Rubbish Dump Working

The problem

It is estimated that there are around 15 million people around the world working as waste pickers on huge rubbish dumps of up to 40 acres in size. Many of them are children or mothers of young children – in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka, half of all pickers are children.

The reasons why

The reasons children end up as waster pickers are many. They are often homeless, either because they have escaped domestic violence and abuse or they have been abandoned because they are disabled or because their parents can no longer cope with their own physical and mental health needs. Some are still living with family but have to work to help make ends meet. Although waste picking is often referred to as informal work, this isn’t completely true. The dumps may be unregulated and in many cases illegal but they are still organised, often with middlemen who control the dumps and exploit the workers.

Our Work

We have been supporting children connected to the rubbish dump industry since we were established nearly 30 years ago. Like all our programme work, each project is led by a local partner and tailored to the exact needs of the community, but there are common aspects to our work across countries:

• We provide education. Primary age children are supported into school, adolescents are given vocational skills training and disabled children are provided with the specialist support they may need.
• We provide vocational and business skills training to parents, particularly mothers, so they and their children can leave the hazardous environment and find new ways to earn a living.
• We provide rehabilitation for those working on rubbish dumps. If appropriate and safe, we help children to be reunited with their families, offer therapy to deal with trauma and support to overcome addictions.
• We help children navigate the government and legal systems that keep them trapped in poverty. For example, we help unregistered children to secure birth certificates and provide legal support for those who have got into trouble with the law.
• We teach children and mothers life-skills such as saving, healthy eating and hygiene.
• We lobby and influence governments and decision-makers to consider the needs of those working in waste picking, for example by securing budget to establish schools close to dump sites and enabling people to realise their rights as citizens through access to identity documentation.
• We work with local communities to help them to better understand issues around child abuse and safeguarding so that many people are involved in the protection of the children in their local area.