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Stop treating waste pickers like garbage: An autoethnography on informal waste picking in Brazil.
- Source :
- Global Public Health; Jan2023, Vol. 18 Issue 1, p1-6, 6p
- Publication Year :
- 2023
-
Abstract
- There are almost 8 billion people on the planet with every single one of them producing some type of waste. The cost of recycling and money made by selling recyclable products has created a strong foundation for informal waste picking to exist. Waste pickers sort through garbage to find recyclable material; it is estimated that there are around 20 million waste pickers worldwide. In 2022, I went to experience life as a waste picker in Brasilia, Brazil for a day to understand issues that may continue to exist in this informal industry. I worked in a triage center and used this experience to inform my autoethnography; even though I have worked in waste picker research for almost a decade, this experience led to a different conclusion. The most interesting issue that I found while working as a waste picker was the lack of uniformity in waste picking, which led to people working on the streets or in co-op triage centers. This population is vulnerable which is worsened from exposure to hazards by nature of the informal environment; this situation contributes to ongoing poor working conditions through lack of governmental oversight, policy development, and change. Ultimately, informality needs to be addressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 17441692
- Volume :
- 18
- Issue :
- 1
- Database :
- Complementary Index
- Journal :
- Global Public Health
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 174160545
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1080/17441692.2023.2201328