#WastePickers
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globalrec.bsky.social
👕 NEW STUDY: Textile Reuse in Kenya

In Nairobi's Gikomba market, waste pickers sort, resell and upcycle second-hand clothing, often for less than a living wage. Our study maps their work and a path to fair pay under Kenya's new EPR rules. 🇰🇪

#WastePickers #Mitumba
September 18, 2026 at 8:32 PM
globalrec.bsky.social
Waste pickers deliver climate action every day, yet their work remains unseen and unsupported. At Climate Week in Baku, COP31 High-Level Champion Samed Ağırbaş called for their recognition and access to climate finance. Fair Ton makes that work visible.

#WastePickers #FairTon
September 18, 2026 at 8:11 PM
globalrec.bsky.social
"They know that the work of waste pickers has an impact on climate mitigation."

Maddie, treasurer of IAWP, day one at Climate Week.

Member states said it themselves. Without being pushed.

There is no recycling without waste pickers.

#ClimateWeek #WastePickers
September 9, 2026 at 5:38 PM
tangri0.bsky.social
#Wastepickers are mostly invisible, both in life and, tragically, in death. These folks ARE the recycling system in most of the world, yet their contributions are unrecognized and precarious. Once again, a landslide collapse kills -- this time 30, in Guinea Conakry. apnews.com/article/guin...
A landslide at a landfill in the capital of Guinea kills 30 people, officials say
Guinea's civil protection service says a mountainous heap of refuse has collapsed at Dar Es Salam, the largest landfill in the capital of Conakry, killing 30 people.
apnews.com
August 24, 2026 at 1:44 AM
globalrec.bsky.social
✊ 100 waste pickers from every province of South Africa came together to elect SAWPA's new leadership, with an executive council representing all provinces.

Supported by groundWorkSA. Built by waste pickers, for waste pickers ♻️

#WastePickers #SAWPA #JustTransition
August 12, 2026 at 7:06 PM
jtalliance.bsky.social
3/3: Check out the INC-5.2 press conference in Geneva last August with #IndigenousPeoples, #tradeunions, and #wastepickers: www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYpk...
Affected Groups Aligned for Justice INC-5.2 Press Conference
YouTube video by Just Transition Alliance
www.youtube.com
August 12, 2026 at 6:41 PM
globalrec.bsky.social
🎉 Historic day for waste pickers in Ghana! 🇬🇭♻️

Today in Accra, GAYO and its partners launch the National Informal Waste Worker Union—a major step toward recognition, representation, and dignity for informal waste workers. ✊🌍

IAWP will share a solidarity message. 💚

#WastePickers #Ghana #IAWP
July 31, 2026 at 7:38 PM
jennchavez.bsky.social
On Ground Score's podcast American Wastepickers in 2025, Becky said:
"I would like people to reassess the value of the items that they're throwing away, just like I would like society to reassess the value of the people that we tend to throw away because we don't see the value that they have."
Rebecca Lange, Dumpster Diver
American Wastepickers · Episode
open.spotify.com
July 6, 2026 at 4:29 PM
cejadkenya.org
▶Our capacity-building trainings in motion

We engaged #wastepickers in Gilgil,Nakuru County, for training on the Sustainable Waste Management Act (2022), Extended Producer Responsibility Regulations (2024), and the functions and operations of Material Recovery Facilities

@giz.de
June 25, 2026 at 9:32 AM
globalrec.bsky.social
🌍♻️ Waste pickers must be at the center of any just transition on plastics.

IAWP joined global discussions at the University of St Andrews on sustainable plastic waste management, bringing frontline worker perspectives into the debate. ✊

#WastePickers #JustTransition #PlasticTreaty
Workshop with Participation of IAWP Brings Together Global Perspectives on Just and Sustainable Plastic Waste Management - International Alliance of Waste Pickers
On 13–14 June 2026, a workshop on Just and Sustainable Plastic Waste Management was hosted at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) which brought together academics, policymakers, waste picker repre...
wastepickersinternational.org
June 24, 2026 at 4:49 PM
questingjack.bsky.social
Have we been looking into the recycling industry properly, so that I don't assume every can in the recycling bin does in fact go to the landfill?

Or, get this, those cans have more value when given to wastepickers, who get money from?

Are policies in place to ensure this happens. I love democracy.
June 3, 2026 at 8:57 AM
gaiazerowaste.bsky.social
Stree Mukti Sanghatana's Sushila Sable shares how waste pickers are advancing organic waste management solutions that reduce methane emissions & strengthen communities.

▶Hear directly from the workers leading zero waste solutions!
#WastePickers #GoForZeroWaste #ClimateAction #CutMethane
May 28, 2026 at 4:54 PM
coopnews.bsky.social
Pakistan is to use #cooperative-based models to improve the livelihoods, legal recognition, and working conditions of informal #wastepickers

#coops

www.thenews.coop/pakistans-co...
May 22, 2026 at 1:44 PM
epsteinweb.bsky.social
Parts 1-2/2 — EFTA01159034.jpg
#epsteinweb #efta01159034
https://epsteinweb.org
Available in the iOS app store now!
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epstein-web/id6758880661
EFTA01159009 | EFTA01159034 Asia and Latin America hold some promise but most models for African cities require adaptation to the local context. outcomes Asia Regional community organizing and network formation for livelihood and asset development i .1 Africa Municipal system building, regional network formation and i .4 Inclusive .1 Regional strategy for cooperative business development for wastepickers and support for linkage to private sector Municipal Governance Jobs Community. led p Latin America Strategic Opportunities development _ Region i ve exploration of job creation / sector development With regard to India, the initial proposal from the Ministry of Urban Poverty Alleviation involved a "Cities of Excellence" program loosely crafted from our GPIMG, however we were unable to move beyond the concept stage. We opted instead to undertake a comprehensive scoping exercise to determine whether or not there is a role for us and how we might engage. Rather than a country-level approach, we may better serve urban India through individual grants that build stronger communities through partners like SEWA and SPARC. In China, while we do not intend to pursue in-country grantmaking, the government has expressed interest in partnering with us building municipal capacity in urban Africa. A planning grant is underway that would promote city twinning between Chinese and African cities. Our interest is to ensure that an inclusive and not exploitive process ensues. Thematic Opportunity Over the coming two years we intend to further explore urban poverty alleviation through thematic grantmaking in order to maximize our foundation-wide synergies and capitalize on momentum created with our current partners. As the need is great across the urban landscape, we will instead explore thematic investment to better understand where the potential for impact is greatest. These themes could support individual grants or even GPIMG "clusters." Outcomes Inclusive Municipal I Governance Jobs led Combine information technology (GIS) with community Community City planning Opportunities dwoboment_ Theme i enumerations to map to plan and institute upgrading; permit systems; procurement & tender reform Urban food Building markets and linking them to the poor; strengthening security rural-urban linkages; grow urban agriculture where able Job creation Strengthening cooperatives; business licensing; sector I 1 development especially in solid waste and construction 26 EFTA01159034
May 12, 2026 at 9:50 AM
epsteinweb.bsky.social
Parts 1-2/2 — EFTA01159029.jpg
#epsteinweb #efta01159029
https://epsteinweb.org
Available in the iOS app store now!
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epstein-web/id6758880661
EFTA01159009 | EFTA01159029 • Community-led development, which both increases efficiency and redefines the poor's relationship to municipal government; and • Helping balance competing needs and demands in allocating resources across diverse communities. How do the poor survive in cities? The Urban Working Poor and Their Stake in the Economy The informal sector or informal economy is the part of an economy that is not taxed, monitored by any form of government or included in domestic revenue calculations, unlike the formal economy. Far from a transient phenomenon, informality is the norm in countries where incomes and assets are not equitably distributed. Often ignored or considered a nuisance and deficient economic state, the informal economy represents more than 90% of all non-agricultural jobs in the poorest African countries, 70% in India, half in Latin America, one-third in North Africa and one-quarter in post-communist era countries.16 The reasons for the growth of the informal economy are interrelated and to some extent overlapping: limited absorption of surplus labor, barriers to entry into the formal economy, weak institutions, structural exploitation of informal laborers by rent-seekers, redundancies, and capital favored over labor and demand for low-cost goods and services. Given the pace of economic and political development in the developing world, it is likely that the informal economy will be the primary source of opportunity (and income) for the poor for many years to come. Key shared characteristics of informal workers include: • Un-credited drivers of formal economy • Outside reach of government regulation and protection, therefore invisible to policymakers • Low and erratic earnings, despite contributing up to 60% of GDP" • Unnecessary and preventable exploitation by middlemen18, employers, political interest, incompetent or corrupt bureaucracies, or organized crime The numbers are staggering: approximately two thirds of the world's 1 billion urban poor are dependent upon the informal sector for their livelihoods. About 65% of these individuals work as street vendors, wastepickers, home-based workers and construction workers. The remaining segment of the urban poor workforce toils in domestic work19, transportation, and other microenterprise. Commercial sex work 16 Johannes Jutting and Juan R. de Laiglesia, eds. Is Informal Normal? Towards More and Better Jobs in Developing Countries (Paris: OECD, 2009); ILO, 2002 from Memo 13 11 Friedrich Schneider, Size and Measurement of the Informal Economy in 110 Countries Around the World (Washington: World Bank, 2002); Alejandro Portes and William Haller (2005). "The Informal Economy". In N. Smelser and R. Swedberg (eds.). Handbook of Economic Sociology, 2nd edition. Russell Sage Foundation. Home-based workers report having approximately 30% of goods rejected and 50% pay deducted by middlemen. Renana Jhabvala, Sapna Desai, and Jignasa Dave, "Empowering women in an insecure world: joining SEWA makes a difference," (Ahmedabad: SEWA Academy, 2010). 19 Over the last century, the most important single category of urban employment for rural-urban migrants within Europe has been domestic service. Charles Tilly, "Migration in Modern European History," in Human Migration: Patterns & Policies, eds. William H. McNeill and Ruth S. Adams (Bloomington: Indiana, 1987), 58. 21 EFTA01159029
May 12, 2026 at 9:50 AM
epsteinweb.bsky.social
Parts 1-2/2 — EFTA01159017.jpg
#epsteinweb #efta01159017
https://epsteinweb.org
Available in the iOS app store now!
https://apps.apple.com/us/app/epstein-web/id6758880661
EFTA01159009 | EFTA01159017 • Potential for private sector development. AVINA Americas was granted $3 million to broker projects in several Latin American countries between Recicladores Sin Fronteras (Wastepickers Without Borders) and international partners like Coca Cola, PepsiCo, and Danone. Through these engagements, we link the private sector to inputs generated by wastepicker cooperatives. • Using simple technology can link people with work. LabourNets is an Indian social enterprise which seeks to improve earning opportunities, working conditions, skills and security for workers in the informal sector (90% of India's workforce). LabourNet uses mobile technology, including automated, multilingual SMS messaging, GIS and GPS applications, to announce daily job openings for urban informal workers. It provides training opportunities, access to health insurance, ability to open bank accounts, and assistance receiving proper identification cards for workers been denied these social benefits. The system also offers assistance to the growing professional class and mid-sized business community who find it difficult to access workers. Lesson 3: Good governance is more than a process • Community voice and participation in local government decision-making is an antidote to corruption. Local or municipal governments are more likely to be responsive, accountable, and transparent in relationships with their constituents if there are mechanisms through which CBOs can express their priorities and concerns and monitor local government processes. These mechanisms include municipal oversight councils with CBO representation, shared budgeting exercises (or in some cases, even grants/contracts), and participatory or transparent planning. • Cities will tackle tough challenges if they have learned from each other. In 2010, Sister Cities International launched the $8 million Africa Urban Poverty Alleviation Program (AUPAP), a three-year project to alleviate poverty in 25 African cities through water, sanitation, and health initiatives led by U.S. and African sister city programs. Through this unique project, U.S. sister city programs collaborate with African counterparts to identify and address critical problems that form a barrier to sustained development in urban areas. While the projects attempted in each city are small, each one meets a critical community need and builds capacity for participation and basic project management, motivating the city to tackle similar problems at larger scale. This program demonstrates that cities can deliver on their vision, and three cities have graduated to larger projects funded through their own national governments. • Partnering cities and community organizations creates new opportunity for poverty alleviation. The Global Project for Inclusive Municipal Governance (GPIMG) is a $25 million five year package of grantees and contractors supporting 5 African cities to create sustainable and inclusive municipal processes that deliver new or improved jobs, services, or shelter for the urban poor. We have chosen rapidly urbanizing cities as laboratories where we can compare and contrast their experiences and results. We are the first international organization to make grants LabourNet is a sub-grantee of CHF International's $8 million "SCALE-UP" project that works to promote livelihood opportunities in secondary cities of India and Ghana. They also received funding and business development assistance from our "Urban Value-Chain Development" grant to the SEEP Network. For more information on this organization please see www.labournet.in. 9 EFTA01159017
May 12, 2026 at 9:49 AM
paolacatt.bsky.social
Nelle discariche della capitale keniana ogni giorno arrivano duemila tonnellate di rifiuti. provenienti in gran parte dai container sbarcati al porto di Mombasa dall’Europa e altri paesi extra-continentali. Raccolti e smistati da «wastepickers» per 2 dollari al giorno, senza tutele e senza diritti.
La falce e il rastrello di Nairobi | il manifesto
Africa (Internazionale) Tre milioni di persone di ogni età, il 60% dell’anagrafe cittadina, riunite a vivere in alcune delle aree urbane a più alta densità di popolazione del pianeta, con una media di...
ilmanifesto.it
March 20, 2026 at 8:24 AM
globalrec.bsky.social
Waste pickers are central to reuse economies — yet their work often remains invisible.

This new publication highlights their contributions in Italy and why recognition in public policy is key for a just transition.

📄 Available in English & Italian.
📲 Scan the QR to read.

#WastePickers #IAWP
March 12, 2026 at 8:00 PM
tangri0.bsky.social
In January, a #landfill landslide in Cebu, Philippines, killed several #wastepickers. These deaths are unacceptable and avoidable. Improving waste management requires centering the safety of the workers. www.rappler.com/philippines/...
Cebu landfill landslide exposes ‘broken waste management,’ groups say
Movement for a Livable Cebu executive director Joel Lee says that while LGUs have made solid waste management plans, too many remain just blueprints without action
www.rappler.com
March 3, 2026 at 4:57 PM
globalrec.bsky.social
♻️💚 This #InternationalWastePickersDay 2026 we unite in Dandora, Kenia, for Dignity, Safety & Recognition. From testimonies to a solidarity march ✊🏽 No just transition or circular economy without waste pickers 🌍✨ #JustTransition #WastePickers
February 13, 2026 at 7:35 PM
uvicsocialsciences.bsky.social
Waste pickers drive global recycling and circular economy but often lack fair pay and protections. Research reveals 8 integration paths, mostly in Latin America, highlighting the urgent need for inclusion, fair contracts, and new support models. #uvic #waste #wastepickers #environment
February 3, 2026 at 2:21 AM
tapuya.org
🔨Part of “The Making of Methodologies/Methodologies of Making. When Precarity Matters” Cluster"

#Methods #Collaborative #Experimental #WastePickers #Materiality #Tapuya8 #OpenAccess
From the collaborative workshops to the experimental open laboratory. Methodological creativity in long-term research with waste pickers in Greater Buenos Aires
Since 2004, we have been implementing collaborative research workshops to analyze the organization of a waste picker´s cooperative and its working process. Accompanying their techno-productive traj...
doi.org
January 28, 2026 at 4:02 PM
genevaenvironmentnetwork.org
Kidus Asfaw of Kubik - an Ethiopian-based climate tech company tackling waste, affordability & climate - underscores that the success of the initiative relies on the economic incentive & the positive aspects generated, such as the economic empowerment of women wastepickers.
December 4, 2025 at 2:42 PM
gaiazerowaste.bsky.social
🌱 A major victory for grassroots climate solutions in Chile!
This community-led model is part of our global work to show how frontline #wastepickers can scale real climate solutions with dignity and justice.

Support more victories like this:
www.no-burn.org/donate/

#GivingTuesday #ClimateJustice
December 2, 2025 at 4:48 AM
globalrec.bsky.social
♻️ Waste pickers are ready to lead organic waste management — but they need justice: stable contracts, segregation at source, strong laws, and real investment.

The models exist. Now we scale them.

#IAWP #WastePickers #JustTransition
Qabeer Arora, Secretary of globalrec_org (IAWP) elaborates on the needs and challenges of waste pick
YouTube video by We Don't Have Time
www.youtube.com
December 1, 2025 at 8:43 PM