ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Robin Nagle - Trash anthropologist
Robin 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.

More profile about the speaker
Robin Nagle | Speaker | TED.com
TEDCity2.0

Robin Nagle: What I discovered in New York City trash

Robin Nagle: Nilichokigundua katika uchafu wa Jiji la New York

Filmed:
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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?
- Trash anthropologist
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 yearsmiaka oldzamani
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Nilikuwa na miaka 10
00:14
on a campingkupiga kambi tripsafari with my dadbaba
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katika tukiwa safari ya kambi na baba yangu
00:16
in the AdirondackAdirondack MountainsMilima, a wildernessNyika areaeneo
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Katika milima ya Adirondack, eneo la nyika
00:19
in the northernkaskazini partsehemu of NewMpya YorkYork StateHali.
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Kaskazini mwa jimbo la New York.
00:22
It was a beautifulnzuri day.
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Ilikuwa ni siku nzuri sana.
00:23
The forestmsitu was sparklinginang'aa.
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Msitu ulikuwa unang'aa.
00:25
The sunjua madealifanya the leavesmajani glowmng'ao like stainedkubadilika glasskioo,
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Jua lilifanya majani yawake kama kioo,
00:28
and if it weren'thawakuwa for the pathnjia we were followingzifuatazo,
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na kama si kwa njia tuliyofuata,
00:32
we could almostkaribu pretendkujifanya we were
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tungejifanya kama
00:33
the first humanbinadamu beingsviumbe to ever walktembea that landardhi.
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wanadamu wa kwanza kupita eneo lile.
00:37
We got to our campsitekiwanja cha kupigia kambi.
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tukafika katka eneo letu la kufanyia kambi.
00:38
It was a lean-toLean-to on a bluffbluff
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ilikuwa ni eneo
00:40
looking over a crystalkioo, beautifulnzuri lakeZiwa,
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linalotazama ziwa zuri sana,
00:43
when I discoveredaligundua a horrorhofu.
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nilipogundua kitu kibaya.
00:46
BehindNyuma the lean-toLean-to was a dumpkutupa,
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nyuma ya eneo hilo kulikuwa na dampo
00:49
maybe 40 feetmiguu squaremraba
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kama futi za mraba 40
00:50
with rottingzilizooza appleapple corescores
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likiwa na matufaa yaliyooza
00:53
and balled-upballed juu aluminumalumini foilfoil,
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na makaratasi ya madini ya aluminium
00:54
and a deadwamekufa sneakersneaker.
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na vitu vilivyokufa,
00:56
And I was astonishedalishangaa,
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nilishangazwa sana,
00:59
I was very angryhasira, and I was deeplykwa undani confusedchanganyikiwa.
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niliingiwa na hasira, na kuchanganyikiwa pia.
01:02
The camperscampers who were too lazywavivu
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Wapiga kambi wazembe
01:04
to take out what they had broughtkuletwa in,
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walioshindwa kuchukua vile walivyokuja navyo,
01:06
who did they think would cleansafi up after them?
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walifikiri ni nani atakayesafisha kama si wao?
01:09
That questionswali stayedwalikaa with me,
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Swali hili lilikaa ndani yangu,
01:11
and it simplifiedkilichorahisishwa a little.
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lilirahisishwa kidogo.
01:13
Who cleanskusafisha up after us?
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nani atakayesafisha baada yetu?
01:16
HoweverHata hivyo you configureSanidi
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vyovyote utakavyofanya
01:17
or whereverpopote you placemahali the us,
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au popote utakapotuweka,
01:19
who cleanskusafisha up after us in IstanbulIstanbul?
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nani takayesafisha baada yetu Instanbul?
01:21
Who cleanskusafisha up after us in RioRio
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nani takayesafisha baada yetu Rio?
01:24
or in ParisParis or in LondonLondon?
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au Paris na London?
01:26
Here in NewMpya YorkYork,
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Hapa New York,
01:28
the DepartmentIdara of SanitationUsafi wa mazingira cleanskusafisha up after us,
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Idara ya Usafi wa mazingira inasafisha baada yetu,
01:30
to the tuneuwiano of 11,000 tonstani of garbagetakataka
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kiasi cha tani 11,000 za uchafu
01:33
and 2,000 tonstani of recyclablesrecyclables everykila day.
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na tani 2000 za uchafu wa kuchakatwa kila siku.
01:37
I wanted to get to know them as individualswatu binafsi.
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nilitaka niwajue kama watu binafsi.
01:40
I wanted to understandkuelewa who takes the jobkazi.
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nilitaka kujua nani anyefanya kazi hii.
01:43
What's it like to wearkuvaa the uniformsare
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inakuwaje kuvaa sare
01:45
and bearkubeba that burdenmzigo?
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na kuchukua mzigo huo?
01:47
So I startedilianza a researchutafiti projectmradi with them.
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kwa hiyo nikaazisha utafiti nao.
01:50
I rodewalipanda in the trucksmalori and walkedkutembea the routesnjia
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nilipanda magari yao na nikaanza kuzunguka nao
01:52
and interviewedwaliohojiwa people in officesofisi and facilitiesvifaa
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nikawahoji watu katika ofisi na maeneo mengine
01:55
all over the cityjiji,
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kila sehemu ya mji,
01:56
and I learnedkujifunza a lot,
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nilijifunza mengi,
01:58
but I was still an outsidernje.
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lakini bado nilikuwa mtu wa nje tu.
02:00
I neededinahitajika to go deeperzaidi.
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nilitaka kujua zaidi.
02:02
So I tookalichukua the jobkazi as a sanitationusafi wa mazingira workermfanyakazi.
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kwa hiyo niomba kazi ya usafi wa mazingira.
02:05
I didn't just ridesafari in the trucksmalori now. I drovealimfukuza the trucksmalori.
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sikupanda tu magari tena. bali niliyaendesha.
02:08
And I operatediliendeshwa the mechanicalmitambo broomsmifagio and I plowedplowed the snowtheluji.
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nikatumia mafagio ya kwenye magari na nikawa nakusanya barafu.
02:11
It was a remarkableajabu privilegeupendeleo
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ilikuwa ni neema ya ajabu
02:13
and an amazingajabu educationelimu.
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na elimu moja ya ajabu sana.
02:16
EveryoneKila mtu asksanauliza about the smellharufu.
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kila mtu anauliza juu ya harufu.
02:18
It's there, but it's not as prevalentimeenea as you think,
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ipo,lakini si kama kali unavyofikiri,
02:21
and on dayssiku when it is really badmbaya,
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na katika siku ambazo inakuwa kali sana,
02:22
you get used to it ratherbadala quicklyharaka.
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unaizoe mara moja.
02:25
The weightuzito takes a long time to get used to.
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uzito unachukua muda kuuzoea.
02:28
I knewalijua people who were severalkadhaa yearsmiaka on the jobkazi
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Niliwafahamu watu waliokuwa katika kazi miaka kadhaa
02:30
whoseambaye bodiesmiili were still adjustingkurekebisha to the burdenmzigo
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ambao miili yao ilikuwa inaendelea kuzoea
02:33
of bearingkuzaa on your bodymwili
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mzigo huo katika miili yao
02:35
tonstani of trashtakataka everykila weekwiki.
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tani za uchafu kila wiki.
02:38
Then there's the dangerhatari.
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halafu pia kuna hatari.
02:40
AccordingKwa mujibu wa to the BureauOfisi ya of LaborKazi StatisticsTakwimu,
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Kulingana na idara ya takwimu za kazi,
02:43
sanitationusafi wa mazingira work is one of the 10 mostwengi dangeroushatari
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Kazi ya usafi wa mazingira ni moja kati ya kazi 10 za hatari sana
02:45
occupationsmsitu wa vina in the countrynchi,
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Katika nchi,
02:47
and I learnedkujifunza why.
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na nilijifunza kwa nini.
02:49
You're in and out of traffictrafiki all day,
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Uko katika foleni kila siku,
02:50
and it's zoomingzooming around you.
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inakuzunguka
02:51
It just wants to get pastzilizopita you, so it's oftenmara nyingi
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wanataka kukupita, kwa hiyo
02:53
the motoristanayeendesha is not payingkulipa attentiontazama.
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madereva hawajali.
02:55
That's really badmbaya for the workermfanyakazi.
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hii ni mbaya sana kwa mfanyakazi.
02:57
And then the garbagetakataka itselfyenyewe is fullkamili of hazardshatari
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na uchafu wenyewe umejaa sumu nyingi
02:59
that oftenmara nyingi flykuruka back out of the trucklori
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ambao unaruka nje ya gari
03:01
and do terriblembaya harmkuumiza.
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na kusababisha madhara.
03:03
I alsopia learnedkujifunza about the relentlessnessrelentlessness of trashtakataka.
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nikajifunza pia uking'ang'ani wa taka
03:06
When you stephatua off the curbkuzuwia
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unapushuka
03:07
and you see a cityjiji from behindnyuma a trucklori,
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na kuuangalia mji kutokea kwenye gari la taka,
03:10
you come to understandkuelewa that trashtakataka
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unaelewa kuwa taka
03:12
is like a forcenguvu of natureasili untohadi itselfyenyewe.
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ni kama nguvu ya asili.
03:14
It never stopsataacha comingkuja.
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haiachi kuja.
03:17
It's alsopia like a formfomu of respirationupumuaji or circulationmzunguko.
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na pia ni kama aina ya upumuaji au mzunguko.
03:20
It mustlazima always be in motionmwendo.
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lazima iwe katika mwendo wakati wote.
03:23
And then there's the stigmaunyanyapaa.
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halafu tena kuna unyanyapaa.
03:25
You put on the uniformsare, and you becomekuwa invisibleasiyeonekana
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unavaa sare , unakuwa kama hauonekani
03:28
untilmpaka someonemtu is upsetkasirika with you for whateverVyovyote reasonsababu
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mpaka mtu anapokasirishwa na kwa sababu kama
03:31
like you've blockedimefungwa traffictrafiki with your trucklori,
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umezuia magari kwa kutumia gari lako,
03:33
or you're takingkuchukua a breakkuvunja too closekaribu to theirwao home,
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au umepumzika karibu sana na nyumba yake,
03:36
or you're drinkingkunywa coffeekahawa in theirwao dinerdiner,
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au unakunywa kahawa katika sehemu yao ya kulia chakula,
03:39
and they will come and scorndharau you,
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watakuja na kukushutumu,
03:41
and tell you that they don't want you anywherepopote nearkaribu them.
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na kukwambia hawatak kukuona karibu yao.
03:44
I find the stigmaunyanyapaa especiallyhasa ironickejeli,
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unyanyapaa huu naona unashangaza sana,
03:47
because I stronglykwa nguvu believe that sanitationusafi wa mazingira workerswafanyakazi
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kwa sababu naamini kuwa wafanyakazi wa usafi wa mazingira
03:50
are the mostwengi importantmuhimu laborkazi forcenguvu
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ni wafanyakazi muhimu sana
03:52
on the streetsmitaa of the cityjiji, for threetatu reasonssababu.
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katika mitaa ya mji, kwa sababu tatu.
03:55
They are the first guardianswalezi of publicumma healthafya.
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wao ndio walinzi wa kwanza wa afya ya jamii.
03:58
If they're not takingkuchukua away trashtakataka
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kama hawakusanyi taka
04:00
efficientlykwa ufanisi and effectivelykwa ufanisi everykila day,
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kwa ufanisi na usahihi kila siku,
04:02
it startskuanza to spillkumwagika out of its containmentscontainments,
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zinaanza kutoka katika sehemu zilizotunzwa
04:05
and the dangershatari inherentasili to it threatenkutishia us
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na madhara yake yanatutishia wote
04:09
in very realhalisi waysnjia.
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katika ya halisi kabisa.
04:10
DiseasesMagonjwa we'vetumekuwa had in checkangalia for decadesmiongo and centurieskarne
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magonjwa tuliyoyadhibiti kwa miaka mingi
04:13
burstkupasuka forthnje again and startkuanza to harmkuumiza us.
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yanaibuka tena na kutudhuru.
04:16
The economyuchumi needsmahitaji them.
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Uchumi unahitaji wanyakazi hawa.
04:17
If we can't throwkutupa out the oldzamani stuffvitu,
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Kama hatuwezi kutupa vitu vya zamani,
04:20
we have no roomchumba for the newmpya stuffvitu,
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hakuwezi kukawa na nafasi ya vitu vipya,
04:22
so then the enginesinjini of the economyuchumi
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kwa hiyo injini za uchumi
04:24
startkuanza to sputtersputter when consumptionmatumizi is compromisedkuathiriwa.
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zinashindwa kuendelea kwa kuwa hakuna matumizi
04:27
I'm not advocatingkutetea capitalismubepari, I'm just pointingkuelekeza out theirwao relationshipuhusiano.
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Sipigii debe ubepari,lakini najaribu kuonyesha uhusiano uliopo.
04:31
And then there's what I call
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Lakini pia kuna kile nachoita
04:33
our averagewastani, necessarymuhimu quotidianquotidian velocitykasi.
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na mwendo wa wastani wetu
04:37
By that I simplytu mean
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Na hii namaanisha
04:39
how fastharaka we're used to movingkusonga
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ni haraka kiasi gani tumezoea kwenda
04:41
in the contemporarykisasa day and ageumri.
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katika siku hizi za sasa.
04:43
We usuallykwa kawaida don't carehuduma for, repairukarabati, cleansafi, carrykubeba around
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Hatujali ,marekebisho,safi
04:48
our coffeekahawa cupkikombe, our shoppingununuzi bagmfuko,
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tulichochukua katika kikombe cha kahawa,
04:51
our bottlechupa of watermaji.
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chupa yetu ya maji.
04:52
We use them, we throwkutupa them out, we forgetkusahau about them,
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Tunatumia,tunatupa,tunazisahau,
04:55
because we know there's a workforcekazi
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Kwa sababu tunajua kuna wafanyakazi
04:57
on the other sideupande that's going to take it all away.
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upande wa pili wataochukua wote.
05:00
So I want to suggestinashauri todayleo a couplewanandoa of waysnjia
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Sasa nataka nitoe mapendekezo
05:02
to think about sanitationusafi wa mazingira that will perhapslabda help
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ya kufikiria kuhusu usafi ambayo
05:07
amelioratekuimarisha the stigmaunyanyapaa
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yatapunguza unyanyapaa
05:09
and bringkuleta them into this conversationmazungumzo
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na kuwaingiza katika mazungumzo haya
05:12
of how to crafthila a cityjiji that is sustainableendelevu and humaneutulivu.
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ya jinsi ya kuwa na mji unaokua kistaarabu.
05:17
TheirYao work, I think, is kindaina of liturgicalkiliturujia.
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Kazi yao ni ile inayojirudia rudia.
05:21
They're on the streetsmitaa everykila day, rhythmicallyhuwa.
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wako mitaani kila siku,
05:24
They wearkuvaa a uniformsare in manywengi citiesmiji.
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Wakiwa na sare zao katika miji mingi
05:26
You know when to expectwanatarajia them.
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Unajua wakati gani wa kuwategemea.
05:28
And theirwao work letsinakuwezesha us do our work.
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Kazi yao inasabisha sisi pia tufanye kazi.
05:32
They are almostkaribu a formfomu of reassuranceuhakika.
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Ni kama uhakikisho
05:34
The flowmtiririko that they maintainkudumisha
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Ambao unaendelea
05:36
keepshuendelea us safesalama from ourselvessisi wenyewe,
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kutufanya tuwe salama,
05:38
from our ownmwenyewe drosstakataka, our cast-offskutupwa na alama,
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mbali na uchafu wetu wenyewe
05:41
and that flowmtiririko mustlazima be maintainediimarishwe always
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na hali lazima iendelezwe kila wakati
05:44
no matterjambo what.
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bila kujali chochote.
05:46
On the day after SeptemberSeptemba 11 in 2001,
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Siku ya Septemba 11, 2001,
05:49
I heardkusikia the growlgrowl of a sanitationusafi wa mazingira trucklori on the streetbarabara,
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Na nilisikia muungurumo wa gari la usafi mtaani,
05:53
and I grabbedumechukua my infantwatoto wachanga sonmwana and I ranmbio downstairschini
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nikamchukua mwanangu mchanga na kukimbilia chini
05:55
and there was a man doing his paperkaratasi recyclingkuchakata routenjia
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kulikuwa na mtu ambaye alikuwa anachakata karatasi
05:58
like he did everykila WednesdaySiku ya Jumatano.
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kama afanyavyo kila Jumatano.
06:00
And I triedwalijaribu to thank him for doing his work
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Na nikawa najaribu kumshukuru kwa kazi yake
06:02
on that day of all dayssiku,
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katika siku hii,
06:05
but I startedilianza to crykilio.
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lakini nikaanza kulia.
06:07
And he lookedilionekana at me,
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akaniangalia,
06:09
and he just noddednodded, and he said,
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akatingisha kichwa,akisema,
06:12
"We're going to be okay.
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"Tutakuwa salama.
06:15
We're going to be okay."
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"Tutakuwa salama."
06:18
It was a little while laterbaadae that I startedilianza
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Ilikuwa ni baadae nilipoanza
06:19
my researchutafiti with sanitationusafi wa mazingira,
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utafiti wangu wa usafi wa mazingira,
06:20
and I metalikutana that man again.
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nikakutana na mtu yule tena.
06:22
His namejina is PauliePaulie, and we workedkazi togetherpamoja manywengi timesnyakati,
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Jina lake ni Paulie,tulifanya kazi pamoja mara nyingi,
06:25
and we becameikawa good friendsmarafiki.
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tulikuwa marafiki wazuri.
06:27
I want to believe that PauliePaulie was right.
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Nataka kuamini Paulie alikuwa sahihi.
06:29
We are going to be okay.
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Kwamba tutakuwa salama.
06:32
But in our effortjuhudi to reconfigurekusakinisha upya
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lakini katika jitahidi zetu za kutengeneza
06:34
how we as a speciesaina existzipo on this planetsayari,
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jinsi kama viumbe tutakavyoendelea kuishi katika dunia hii,
06:37
we mustlazima includejumuisha and take accountakaunti of
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lazima tuunganishe na kuangalia
06:40
all the costsgharama, includingikiwa ni pamoja na the very realhalisi humanbinadamu costgharama
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gharama zote, ikiwemo gharama
06:44
of the laborkazi.
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za kazi.
06:45
And we alsopia would be well informedtaarifa
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pia tutakuwa na taarifa
06:48
to reachfikia out to the people who do that work
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za kuwafikia watu wanaofanya kazi hizo
06:50
and get theirwao expertiseutaalamu
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na kupata utaalam wao
06:52
on how do we think about,
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jinsi tunavyofikiri kuhusu,
06:54
how do we createkuunda systemsmifumo around sustainabilityuendelevu
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kutengeneza mifumo endelevu
06:57
that perhapslabda take us from curbsidecurbside recyclingkuchakata,
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ambayo inatuchukua kutoka katika uchakataji,
07:01
whichambayo is a remarkableajabu successmafanikio acrosskote 40 yearsmiaka,
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ambao ni mafanikio makubwa katika miaka 40,
07:03
acrosskote the UnitedMuungano StatesMarekani and countriesnchi around the worldulimwengu,
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Katika nchi yote ya Marekani, na nchi mbalimbali duniani kote,
07:06
and liftkuinua us up to a broaderpana horizonupeo wa macho
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na kutupeleka juu zaidi
07:09
where we're looking at other formsfomu of wastetaka
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ambako tutaangalia aina nyingine za uchafu
07:12
that could be lessenedlessened
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ambazo zinaweza zikapunguzwa
07:14
from manufacturingviwanda and industrialviwanda sourcesvyanzo.
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kutoka viwandani.
07:16
MunicipalManispaa wastetaka, what we think of when we talk about garbagetakataka,
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uchafu katika miji, jinsi tunavyofikiri tunapoongelea uchafu,
07:20
accountsakaunti for threetatu percentasilimia of the nation'sya Taifa wastetaka streammkondo.
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unakaribia asilimia tatu ya uchafu wote katika taifa
07:24
It's a remarkableajabu statistictakwimu.
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ni takwimu za kushangaza.
07:27
So in the flowmtiririko of your dayssiku,
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katika siku zako,
07:29
in the flowmtiririko of your livesanaishi,
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katika maisha yako,
07:31
nextijayo time you see someonemtu whoseambaye jobkazi is
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utakapomwona mtu ambaye kazi yake ni
07:34
to cleansafi up after you,
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kufanya usafi,
07:37
take a momentwakati to acknowledgeTambua them.
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chukua muda kuwatambua.
07:39
Take a momentwakati to say thank you.
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chukua muda wako kuwashukuru.
07:44
(ApplauseMakofi)
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(Makofi)
Translated by Joachim Mangilima
Reviewed by Nelson Simfukwe

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ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Robin Nagle - Trash anthropologist
Robin 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.

More profile about the speaker
Robin Nagle | Speaker | TED.com