Nigeria scrap and waste pickers join their counterparts around the world in celebrating the International Waste Pickers Day and demanded from the Federal Government integration of waste pickers into the environment and waste management value chain.
They equally urged the three tiers of government to understand the critical role they play in the environment and waste recycling industry and accord them their due recognition.
The first day of March every year is set aside to celebrate the International waste Day and to commemorate the murder of some comrades in Columbia.
A statement by the National President of the Association of Scrap and Waste Pickers in Nigeria, Comrade Friday Oku said time has come for scrap and waste pickers to be accorded their pride of place in the waste management and recycling sub-sector of the economy, adding that recycling without the waste pickers is garbage.
According to him, Nigeria, an active member of the International Alliance of Waste Pickers used this day to remind our society and government the important roles that scrap and waste pickers play in the environment and social economy sustainability.
“Waste pickers prevent plastic pollution, drive environmental sustainability by reducing Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions and stimulate the ecosystem by supplying raw materials to recyclers.
“Wastepickers are principal actors in reclaiming or recovering PET Bottle or solid waste materials for recycling industry and finally we make sure our environment is clean and play important role in climate change.”
Oku said despite these critical roles they play, waste pickers are not valued by the society or the government.
“Our members work under the most dehumanising conditions, in landfill and waste dumpsites, yet they are hounded by the society and the government. We struggle to earn a living and are vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, arrest and detention by the Law Enforcement Agencies of the Government. We’re exposed to health hazards through contaminated materials at the Landfill, Wastepickers suffer alot from widespread prejudice and stigmatization.”
That is why we are seizing the occasion of this Waste Pickers Day to advocate fo recognition and integrated in the waste management value chain. “We should be involved in every waste management policy, plan and implementation,” he said.
He also called on the government to allocate adequate lands for the waste recollection hubs where waste pickers will do their works with respect and dignity.