The Works and Lives of the Informal Waste Picker; A Case Study at Anandabazar Open Dumping Site, Chattogram City Corporation, Bangladesh

Abstract

The study examined the sociodemographic characteristics, health and working conditions of waste pickers at the Anandabazar dumping site, Chattogram, Bangladesh. Through questionnaire surveys data was gathered from waste pickers. The study identifies that 61% of respondents were men and 39% were women. The mean age of the participants was 28.29 ± 9.85 and 84% were uneducated. The majority of them work 8-10 hours per day. Daily average income from recyclables was found BDT 443.5 (US$ 5.15). In terms of health conditions, they were suffering mostly from digestive gastrointestinal issues, such as episodic diarrhea (39%), intestinal worms (57%), and hepatitis A (2.5%). The waste pickers’ living status was appalling, working conditions were hazardous. Yet, many were drawn to informal recycling due to the lack of alternatives. Therefore, special attention is required to enhance their health and working conditions as well as to integrate them into the city's formal SWM system.