737
Ambao unaendelea
05:36
keeps us safe from ourselves,
131
324615
1990
kutufanya tuwe salama,
05:38
from our own dross, our cast-offs,
132
326605
2637
mbali na uchafu wetu wenyewe
05:41
and that flow must be maintained always
133
329242
3258
na hali lazima iendelezwe kila wakati
05:44
no matter what.
134
332500
1633
bila kujali chochote.
05:46
On the day after September 11 in 2001,
135
334133
3724
Siku ya Septemba 11, 2001,
05:49
I heard the growl of a sanitation truck on the street,
136
337857
3287
Na nilisikia muungurumo wa gari la usafi mtaani,
05:53
and I grabbed my infant son and I ran downstairs
137
341144
2312
nikamchukua mwanangu mchanga na kukimbilia chini
05:55
and there was a man doing his paper recycling route
138
343456
2842
kulikuwa na mtu ambaye alikuwa anachakata karatasi
05:58
like he did every Wednesday.
139
346298
2182
kama afanyavyo kila Jumatano.
06:00
And I tried to thank him for doing his work
140
348480
2420
Na nikawa najaribu kumshukuru kwa kazi yake
06:02
on that day of all days,
141
350900
2125
katika siku hii,
06:05
but I started to cry.
142
353025
2601
lakini nikaanza kulia.
06:07
And he looked at me,
143
355626
1684
akaniangalia,
06:09
and he just nodded, and he said,
144
357310
3424
akatingisha kichwa,akisema,
06:12
"We're going to be okay.
145
360734
2878
"Tutakuwa salama.
06:15
We're going to be okay."
146
363612
2641
"Tutakuwa salama."
06:18
It was a little while later that I started
147
366253
1353
Ilikuwa ni baadae nilipoanza
06:19
my research with sanitation,
148
367606
1380
utafiti wangu wa usafi wa mazingira,
06:20
and I met that man again.
149
368986
1414
nikakutana na mtu yule tena.
06:22
His name is Paulie, and we worked together many times,
150
370400
2917
Jina lake ni Paulie,tulifanya kazi pamoja mara nyingi,
06:25
and we became good friends.
151
373317
1823
tulikuwa marafiki wazuri.
06:27
I want to believe that Paulie was right.
152
375140
2827
Nataka kuamini Paulie alikuwa sahihi.
06:29
We are going to be okay.
153
377967
2202
Kwamba tutakuwa salama.
06:32
But in our effort to reconfigure
154
380169
1977
lakini katika jitahidi zetu za kutengeneza
06:34
how we as a species exist on this planet,
155
382146
3041
jinsi kama viumbe tutakavyoendelea kuishi katika dunia hii,
06:37
we must include and take account of
156
385187
3295
lazima tuunganishe na kuangalia
06:40
all the costs, including the very real human cost
157
388482
3793
gharama zote, ikiwemo gharama
06:44
of the labor.
158
392275
1504
za kazi.
06:45
And we also would be well informed
159
393779
2801
pia tutakuwa na taarifa
06:48
to reach out to the people who do that work
160
396580
2218
za kuwafikia watu wanaofanya kazi hizo
06:50
and get their expertise
161
398798
1845
na kupata utaalam wao
06:52
on how do we think about,
162
400643
1753
jinsi tunavyofikiri kuhusu,
06:54
how do we create systems around sustainability
163
402396
3250
kutengeneza mifumo endelevu
06:57
that perhaps take us from curbside recycling,
164
405646
3479
ambayo inatuchukua kutoka katika uchakataji,
07:01
which is a remarkable success across 40 years,
165
409125
2585
ambao ni mafanikio makubwa katika miaka 40,
07:03
across the United States and countries around the world,
166
411710
3238
Katika nchi yote ya Marekani, na nchi mbalimbali duniani kote,
07:06
and lift us up to a broader horizon
167
414948
2802
na kutupeleka juu zaidi
07:09
where we're looking at other forms of waste
168
417750
2886
ambako tutaangalia aina nyingine za uchafu
07:12
that could be lessened
169
420636
1485
ambazo zinaweza zikapunguzwa
07:14
from manufacturing and industrial sources.
170
422121
2733
kutoka viwandani.
07:16
Municipal waste, what we think of when we talk about garbage,
171
424854
4005
uchafu katika miji, jinsi tunavyofikiri tunapoongelea uchafu,
07:20
accounts for three percent of the nation's waste stream.
172
428859
3998
unakaribia asilimia tatu ya uchafu wote katika taifa
07:24
It's a remarkable statistic.
173
432857
2387
ni takwimu za kushangaza.
07:27
So in the flow of your days,
174
435244
2478
katika siku zako,
07:29
in the flow of your lives,
175
437722
1526
katika maisha yako,
07:31
next time you see someone whose job is
176
439248
3028
utakapomwona mtu ambaye kazi yake ni
07:34
to clean up after you,
177
442276
3143
kufanya usafi,
07:37
take a moment to acknowledge them.
178
445419
2489
chukua muda kuwatambua.
07:39
Take a moment to say thank you.
179
447908
4592
chukua muda wako kuwashukuru.
07:44
(Applause)
180
452500
3354
(Makofi)
ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Robin Nagle - Trash anthropologistRobin Nagle is an anthropologist with a very particular focus... garbage.
Why you should listen
Robin Nagle has been the anthropologist-in-residence at the Department of Sanitation in New York City since 2006.
Nagle's fascination with trash stems from her desire to understand the all-too-often invisible infrastructure that guides the flow of garbage through a megalopolis like New York. After all, the city produces 11,000 tons of rubbish each day... and all of that has to be dealt with somewhere and by someone. If not, damaging health problems and consequences for all. So why do sanitation workers experience such stigma, all too often scorned and berated while on the job? Nagle, who is also director of NYU's Draper Interdisciplinary Master's program in humanities and social thought, determined to find out. She got her sanitation worker license and has spent much time with workers on the job, getting an up-close view of the city's garbage and the systems in place to deal with it.
Her book, Picking Up: On the Streets and Behind the Trucks with the Sanitation Workers of New York City was published in 2013 by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. See also the profile of her work -- and a photoessay of her favorite places in New York City.
Robin Nagle | Speaker | TED.com