Circulating with horse-drawn carts in Montevideo
On August 5th, the Coordinadora Pro Clasificadores (CPC) circulated a press release in support of the clasificadores, saying in short that the government should look closely at soc...
INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF
WASTE PICKERS
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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MTE: Another step towards the recovery of workers’ rights
Another step towards the recovery of workers’ rights. After the massive mobilization of the Movement of Excluded Workers (MTE) and the Federation of Recyclers’ Cooperatives (CT...
Beyond recycling, the work of waste pickers
The event “beyond the recycling, the work of waste pickers!”, that took place on last Saturday, September 21, was a resounding success! The Valoristes, a solidarity cooperative, that organized the event, managed to recuperate and divert 24,500 containers from landfills!
Video: Brazilian waste pickers and French biffins share a common struggle
In this video taken at the Waste and Citizenship Festival in France, Roberto Prates Reis, National Movement of Waste Pickers (MNCR), talks about the reality of waste pickers (called “biffins”) in France, and compares them to similar struggles in Brazil.
SAFAI SENA: The newsletter “Safainama: Voice of Waste Pickers” is available!
Check out Safai Sena’s first newsletter in English: “Safainama: Voice of Waste Pickers.”
Videos about the health care, education, and financial needs of waste workers in Nepal
The PRISM project (Poverty Reduction of Informal Waste Workers) recently published three videos about their work with waste pickers in Nepal.
Red Lacre: A week-long meeting in Santiago with waste pickers from 10 countries
On August 31st, the Latin American Waste Pickers’ Network wrapped up a week of meetings and activities held in Santiago, Chile (Aug. 25-31). The final activity consisted of a visit to informal recyclers of the dumpsite known as Vertedero Los Molles, in Valparaíso.
Bolivian waste pickers demand their right to social security
Waste pickers’ associations from seven cities in Bolivia that participated in the second national conference, marched to demand the passage of a law that recognizes them as workers and gives them the right to social security benefits.
Costan Rican waste pickers host their first conference
On September 14, Costa Rican waste pickers hosted their First Waste Pickers Conference, in the city of San Jose. More than 100 recicladores from around the country participated, according to the newspaper La Nación. Their stated objective is to dignify the livelihoods of the families that collect recyclables.
“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.
Update from Nigeria: “An irreversible organizing process has been set in motion”
A report from the WIEGO/FIWON organizing project in Nigeria, which is in its final phase, says progress is being made in the seven target cities of the project. Meetings among waste pickers became regular with some centers holding meetings once or twice a month.
48 cartoneros take a 40-hour bus ride to meet the new pope in Rio
The young, uniformed cartoneros caught the attention of passersby in the crowd not only because of the size of the group – 35 – but because of the worker’s uniform they wore for the pilgrimage. It consists of dark blue pants and jackets lined with neon green strips for visibility. It clearly marked them as workers. The members of the MTE stood out for another reason. They conveyed a seriousness that was in contrast to the many of the chatty, smart phone-carrying teenagers. They are young workers, and they seem older than their years.
Quezon City waste pickers call fellow workers, government, and society to action in their Unity Statement
On the occasion of the “Waste Picker Regional Training and Consultation”, held on September 3, 2013 in Quezon City, Philippines, we stand committed and united in mind, voice, and action to attain our dreams and aspirations of a better situation and livelihood, that we may rise above our poverty and ensure a better future for our children.
Waste pickers unite for rights, bewail government corruption
In the face of the pork barrel scam that has recently shaken the country, Luzon-based waste pickers unite today to bewail corruption as a dagger driven right into their hearts, trampling on their rights for social recognition and legal protection as unsung heroes of the environment.
Red Lacre representatives show solidarity with Chilean landfill workers
On August 31, as part of the Red Lacre meeting held in Chile, 15 delegates visited waste pickers in the Los Molles landfill in the city of Valparaíso, only a few days before its closure and the opening of a new one. The purpose of the visit was to show support and give motivation for local organizing and reintegration at the new landfill. Los Molles has been open for more than 30 years.