Scavengers or Recyclers?

According to the Global Alliance of Waste Pickers, there are 15 million people in the world who earn a living by searching for recyclables. Some of them are garbage pickers who scavenge landfills looking for recyclable objects to earn some extra money. Others are high-tech versions of waste sorting and treatment. One such company is SRI in Aversa, Italy that processes nearly 80,000 metric tons of material each year. They use conveyer belts and sensors to sort cans and bottles. The plant processes over 5,500 pounds of bottles every hour to produce plastic flakes for reuse.
Most garbage pickers are treated as the scum of society, but many recyclers have organized to gain better working conditions and rights. The Global Alliance of Waste Pickers is now an umbrella network of thousands of recycler organizations with groups in more than 28 countries. Last year Pope Francis sent a video message to recyclers around the world telling them to "continue developing new forms of dignified work through recycling."
We need to change our views of those who recycle our trash. They are performing important labor and should be treated with dignity. They are helping to save our planet! And all of us must become recyclers to prevent landfills from overflowing and contaminating our soil and atmosphere.


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