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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We repudiate the abuse of Lebanon’s waste pickers!

RECYCLERS IN LEBANON ARE NOT DISPOSABLE!

The Global Alliance of Waste Pickers stands in solidarity with fellow recyclers in Lebanon in these difficult times.

The explosion in Beirut exposed them to worse conditions of vulnerability, abandonment and more abuse than they had been suffering since the beginning of the pandemic. Especially to migrant workers.

We denounce the failure of the multinational company RAMCO to pay the nearly 200 recyclers, we call for their prompt repatriation for the ones who wish to be repatriated to the embassies of Bangladesh, Indonesia and Egypt, and advocate for a better recovery of recyclers infected with COVID 19.

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The Federation of Waste Pickers of Argentina mobilizes to defend inclusive recycling

On August 27, the waste pickers marched to the Ministry of the Environment and Public Space, protesting the city’s failure to implement the recycling service agreement. We are profoundly worried that if this continues, the Ministry of the Environment and Public Space will put at risk the health of the city, will increase the waste being buried at landfills…


Waste pickers respond to Uruguay’s waste-to-energy plans

As a response to information recently published about the current government-led public bidding process that aims to promote waste-to-energy in Uruguay, a pro-waste picker initiative called the Coordinadora Pro Clasificadores (CPC) declares in four points that the generation of energy from waste is not a solution.


Screen shot from the documentary about Gericinó dump in Rio called "Catador".

“As of today, the waste pickers of Rio de Janeiro will go hungry”

In the first week of September, 246 waste pickers of the Gericinó dumpsite in Bangú, a peripheral neighborhood in the Rio de Janeiro municipality, were facing the possibility of being suddenly out of work. The workers found out that the city, which has been in the process of closing the dumpsite for many months, was going to hand management over to a private company within two weeks time and that the dumpsite would be off limits.

Nohra Padilla with other winners of the Goldman Environmental Prize, Jonathan Deal, Azzam Alwash, Rossano Ercolini, Aleta Baun, Kimberly Wasserman.

Goldman Prize acceptance speech by informal recycler Nohra Padilla + Photos + White House visit

Here is a video of the Goldman Prize acceptance speech of Nohra Padilla, informal recycler and leader of the Colombian waste pickers’ movement. As part of the Goldman Prize, Padilla and other supporters of inclusive waste management (including the director of the Bogotá solid waste management department) were taken on a tour of San Francisco’s Zero Waste program. See the gallery of photos in this post. Also, Nohra Padilla is also scheduled to meet with President Obama. More on that soon!


Image from Cronicas de Una Lucha Por Inclusion - Parte 2

Part 2: “Chronicles of a Fight for Inclusion: The December 2012 Garbage Crisis of Bogotá”

This video discusses Auto 275, a Bogotá law meant to protect waste pickers’ rights as public service providers and to guarantee payment. It led to the court order that resulted in the organized waste pickers of Bogotá receiving priority as service providers and receiving payment for the first time. Auto 275 is explained via interviews conducted by a Bogotá waste picker with government authorities. The version with English subtitles is coming soon!

After going through security protocols, each received a PIN to claim their payment in any teller machine. Once they introduced their PIN in the teller machine, they received their payment. People burst into applause, jubilant shouts and even tears. “No more speeches! No more announcements!”—They shouted.

A time to celebrate! Dreams come true for the organized waste pickers of Bogotá

After over 20 years of fighting for recognition and inclusion in the city’s waste management system, the organized waste pickers of Bogotá finally saw their dreams come true when the municipal government issued them in March their first payment for the collection and transportation of recyclable materials. It was the first time they were paid as public service providers to the city.

Solidarity with Costa Rican waste pickers after landfill closure

In December, Sujeylin Isabel Ordoñez Quesada, a waste picker with “Cooperativa de Recuperadores del Pacifico R.L (COOPEREPA)” of Costa Rica, sent an email to Red Lacre (Latin American Network of Waste Pickers) requesting advice about what actions to take in regards to the closure of the Parque Ambiental de Garabito landfill and the likely loss of the livelihoods of the 18 families working there.



Pagination