Waste pickers in Colombia protested in Bogota’s Bolivar Square against falling wages and tough working conditions, bringing attention to their vital role in recycling. The demonstration, led by waste picker associations, highlighted concerns over decreasing payments for recyclables and increasing competition from migrants. Activists emphasized the importance of fair pricing to avoid overflowing landfills.
In a striking demonstration, dozens of Colombian waste pickers filled Bogota’s famed Bolivar Square with approximately 15 tons of plastic bottles and other recyclables on Tuesday. The protest stemmed from ongoing concerns over dwindling incomes and challenging working conditions faced by these individuals, who play a vital role in recycling by collecting trash from various sources, including homes and businesses.
Organized by 14 different waste picker associations, the event drew around 100 participants. Many of them humorously pretended to swim through the heaps of recyclables to draw attention to their plight. “We want factories to pay us a fair price for the materials we collect,” said Nohra Padilla, who leads Colombia’s National Association of Waste Pickers. She emphasized the essential nature of their work, stating, “Without our work, landfills would be saturated.”
Typically, Colombian waste pickers work independently, using heavy carts to gather recyclable materials that often go unnoticed by municipal garbage trucks. These trucks, operated by private contractors, primarily collect organic waste and non-recyclables, leaving a gap that waste pickers fill. Their earnings hinge significantly on the volume of recyclables they can sell each day to local storage facilities or associations, which subsequently supply recycling plants.
Jorge Ospina, heading the ARAUS waste pickers association, revealed a concerning trend: over the past two months, prices for recyclables have plummeted. The payment for every kilogram of plastic has dropped from 75 cents to just 50 cents, affecting what he can compensate waste pickers. Currently, he is only able to pay them about 25 cents per kilogram. Ospina speculated that decreased prices may be attributed to increasing imports of fresh plastic from countries such as China. He urged for stronger government regulation, warning that if prices continue to fall, it could lead to a lack of motivation among waste pickers to continue collecting recyclables, resulting in overflowing landfills.
Despite Colombia’s constitution recognizing and protecting the rights of waste pickers, the situation remains dire. These workers, often hailing from impoverished backgrounds, should be prioritized over larger contractors for recycling efforts. Furthermore, local governments are mandated to provide financial compensation to waste pickers associations based on the volume of collected recyclables.
However, the market for recyclable materials fluctuates, and competition is intensifying, especially from Venezuelan migrants who have entered the same line of work in urban areas such as Bogota and Medellin. Notably, many waste pickers earn less than the national minimum wage of $350 per month, raising questions about their economic security amidst rising living costs.
The ongoing protest by Colombian waste pickers highlights the urgent issues of declining wages and challenging working conditions in an industry integral to recycling efforts in urban areas. With the added pressures of rising competition and fluctuating prices, their calls for fair compensation and government action become all the more critical to ensure both their livelihoods and the sustainability of waste management in Colombia.
Original Source: www.newsday.com
