Down To Earth

Mar 15, 2010

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Name: Nagma Begum | Age: 30 years (approximate) | Sex: Female
Work place: Ghazipur landfill site | Skill: Recycling Waste | Work experience: 9 years
Estimated Earning: Rs 50 -100 per day

Occupational Hazard

Saving

Work tips

Grievances

Frequent medical bills

Dwindling.
“It takes an entire day to fill a sack now…”

The Ghazipur landfill site is full to capacity and the incoming waste is being diverted to other sites.

But Najma and her neighbours are yet to think of an alternative livelihood.

Also, waste changes many hands before reaching Najma and her neighbours. The end of the chain waste picker has precious little to salvage.

She says it will take her two years to save Rs 10,000 – dowry for her youngest

She suggests stocking filaments from broken bulbs for two to three months and selling them in bulk to make a good profit.

She also advices to take time while sifting through waste to avoid mixing up different materials. Un-assorted waste fetches less money.

Recycling of waste is efficient only to the extent the waste is segregated.

Machine led waste management of the west is no comparison to the efficient waste segregation practiced by the waste and rag pickers of India.

Renewal of ration cards due for the past eight months.

But why should the Government bother?

Najma thinks her services at the Ghazipur landfill site save the government a lot of money.

Name: Javed Khan | Age: 50 years | Sex: Male
Work place: Ghazipur landfill site | Skill: Recycling Waste | Work experience: 15 years
Estimated Earning: Rs 50 -75 per day

Work tips

Recycle and earn

End of the chain

Javed thinks its best to sit while picking the waste. Closer to the ground, one sees better and commits less errors while selecting the material.

Javed lists the running prices for different materials

Listen to Javed and earn up to Rs 500 a month from your waste.

What is the waste he collects and sells used for?
Javed seems to know.

Name: Akhtar | Age: 7 years | Sex: Male
Work place: Ghazipur landfill site | Skill: Recycling Waste | Work experience: 1 year
Estimated Earning: Rs 50 -100 per day

Work challenges

Recreation

Habits

Cuts and bruises while sifting through waste and getting buried under the rubble thrown in by waste trucks.

Games and toys available at landfill but Akhtar says he will be quitting soon and will never tell anyone that he worked here.

A workday in Akhtar’s life will never end without a bath

Name: Muhammed | Age: 40 years | Sex: Male
Work place: Ghazipur landfill site | Skill: Recycling Waste | Work experience: 10 years
Estimated Earning: Rs 50 per day

Work tips

Muhammed says you have to be very careful while segregating waste, some plastics look and feel deceptively like paper.

Occupational Hazard

She was not particularly interested in talking to us.