Posted by International Alliance of Waste Pickers
Written by NUSWON
November 20, 2020
NUSWON first meeting (31-10-2020 ) after Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns .
The National Union of Scrap and Waste Workers of Nigeria (NUSWON); an affiliate of The Federation of Informal Workers’ Organizations of Nigeria (FIWON) is a platform that represent those at the base of the recycling industry whose source of livelihood depends on the collection, sorting and recycling of waste. These three activities are always interrelated reflecting the environmental implications of their work. NUSWON engages government at all levels, the private sector, local and international development agencies to promote knowledge driven initiatives to advance the socio-economic rights of scrap and waste workers.
As you might be aware, the scrap and waste workers provide the only form of solid waste collection, providing widespread public benefit and achieving high recycling rate. These set of informal workers also contribute to local economies, public health safety and environmental sustainability. Waste pickers collect household and commercial/industrial waste from private bins, dump sites, along streets, waterways and landfills which are used for recycling thereby contributing to the GDP of Nigeria economy.
By gathering garbage from public spaces, waste pickers also contribute to cleanliness, help beautify the city and also help reduces air and water pollution. Recycling is one of the cheapest and fastest way to reduce greenhouse gas emissions thereby helping to prevent climate change.
Despite the enormous contribution of scrap and waste workers, they still face a lot of challenges ranging from social, economic and health. Scrap and waste pickers are often subjected to social stigma, constant harassment and poor living and working conditions.
There is also a problem of inadequate space for sorting and storing collected waste materials.
Furthermore, they are often treated as nuisances by authorities and with disdain by the public. Basically, they have been completely excluded from public policy processes and may even be arrested or physically assaulted.
The COVID-19 pandemic has further exposed these workers to many health risks. Waste pickers are exposed to contaminants and hazardous waste materials, from fecal matter and medical waste to toxic fumes and chemicals.
While we commend the measures taken by the government at all levels to mitigate the impact of the COVIDWO-19 pandemic on poor Nigerians, we observe that working people and their families in the informal sector are still largely excluded especially we the scrap and waste workers.
Our demands
- We call on the federal government and their counterparts at state and local levels to provide policy and support programmes that will enhance the socio-economic life of scrap and waste workers. The lack of workers protection and poor access to health care has aggravated the risks of scrap and waste workers. Therefore, we call for a comprehensive social protection programme for waste workers. The need for personal protection equipment (PPE) is also of topmost necessity especially at this period of Covid-19 as waste pickers are prone to health risks through the collection of medical waste.
- So we call on
The Government (3 tier), NGO and Corporate Body should also look into the area of providing spaces eg Material Recovery Facility (MRF) for sorting and storing as well as training and technical support for waste workers. The provision of financial support is also very crucial for survival of scrap and waste workers due to their inability to accumulate capital, expand and improve their activities.
I also call on my members to obey and practices the Covid-19 protocols and STAY SAFE.
Yours sincerely.
Friday Oku
National Coordinator, NUSWON
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