Waste pickers exposed to risks

April 28, 2026

Jutta Gutberlet (Geography) is a geographer, who works with waste pickers in many countries in the global south and binners on the West Coast of Canada. She has been supporting waste pickers to help themselves—to improve working conditions, form co-operatives and associations, promote inclusive public policies and advance social movements. Gutberlet can discuss the relationship between waste and climate change, the environmental impacts of plastics, and the key changes needed to address the effects of waste on the planet. 

Dr. Gutberlet's paper, "Assessment of occupational hazards facing waste pickers to support a proper closure of a large open dump."

Q.1 What is an open dump? In particular, what was the Estrutural Open Dump, and why did it close?

JG: An open dump, unlike a sanitary landfill, lacks environmental and worker protections. As a result, leachate from decomposing waste contaminates groundwater, while soil, air, and surrounding ecosystems are also affected. These sites attract disease-carrying animals, spread lightweight waste through wind and wildlife, and expose workers and nearby communities to significant health risks. Limited data on waste types and volumes further complicates monitoring and long-term management.

The Estrutural Open Dump in Brazil’s Federal District operated from the 1960s until January 2018. It received household waste, healthcare waste, and construction debris, and was once the largest open dump in Latin America and the second largest globally. More than 1,000 waste pickers worked there daily under precarious conditions.

Its closure was mandated by Brazil’s National Policy on Solid Waste (Law 12.305/2010), which requires the elimination of open dumps and the integration of waste pickers into formal systems. Public pressure and mounting environmental and health concerns also drove the decision. In parallel, the government developed a sanitary landfill and sorting facilities to transition workers into safer conditions.

Q.2 Explain the hazards that waste pickers face and health risks, workplace accidents?

JG: Waste pickers face a wide range of occupational health risks. Physical exposures include heat, sun, rain, humidity, noise, and vibration. They are also vulnerable to accidents, such as cuts from sharp objects like glass, metal, and needles, as well as falls, fires, explosions, and being struck by trucks. Biological risks arise from contact with decomposing and contaminated waste, including healthcare materials, as well as exposure to bacteria, fungi, parasites, and disease-carrying animals. Chemical hazards include heavy metals, smoke, and other toxic substances found in mixed waste. In addition, repetitive tasks, heavy lifting, prolonged standing, and poor posture create ergonomic strain, while stigma, discrimination, income instability, and insecurity contribute to psychosocial stress.

At the open dump, 68.7% of workers reported experiencing accidents—most often involving sharp objects—with many temporarily unable to work, affecting their livelihoods and those of their families.

These risks are significantly reduced in organized settings, such as cooperatives or associations, where workers have access to protective equipment and safer working conditions.

Q.3 Explain how this is a social justice issue?

JG: Despite widespread stigma and negative public perceptions, waste pickers perform an essential environmental and public service by recovering materials for recycling and contributing to the circular economy. These injustices should be addressed by ensuring decent working conditions, fair remuneration for the environmental services they provide, and formal recognition as key actors in waste management systems.

Social justice is advanced through the closure of open dumps and their replacement with formal systems that prioritize the health, safety, and labor rights of marginalized workers. Equity measures include the establishment of recycling centres with adequate infrastructure—such as sanitation facilities and cafeterias—and essential services, including healthcare and social protection.

In many parts of the world, a central demand of waste pickers is recognition of their work and fair compensation for the services they provide. However, many continue to live in extreme poverty, as their income is derived solely from the sale of recovered materials, with little or no recognition of the broader environmental services they contribute.

Q.4 How can the safety of these essential workers be protected?

JG: The protection of these workers requires primarily structural interventions. According to the hierarchy of risk controls, the most effective measures are elimination and substitution of hazards, while personal protective equipment is the least effective and should be used only as a last line of defence. In this context, closing open dumps and replacing them with indoor recycling facilities is a key intervention, as it removes hazardous environments and substitutes them with safer working conditions.

In Brasília, the development of such facilities formed part of the broader transition toward safer waste management systems. Worker safety also depends on engineering controls, including safe building design and appropriate equipment, followed by administrative controls such as training, health monitoring, vaccination, education, and systems for reporting and responding to workplace incidents. Access to personal protective equipment—such as gloves, boots, masks, and protective clothing—remains necessary, but it cannot replace higher-level protections.

Finally, long-term safety and well-being also depend on social inclusion through cooperatives, stable income, and the formal recognition of waste pickers as essential workers.