Colombian Waste Pickers Inundate Iconic Bogota Square With Plastic Bottles To Protest Falling Wages

Colombian waste pickers protested in Bolivar Square against falling wages and tougher conditions, inundating the area with 15 tons of plastic bottles. The rally involved approximately 100 scavengers, demanding fair payment for their collected materials. Economic instability and competition from Venezuelan migrants are major issues impacting their livelihoods, raising concerns about the sustainability of their work and the risk of landfills overflowing.

On Tuesday in Bogota’s Bolivar Square, a significant protest unfolded as dozens of Colombian waste pickers filled the area with approximately 15 tons of recyclable plastic bottles. The demonstration was aimed at drawing attention to shrinking wages and increasingly difficult working conditions for those tasked with collecting trash from various sources like homes and businesses. Spearheaded by 14 waste picker associations, this rally involved about 100 participants, some of whom even pretended to swim in the heaps of bottles, signaling the urgency of their plight.

Nohra Padilla, president of the National Association of Waste Pickers in Colombia, expressed the group’s demands: “We want factories to pay us a fair price for the materials we collect. Colombians and their government need to realize that without our work landfills would be saturated.” This highlights the essential role waste pickers play in Colombia, where approximately 20,000 individuals work tirelessly to gather recyclables that municipal garbage trucks often overlook.

The work of waste pickers is typically informal, with many pulling heavy carts to collect cans, plastic, and cardboard. Their income is heavily dependent on the market price for recyclable materials, which has seen troubling changes recently. Jorge Ospina, president of the ARAUS waste pickers association, noted a concerning trend where the fee paid by recycling plants for one kilogram of plastic has dropped from 75 cents to just 50 cents over the past two months — a significant decrease that threatens their earnings.

The price fluctuation is alarming; Ospina now struggles to pay waste pickers only 25 cents per kilo of plastic. He suspects that imports of cheap plastic from countries like China might be a contributing factor to this decline in price, thereby jeopardizing the livelihood of waste pickers. “We need more government regulation,” he asserted, cautioning that if the trends continue, many in the profession might choose not to collect recyclable materials, potentially leading to overflowing landfills across Colombia.

In contrast to the difficulties they face, Colombia’s constitution offers some protections to waste pickers, prioritizing them over large contractors for collecting recyclable materials. Additionally, municipal governments are required to compensate waste picker associations based on the amount of trash collected. However, these support mechanisms offer little relief in light of unstable prices and increasing competition from Venezuelan migrants entering the workforce in major cities like Bogota and Medellin.

Unfortunately, many waste pickers earn less than the national minimum wage of roughly $350 per month, which underscores the urgent need for systemic change to improve conditions and pay for this vital workforce. As citizens, designers and policymakers look closely at inequality and labor rights, the voices of these essential workers must be heard, lest their efforts go unnoticed.

In summary, Colombian waste pickers are voicing their frustrations in a striking protest at Bogota’s Bolivar Square, demanding fair compensation and improved working conditions. With their income plummeting and competition rising, waste pickers play a crucial role in the recycling ecosystem, yet face significant hurdles. The constitutional protections they have might not be enough in the face of ongoing economic challenges. Thus, immediate government intervention seems crucial to ensure the sustainability of this essential workforce.

Original Source: www.newsday.com