Colombian waste pickers staged a protest in Bogota’s Bolivar Square, dumping 15 tons of recyclables to highlight falling wages and poor working conditions. Organized by various associations, the demo gathered around 100 pickers who demanded fair prices for their collections. With competition from Venezuelan migrants and declining recyclable prices, their livelihoods are at risk, prompting calls for government regulation and intervention.
In a striking demonstration on Tuesday, waste pickers from Colombia swamped Bogota’s historic Bolivar Square with around 15 tons of recyclable materials. It was all a part of their protest against declining wages and harsh working conditions in their line of work. They’re the folks who sift through trash from homes and businesses, scavenging for items that they sell to local recyclers.
Organized by 14 associations, the protest highlighted the tough reality for around 20,000 scavengers working in Bogota. The atmosphere was a mix of seriousness and spectacle, with some participants even pretending to swim amidst the mountains of plastic bottles and other recyclables. Nohra Padilla, president of Colombia’s National Association of Waste Pickers, addressed the crowd saying, “We want factories to pay us a fair price for the materials we collect.” It’s a call for recognition, as she emphasized the importance of their role in preventing landfills from overflowing.
Most waste pickers operate on their own, navigating the streets with heavy carts filled with recyclables that municipal garbage trucks often overlook. These trucks, managed by various contractors, primarily focus on non-recyclables and organic waste, leaving the scavengers to pick up the slack. Their earnings are closely tied to the quantity of goods they can gather, which they then sell to warehouses or local associations.
Jorge Ospina, whose association, ARAUS, has felt the pinch recently, shared some alarming news. The price for recyclable plastic has plummeted from 75 cents to just 50 cents per kilogram over just two months. This squeeze means Ospina can only afford to pay waste pickers about 25 cents for every kilo they turn in. He pointed fingers at imports from countries like China, suggesting they might be driving down local prices even further.
Ospina stressed the need for stronger government oversight, warning that as prices continue to decline, waste pickers may lose the incentive to collect recyclables altogether. That could lead to landfills overflowing, a scenario he described as deeply concerning. It’s important to note that while Colombia’s constitution offers some safeguards to waste pickers, who often come from marginalized backgrounds, they still face a fluctuating market for their labor.
The law prioritizes waste pickers over larger contractors, ensuring that municipal governments are often required to pay them a fee based on the amount of recyclables collected. Yet, with prices fluctuating and competition growing — especially from Venezuelan migrants who are also seeking work in the same field — the situation is becoming increasingly precarious. More often than not, waste pickers are earning less than the national minimum wage of $350 each month, highlighting a grim economic reality that needs urgent attention.
The protest by Colombian waste pickers in Bogota’s Bolivar Square sheds light on the harsh realities they face. With falling prices for recyclables and increased competition from migrants, their livelihood remains unstable. Advocates are calling for fair compensation and stronger regulations to protect these important workers. Without proper measures, the waste pickers warn that landfills could quickly overflow, making their work even more vital than before.
Original Source: www.newsday.com
