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A decent and dignified income for India’s waste pickers
The issue
Informal waste workers carry out 90% of the recycling in developing countries. But the lack of recognition for what they do puts them at the mercy of price volatility and means they struggle to make ends meet.
What can we do about it?
Unilever Young Entrepreneurs Awards winner Andrew Almack was backpacking through India when he noticed the extent of the problem. He found it hard to believe that people couldn’t make a living by collecting discarded plastics – so he set out to prove his point.
His business – Plastics for Change – was set up as a mobile app to help the 1.5 million waste pickers in India get paid fairly for the plastic they collect, while helping brands meet their extended producer responsibility.
Six years on, Andrew has developed a franchise model to support recycling businesses that pay waste pickers decent incomes and provides training to boost their incomes. The company also ensures a consistent supply of high-quality recycled plastic for brands and is the first recycler to be verified by the World Fair Trade Organization.
Today, the business is working hard to support waste-picker families with essential food and hygiene items during the Covid crisis.
Similar ways to take action (14 items)
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10,000 changes helping Canadians tackle the plastics problem
Make your commitment to reducing plastic waste
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Help waste workers out of poverty and into good health
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Sustainable solutions to the world’s development challenges
TRANSFORM the lives of millions in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia
Supply waste for a cleaner environment in Africa
Supply recyclable waste to feed the circular economy
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Create jobs, reduce waste and save lives with Eco-Soap Bank
Get food and essentials to street reclaimers in South Africa
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Invest in a world where no one goes hungry
Become a friend of food banking and change lives around the world
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