At 4:30 every morning, long before the sun casts its golden reflection on Lake Buluan, Abdila Dalib is already preparing for his daily rounds. At 42, he wears many hats: a father to six children, a husband to a wife working abroad, and a garbage collector in the lakeside municipality of Mangudadatu, Maguindanao del Sur.
His story isn’t just one of survival—it’s one of quiet heroism.
With limited job opportunities in their community, Abdila’s wife made the difficult decision to work as a domestic helper in the Middle East. Her remittances are a lifeline, but they’re not enough to sustain a growing family. That’s where Abdila’s job comes in—not only as a means of livelihood, but as a pillar of their children’s education.
But being a garbage collector in Mangudadatu is no ordinary task.
Armed with only one garbage truck for over 4,000 households, Abdila and his team serve a community riddled with challenges. The lake, once a source of beauty and bounty, now receives waste from unmanaged open pits, worsened by floods that wash unsegregated trash from the uplands down into its waters.
And then there’s the danger.
Some of the villages Abdila visits are home to armed groups, using the lake’s pathways to evade conflict and arrest. Bullet casings sometimes mix with food waste and plastic wrappers—silent reminders of the risks Abdila faces just to do his job.
Yet he continues. Every day. With dignity.
Because for Abdila, this work is not just about collecting garbage—it’s about protecting the lake, the heart of their community.
When he separates and weighs PET bottles and explains to families why it matters, some laugh. Others listen. But Abdila doesn’t mind. He knows that education begins with example, and for every child that sees a garbage collector treat waste like it has value, a seed of awareness is planted.
The sale of PET bottles brings in a little extra cash—a small relief on top of a meager wage—but more than that, it gives him hope. Hope that the community will learn. Hope that the lake will heal. Hope that his children will inherit not a problem, but a solution.
As Abdila puts it:
“We are not just collecting garbage—we are guarding the lake. We are stewards of our home, for our children and the generations to come.”
