Waste pickers gather in Nairobi for International Waste Pickers Day

More than 20 million people in the world work as informal waste workers according to the International Labour Organisation. Waste pickers represent the largest workforce in the recycling chain and recover a higher proportion of recyclable materials than formal waste management systems.

Through their work in recovering recyclable and reusable materials, waste pickers – who are often discriminated against and face stigma for belonging to poor and marginalised groups, ethnic, religious, and racial minorities, climate and war refugees, and survivors of violence and substance abuse – play a major role in reducing plastic pollution and carbon emissions.

Waste picker representatives from 19 countries gathered in Nairobi to participate in the International Alliance of Waste Pickers coordination meeting.

The International Alliance of Waste Pickers is a networking process that connects and supports thousands of waste picker organizations in over 28 countries covering mainly Latin America, Asia and Africa.

The general objectives were to discuss the interim work towards their elective congress and to celebrate International Waste Pickers Day on March 1.

March 1 commemorates waste pickers who lost their lives on this day in the Universidad Libre De Barranquilla Colombia in 1992.

Twenty one years ago, waste pickers were invited to the university under the pretext of receiving recyclable materials. Once inside the campus, they were beaten and shot to death, and their bodies were to be used for research and organ trafficking.

Further, through the march, the gathering was to highlight that International Waste-pickers Day is a day to memorialise the struggles of waste-pickers for recognition, and dignity across the planet.

On their day, waste pickers demand from the national and local governments around the world that waste-pickers should be paid fair and better prices for recovering and reclaiming recyclable and reusable materials, among other demands.

Recognise the occupation of waste-pickers and recognise waste-pickers’ right to access waste.

Affordable, comfortable and quality housing for all waste-pickers and their families.

Government should give waste management tenders to waste-pickers, run enterprises and organizations.

Health and life insurance for all waste-pickers and their families.

The dumpsites should not be closed before providing sustainable and regularised livelihood opportunities to waste-pickers.