Our work has resulted in the inclusion of Children of waste pickers to be eligible for Pre-Matric Scholarships to the Children of those engaged in occupations involving cleaning and prone to health hazards.
Waste Pickers are defined and included as stakeholders in the Solid Waste Management Rules, 2016 as set out by the MoEFC, GoI and as a category in the Swachh Survekshan for Swachh Bharat Abhiyan 2.0.
Our work with the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagar Palike and citizens has ensured that Dry Waste Collection Centres and the integration of waste pickers are part of the Solid Waste Management Bye-Laws of Bengaluru and the larger Karnataka Directorate of Municipal Administration.
Waste pickers have spoken for their rights and inclusion at the 2015 United Nations Climate Change Conference (UNFCC) COP 21 – Paris, the UN Conference to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) COP14 – Delhi, and the United Nations (UN) Habitat III Prepcom at Surabaya, Indonesia. Supported by Hasiru Dala and as delegates for the International Alliance of Waste Pickers, waste pickers from India represent Asia at the International Negotiating Committees for a international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, including in the marine environment in Punta del Este, Paris, and Nairobi.
Our calls for inclusion – in social security, urban housing, environmental justice, plastic and other regulation instruments, gender equity, for a “Just Transition” – are all part of a broader movement to support the informal waste working economy across the globe.
