INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF WASTE PICKERS

The International Alliance of Waste Pickers is a union of waste picker organizations representing more than 460,000 workers across 34 countries
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Platform of committees of pre collection of waste (PLAFCCO)

Antananarivo , Madagascar

Primary information

Year formed
2010
Formally registered
Yes
Language
French, Malagasy
Number of members
300
Type of members
Waste picker support organization
Occupation of members
Waste collectors
Type of Organization
Association
Organizational Reach
National
Workplace of members
Door to door, Dumpsite, Landfill, Street
Organization Structure
The waste-collectors, have organized into a city-level legally registered association, since the 19th of May 2010 called PLAFCCO. The organization is divided into five committees, with more than fifty members each, for a total of around 400 members. Each committees collects the fees, pays the expenses (i.e. carts), and offers a monthly salary to the collectors (approx. 30.000 to 50.000 Ariary; 2.000 Ariary = 1 US dollars; 30.000 / 2.000; 50.000 / 2.000 = 15/25 US dollars). General Assembly, Permanent Bureau, General membership.
Objectives
Improve working conditions, access to health insurance, job creation, improve waste management systems, awareness raising, pre collection activities, contribute to cleaning the environment, recognition of waste pickers, promote the rights of waste pickers, strengthen unity and cohesion among waste pickers
Partnering organizations
ATD Quart Monde, ENDA Ocean Indien
Affiliations
Ngo
Funding
Ngo funds, Self funded
Internal elections
Every 3 years
Women composition

Social networking sites


Benefits


Services

How is the relationship with the municipality?
Excellent and/or friendly
Activities
Cleaning, Organizing collective events, Selling materials, Sensitization of locals, Training and capacity building

Complementary Information

Information source
WORD 26/6/2013, Africa 2012, Africa 2013, Africa 2011

Comments / Narrative

Formal Solid Waste Management System: In Antananarivo households dispose of waste in community bins (on average one for every fifteen households). The waste is then moved to a transfer station, about two for every one of the 192 neighbourhoods. Finally the municipality transports the waste to one of the city’s three landfills. The collection efficiency is low due to organizational issues and lack of trucks, so part of the waste remains in informal dumpsites along roadsides. Informal waste pickers and waste collectors sell the recyclable waste to junk dealers, which end up in the recycling markets of the city. Their working conditions are generally very difficult. For instance, they lack proper tools and infrastructure. For example, waste collectors face difficulties in displacing considerable amounts of waste only with the manual carts. PLAFCCO has now been able to organize the waste collectors, but intend to include waste pickers in the near future. The organization advocates for improving their working conditions, like obtaining health insurance. They also plan to expand the door-to-door collection to the entire city. The beneficiaries would be both the households and the waste pickers. The former benefit from an improved waste management, while the latter obtain better employment opportunities, with a regular salary that would complement their revenue from selling recyclables. ENDA – supporting NGO: The Enda project objective with waste pickers is to improve waste management in Antananarivo through the implementation of sustainable waste collecting system in poor districts. Enda supports leaders of various districts in the city of Antananarivo to organize waste collecting system in their areas. It also accompanies them to increase people’s awareness of environmental and health issues. In each district a committee runs the waste collecting system. The committee hires people who remove every day bins set in streets and empty them in the communal dumpsters. In order to finance the system, the committee raises a fee among the population. The committee plays also an important role in raising awareness of good practices in waste management. Enda´s strategy is to empower people to enable them to elaborate their own projects.


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