As thousands of runners and spectators lined the route, the couple quietly worked along the sidelines, collecting discarded plastic bottles, cups and food wrappers left behind during and after the event
Ragpicker Shankar Kumar segregates bottles with his 8-year-old son Vicky
For many, the city’s marathon on Sunday was about fitness, endurance and celebration. But for ragpicker Shankar Kumar and his wife Rekha, it became an opportunity to earn nearly a week’s income in a single day.
As thousands of runners and spectators lined the route, the couple quietly worked along the sidelines, collecting discarded plastic bottles, cups and food wrappers left behind during and after the event. By the end of the day, Kumar estimated they had gathered around 60 kg of plastic waste, almost equal to what he usually collects over an entire week.
“On a normal day, I earn little by little, depending on how much plastic I can find, and that too by running around multiple areas,” Kumar told mid-day. “But today itself feels like one full week’s work.”
Plastic waste typically fetches him around Rs 15 per kg from his regular scrap dealer. At that rate, his earnings for the day are expected to touch nearly Rs 1000, a significant amount for a family that survives on daily waste collection. While the plastic had not yet been weighed at the time of speaking, Kumar said years of experience had taught him to estimate quantities accurately.
Volunteers distribute water bottles to marathoners on the Coastal Road. The bottles later became a key source of income for ragpickers who collected discarded waste along the route. Pic/ASHISH RAJE
“For us, such events offer a rare chance to boost our income in a short time,” he said. “But our work remains unrecognised and unsupported, even though we play a crucial role in recycling and reducing the burden on landfills.” Kumar added that this hardship is why he does not want his son to follow in his footsteps. “I want him to study and have a job where he sits in an AC office,” he said.
His 8-year-old son, Vicky, who studies in a BMC school in South Mumbai, accompanied his parents on Sunday as he had a school holiday. “My hands are tiny, but I can still help my parents instead of just playing with my friends back home,” the boy said.
Mega events like marathons generate large volumes of single-use plastic waste through water bottles and food packaging. While this raises concerns about environmental sustainability and waste management, it also brings attention to the invisible labour of informal workers who clean up what the city leaves behind.
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