How litter pickers are taking the crisis in their own hands | In India, 1.5 million waste pickers rely on sorting garbage

How litter pickers are taking the crisis in their own hands

A waste picker is someone who collects reusable or recyclable goods that have been discarded by others for resale or personal use. Millions of people work as waste pickers around the world, mostly in developing countries but also in post-industrial countries.

Prevalence

In India, 1.5 million waste pickers rely on sorting garbage and selling anything recyclable or of monetary value to make a living.

India produces approximately 62 million tonnes of trash each year. Waste is frequently transferred from residences to waste collectors or deposited in bins as part of the solid waste management chain. The waste is transported from the bin to transfer stations and subsequently to landfills. However, neither the homes nor the municipal corporation actively segregates the garbage throughout the voyage. The goal in some regions is to segregate solid trash and feed it to a waste-to-energy plant, but in most situations, it is simply landfilled. In the landfill, the garbage remains unchanged and builds up to the point when it resembles mountains, eventually releasing harmful gases and leachate into the air and soil, respectively.

Despite widespread apathy and municipal government ineptitude, we have one of the highest recycling rates in the world. In fact, our recycling rates are significantly higher than those of some of the world's most developed nations. In comparison to the United States, we recycle 70% of all PET bottles (water bottles and soft drink bottles). This is due in large part to the informal recycling system that exists in all of our cities. This chain begins with waste pickers, who sell rubbish to scrap dealers, who sell to aggregators, who sell to recyclers, and so on.

Sorting and segregating waste from waste containers, transfer stations, and landfills is done by waste pickers. 100% of all recycling in the country comes from the informal recycling sector. Waste pickers frequently come from the most marginalised neighbourhoods in urban areas, and their marginalisation contributes to their work's lack of acknowledgement in society.

Costs and Risks of litter picking

• Child labour: Children commonly work as waste pickers. This could affect their education as well as their physical, emotional, and social well-being.
• Litter: Waste pickers on the street may disperse trash from trash bags, contaminating the sidewalk and adding to the workload of city street sweepers.
• Many individuals consider rubbish pickers to be a nuisance or a cause of embarrassment in their communities. Some individuals are uneasy or afraid of waste pickers because of their apparent poverty and lack of sanitation. Many feel that contemporary services should replace rubbish pickers, particularly in underdeveloped countries.
• Due to their exposure to hazardous items such as faeces, paper saturated with poisonous compounds, bottles and containers with chemical residues, infected needles, and heavy metals from batteries, waste pickers have a high prevalence of the disease.
• Injury dangers: Back and hand injuries caused by carrying large things with little equipment are among the most common types of job-related injuries for waste pickers.
• Waste pickers are frequently subjected to discrimination, harassment, and assault.

If we could just collect litter and remove it off the roads, we could eliminate this problem. We would be making a significant contribution to the larger goal of protecting our world. Spruce Up has created some of the best solutions in this sector with this notion in mind. Spruce Up designs and manufactures world-class machines for roadside litter and waste removal that are completely contactless.?On top of the line, Jatayu HD and Jatayu Super are currently on the roads?of India contributing to the cause.

Editorial Team

Spruce Up India