Hasiru Dala turns 3!
Dear friends, colleagues & supporters It is our immense pleasure to inform you that Hasiru Dala, the foundations of which were laid together by wastepickers and informal waste collectors of Bangalore, completes 3 years today (26th November, 2016). It has been an arduous, adventurous and fulfilling journey. In these 3 years, the organization has […]
Safai Karmachari Corporation Includes Waste Pickers as Target Group
National Safai Karmachari Finance & Development Corporation (NSKFDC) has decided to include wastepickers as target group for providing financing and self-development skills. This decision was taken on the direction of Union Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment (MoSJE). On 1st June, 2016, Ms. Anita Agnihotri, Secretary, MoSJE met the representatives of Alliance of Indian wastepickers, […]
Wastepickers Cooperative- SwaCH & Pune Municipal Corporation Awarded by PM Modi
“It is very good news for us and waste pickers across the country that our work is being recognized. However, these awards need to translate themselves in actual gains for waste pickers across the country- we (wastepickers) should be integrated in solid waste management system, our health and other rights need to be protected, we should have right over recyclables”, said […]
Voices from the Ground in Turkey
This article is part of the series “Scenes from the Heart of Recycling”. “We have been collecting waste in the streets since our childhood. We are an indispensable part of the waste management system. Without us waste management systems are doing close to nothing in terms of recycling.” Important developments are taking place in Turkey. Waste […]
The fight for a recycling system with social inclusion in La Plata
We, the cartoneros and carreros families who work everyday in the city of La Plata went once again to the streets to demand recognition for our work. The municipality, the police and the environmentalists don’t want to see that behind the horse and cart they want to eradicate there is a family making a living […]
Brazilian waste pickers participated in torch relay and provided services at the 2016 Olympics
Brazilian waste pickers affiliated with the National Movement of Waste Pickers in Brazil participated in the torch relay in this year’s Olympics. Waste picker leaders Custódio Chaves, of Rio, Roseleide Nascimento, of Rio Grande do Norte, Roberto Laureano, of São Paulo, and Jeane dos Santos, of Bahia, participated in the ceremony. Other waste picker leaders […]
Waste pickers in India are recognized in new government rules
There is good news for waste pickers. The lakhs of nondescript women with a waste-bag hung over their shoulders, collecting garbage from roads and dumpsites is a common sight across cities in India. This population — that comprises 1-2 percent of the population of every city and is an integral part of the urban set-up […]
A model materials recovery center is inaugurated in Baner, India
On 30th June 2016, in the august presence of the city’s stalwarts, Shree Kunal Kumar, Municipal Commissioner, PMC, Shree Suresh Jagtap, Joint Commissioner, PMC, Shree Chandere, councilor Baner prabhag, and veteran labour leader, Dr. Baba Adhav, the Materials Recovery Center at Kapil Malhar, Baner was inaugurated. This shed has been designed after many stakeholder consultations […]
Celebrating 15 years of Brazil’s National Movement of Waste Pickers
What are the possibilities when it comes to transforming waste? How can a city respond to the dreams of social belonging of those who make a living from the leftovers of our voracious consumerism? These were some of the questions that fueled the struggle around waste and citizenship that led to the founding of the […]
Brazilian waste pickers say there is a scarcity of recyclable material
The cruel face of the economic crisis can be best observed in the daily life of waste pickers. In the past four months, there has been a huge drop in the volume of recyclable materials that arrive in the hands of these workers. The crisis is blamed as the main cause of this scarcity, but […]
