By Marcos Todt
The world is producing more and more waste, with serious health and environmental consequences. In urban areas, domestic waste is accumulating fast and landfills fill up quickly.
Public authorities are trying to manage this problem in new ways. In the global South these tend to involve private corporations and expensive technology rather than waste pickers. This policy shift towards the privatising of waste management is limiting waste pickers’ access to recyclable materials.
This is happening despite the fact that waste pickers are responsible for a very high percentage of recycling. By collecting, sorting and selling discarded materials waste pickers deal with between 20% and 50% of the overall generated waste.
Sidelining waste pickers is leading to conflicts, which a group of researchers and activists are tracking. The Barcelona Research Group on Informal Recyclers – in collaboration with EnvJustice, the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers and Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) – has released a map showing conflicts related to informal recyclers. Read more…
