Editor's Note: Today, we start a new series, called The Front Line. Each Wednesday, we will turn the spotlight on those who, despite risks associated with the global pandemic, continue to work on the front line in various capacities. We start today with a profile on a local garbage man.
Mark Ventura’s job is fairly routine, even during a global pandemic.
He gets into his Mid Ontario Disposal truck and follows his route around the city, collecting the recycling material people have left at the curb.
“The only thing that’s really changed is, when I’m done, I can’t really go anywhere,” he said with a laugh.
There have been some signs along the way, however, that remind him these are not normal times, that COVID-19 and the effects it is having on society are very real.
There are paper hearts in windows, signifying the gratitude residents have for front-line and essential workers like Ventura.
“It’s nice to see, especially the kids in the windows, pointing at the hearts. It brightens the day,” he said.
He recently emptied a recycling box and found a note taped to the side. It read, “Thank you for being out there for us and still doing your job.”
“It’s nice to see how many people appreciate how essential we are,” Ventura said. “People are seeing us as more than just garbagemen.”
He praised his “proactive” company for taking steps to ensure the safety of staff. He has a healthy supply of gloves and sanitizer, which is reassuring, especially considering the amount of other people’s waste with which he comes into contact.
“COVID or no COVID, we have, literally, one of the most disgusting jobs out there,” he said, noting he is now even more careful when emptying bins so he doesn’t get splashed with any liquid. “It does play with your head a little bit.”
So does going home after a shift. Ventura has been on the job for 10 years, and he’s been used to a warm welcome home from his kids.
“Usually, I’d come home and get a hug from my kids. Now I go home and get right in the shower,” he said.
The hugs and kisses have to wait. While it might not seem significant to some, it's an interruption of Ventura's daily routine. It’s an odd feeling, but it’s a sacrifice he’s more than willing to make to ensure his family remains healthy.
“We’re taking this very, very seriously.”
He’s doing so because he has been listening to the professionals, including a doctor who lives along his route.
“One thing he said to me was, ‘Respect the virus.’ That really stuck with me,” Ventura recalled.
The more people respect the virus, the sooner life can get back to normal. In the meantime, Ventura and his colleagues are hitting the road as usual, their trucks a reassuring sign that not everything has come to a halt.
“We’re doing our thing to try to keep a level of normalcy, to keep the community going. We’re here for them,” he said.
Ventura knows he’s not the only one doing so. He thanked all front-line and essential workers, from health-care professionals and custodians to cashiers and delivery drivers, “for keeping the community going.”
