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• Resolution 5: on the Just Transition for the Right to Decent and Recognized Work, JT for International Campaign to Promote Integration in Waste Management and Strong Social Safety Net

Resolution 5: on the Just Transition for the Right to Decent and Recognized Work, JT for International Campaign to Promote Integration in Waste Management and Strong Social Safety Net

The 1st Elective Congress notes:

Whereas, we, waste pickers, are and have historically been service providers who contribute to the decontamination of the environment through our work of waste collection, preventing waste from going to and collapsing final disposal sites such as dumps and landfills, extending their useful life, which implies savings to municipalities and governments for each kilo or ton avoided.

​​Whereas, our relentless dedication to transforming waste into valuable resources through the collection, sorting, aggregation, and sale of waste has significantly contributed to environmental preservation, including the cleanliness of marine ecosystems, the reduction of plastic pollution, and the mitigation of carbon emissions.

Whereas, we, waste pickers hail from economically disadvantaged and marginalised backgrounds, including oppressed castes, working classes, homeless, religious and ethnic minorities, and indigenous communities. We endure hazardous working conditions that expose us to significant health risks such as air, water, and soil pollution, as well as extreme heat and humidity. These risks are compounded by the escalating impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures and unpredictable rainfall leading to frequent floods, which further imperil our health and livelihoods.

Whereas, recognizing the indispensable role of waste pickers in global waste management, resource recovery, and recycling efforts, they are responsible for the collection of approximately 60% of all plastic destined for recycling worldwide, as well as the reclamation of various other materials such as scrap metals, paper, and cardboard for reuse and recycling.

Recognizing that waste pickers contribute to the economy of our countries from the popular and solidarity economy sector through our historical work, we obtain sustenance for our families and cover basic needs such as food, housing and medical care as a result of our daily efforts.

Whereas, the International Labor Organization (ILO) declares that everyone has the right to work, to free choice of employment, to fair and satisfactory conditions of work, and to protection against unemployment. Everyone has the right, without any discrimination, to equal pay for equal work.

Whereas, waste pickers are key actors in the waste management chain and recycling schemes, and in many cases, we dispute our work with our own municipalities and other actors within the chain.

Whereas, the vast majority of waste pickers and their organizations work in recovery schemes within dumpsites, and in many countries, the free exercise of waste pickers in public spaces is prohibited or limited.

Whereas, in addition to climate-related challenges, waste pickers face mounting threats to our livelihoods, including the growing privatization of waste management, waste-to-energy initiatives, and exclusion from policies such as Extended Producer Responsibility norms.

Whereas, we commend the ongoing discussions regarding the just transition of waste pickers within the Plastics Treaty process and the enactment of laws and policies in various countries, including Brazil, India, Argentina, Colombia, and South Africa, aimed at the involvement and integration of waste pickers in waste management endeavours.

Whereas, like any service, it should be recognized and economically valued because of the physical resources invested as well as the work and cognitive tools. Just as a doctor saves lives, we, waste pickers, save the planet.

Whereas, due to the changing contexts worldwide involving wars, armed conflicts, and geopolitical order, among other unforeseeable challenges, we, as citizens and waste pickers, are not exempt from being affected by these realities.

Therefore, it is resolved:

1. Guarantee that the leaders representing the International Alliance ensure the improvement of the living and working conditions of waste pickers.
2. Establishment of a robust social safety net for waste pickers, including provisions for adequate, dignified and safe housing with ownership rights, tailored to the needs and comfort of waste pickers; pension schemes for elderly and disabled waste pickers; comprehensive health and medical insurance coverage; access to quality healthcare services; and the provision of high-quality education, including the setting up of schools, scholarships for the children of waste pickers, and childcare services.
3. Encourage policies and resolutions to set out actions in the short and medium term, and ensure that their implementation is achievable.
4. Advocate for and participate in the construction of municipal and governmental policies to ensure the transition from work schemes in landfills to decent work schemes for the provision and recognition of the collection and recycling service, including waste pickers.
5. Encourage the construction and implementation of laws and regulations with the municipalities and/or government institutions in charge of waste management by providing advice to the organizations, and the exchange of knowledge.
6. Endorsement and support of national-level campaigns by our affiliates to advocate for legal recognition of waste pickers’ labour. This includes the formulation of national laws or policies aimed at universal enumeration of waste pickers.
7. Provisioning of relevant occupational safety gear by municipal authorities and other public authorities, including designing the new safety gear based on the needs of waste pickers.
8. Declare our work as a legitimate right so that our permanence and recognition of our value are guaranteed, promoting advocacy actions and the construction of public policies.
9. Promote alliances with other unions and workers’ associations to advocate for the recognition of labor, encouraging the union of sectors that have historically been excluded.
10. Acknowledge the work of waste pickers as a service that deserves to be economically recognized by municipalities and recycling systems.
11. Recognition of waste pickers as workers who contribute to the wealth generated by waste recovery.
12. Inclusion and integration of waste pickers collectively through cooperatives and associations, into solid waste management systems. This can include activities such as door-to-door waste collection, sorting, and recycling, with provision for dedicated sorting spaces, including under structures such as flyovers, operations and management of waste management facilities such as composting, biomethanization, and material recovery facilities, opportunities for upward mobility in reuse and recycling value chains, and involvement in providing Extended Producers Responsibility services.
13. Adopt and promote the highest standards of improvement in decent working conditions for all, in accordance with local and international regulations based on ILO resolutions.

Proposed by: RENAREC (Ecuador), UCRUS (Uruguay), ANARCH (Chile), ANR (Colombia), MNRD (Dominican Republic), SEWA (India), and SASAJA (Nepal).

Seconded by: 1st Elective Congress delegates.