
Category: Events


Canadian waste pickers recycled 150,000 containers!
We thought of celebrating after recycling 120,000 containers but then we surpassed that last week! The success of the temporary recycling shed belonging to the Valoristes’ cooperative in Quebec confirms the need for permanent recycling sheds like the ones that exist across most of Canada.

Waste pickers and volunteers divert 177 tons of festival offerings from rivers
The significance of immersing the idol symbolizes the Lord taking our sorrows along with Him and returning again next year to protect us. But between this symbolism and merriment lies the bleak reality of ecological degradation that comes with immersing idols and Nirmalaya in our water bodies.

Clean stations, green stations: Chintan and Safai Sena celebrate Earth Day
Chintan in partnership with the Indian Railways is celebrating Earth Day on April 22nd, 2014 at the New Delhi Railway Station.

SWaCH: Five Years and Counting
Through this latest 12-page issue of the newsletter, SWaCH shares the journey it has been on since it was founded five years ago – the excitement, the anxieties, successes and new ideas that have emerged for making Pune a better city for all in the years to come.

Declaration of the 6th Assembly of Waste Pickers of Latin America and the Caribbean
The 6th Latin American Assembly of Waste Pickers was held in São Paulo, on December 17 and 18th of 2013. Reunited in solidarity with our brothers and sister “recyclers” and 33 delegates from 15 countries and members of Red Lacre, we have had the opportunity to come together to dialogue, debate, and share experiences.

Declaration of the 6th Assembly of Waste Pickers of Latin America and the Caribbean
The 6th Latin American Assembly of Waste Pickers was held in São Paulo, on December 17 and 18th of 2013. Reunited in solidarity with our brothers and sister “recyclers” and 33 delegates from 15 countries and members of Red Lacre, we have had the opportunity to come together to dialogue, debate, and share experiences.

In Brazil, waste pickers, allies and environmentalists make their mark at the National Environment Conference
Entre os dias 24 e 27 de outubro de 2013, em Brasília/DF, aconteceu a 4° Conferência Nacional de Meio Ambiente (CNMA), com representação de cerca de 1200 delegados de todo o País. Considerando as etapas municipais, regionais, estaduais, livres e a nacional, em que somadas, teve a participação histórica de mais de 200 mil pessoas, entre elas mais de 40 mil catadores de materiais recicláveis.

AIKMM: National Green Assembly on “Waste Legislation and Waste Pickers”: New MSW draft rules continue to exclude Waste Pickers
There is urgent need to assess the measures that the government has taken over the past decade to improve waste management in the country. Millions of dollars have been spent in large scale, centralised technochratic solutions with little impact or improvement in levels of recycling. The Draft MSW Rules, 2013, do nothing to reform the situation. Instead, they seek to continue with the status quo and only increase the already thriving presence of waste to energy plants across the country. Is this the answer to our waste management woes? A consultation of concerned stakeholders seeks to address this question.

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!

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.

Philippines: Waste Pickers Frame Common Agenda, Fight for Right to Socio-legal Recognition
“Amidst incessantly growing joblessness, the government should uphold pro-poor projects and legislations that will improve occupational health and safety of waste pickers, secure their employment and encourage more unemployed Filipinos to enter the recycling industry,” said Thomas Kellenberger, Founding President of the Philippine Island Kids International Foundation, Inc.

Presente! Waste pickers participated in this year’s ILO Conference
Waste picker representatives from Brazil, Colombia and India were part of the WIEGO delegation at the 102th International Labour Conference in Geneva to bring attention to waste picking and recycling as a key sector for green jobs and sustainable development. Together with WIEGO colleagues, the delegates actively participated in the discussions that took place between June 5th and 20th and engaged in discussions with other groups and key players. For the waste picker delegation, this year’s Conference was the first step in a long process of establishing a voice and presence in the ILO.

WIEGO and Waste Pickers Speak at Joburg Waste Summit
On May 15 and 16, 2013 over 400 people attended the Joburg Waste Summit, hosted by the Johannesburg Council and its waste management company Pikitup. The Council and Pikitup urgently need to find ways to minimize waste going to landfill, and the Summit was called to explore how to do this. WIEGO and SAWPA argued that landfill reclaimers need to be included in all discussions and new recycling initiatives.

South African Waste Pickers Association National Meeting
From June 19th to the 21st, the South African Waste Pickers Association (SAWPA) held its national meeting in Johannesburg. 80 waste pickers who are serving as landfill coordinators attended, from all over the country. There were seven waste picker leaders from different provinces. Facilitators from three organizations were there to support the meeting. “There has been progress since the mid-2000s,” said Musa Chamane, a waste campaign manager with GroundWork, an organization that works closely with SAWPA. “Conditions have been slowly changing for the better.”

Waste picker representatives address the International Labour Conference plenary
Waste picker representatives from Brazil, Colombia and India are at the 102th International Labour Conference in Geneva to bring attention to waste picking and recycling as a key sector for green jobs and sustainable development. Please see below the speech of Nohra Padilla, of Colombia, and Alex Cardoso, of Brazil, presented at the plenary.

Chintan celebrated 2013 World Environment Day
Chintan celebrated World Environment Day at Select Citywalk Mall, Saket on the 4th and 5th of June 2013 Day, to encourage awareness on cleaner environment.

Women waste pickers of Minas Gerais, Brazil, discuss gender
Trabalhar o empoderamento das mulheres não implica exclusão dos homens, significa contribuir para a emancipação de todos, homens e mulheres.