🌍✊🏾 From Accra to the world: waste picker leaders stand united, organized, and ready to fight for recognition, dignity, and rights. ♻️💪🏾 Together, we are building a global movement for justice and a circular economy that includes us all. 🌱✨

📢 NOW LIVE at #UNRBHR2025! ♻️✊ From marginalized to recognized: Responsible sourcing pathways and a just transition for workers in material production and recycling supply chains Link: undp.zoom.us/j/86332512561 Hear worker voices & solutions to protect 40M waste pickers & 49M homeworkers.

🌍♻️ Historic milestone in Accra! Over 50 leaders from 17 orgs in 11 African countries gathered for the 1st Africa Regional Meeting of Waste Picker Leaders, building solidarity, advancing gender equity & demanding recognition in the circular economy. ✊🌱 #IAWP #WastePickers

🇧🇷✨ At the IAWP African Regional Meeting, H.E. Mariana Madeira, Ambassador of Brazil to Ghana, and Deputy Head of Mission Alexandre de Pádua Ramos Souto, celebrated Brazil’s Independence Week by honoring waste pickers’ fight for the environment. 🌍♻️ #IAWP #WastePickers

🌍✨ At the African Regional Meeting, Amadou Mbodj of Fundación Avina highlighted waste pickers’ vital role in inclusive recycling & shared Avina’s commitment to strengthening leadership, resilience & recognition across Africa. 🙌♻️ #WastePickers #IAWP

📢 Sept 17 | 14:45-15:45 at #UNRBHRF2025 40M waste pickers & 49M homeworkers keep global recycling & production running—but remain invisible & unprotected. Join us to explore how brands, govts & media can fund a #JustTransition & recognize workers as essential, not expendable. #WastePickers

✊ In Argentina, FACCyR’s El Amanecer de los Cartoneros is on hunger strike after transport rights were cut. We stand in solidarity with them and call for international support to amplify their struggle.

♻️🌍 Despite months of pressure, governments failed to deliver the binding and ambitious treaty needed to stop plastic pollution. 💪 But the fight is not over. Waste pickers will keep demanding dignity, visibility, and a binding commitment to a Just Transition.

Thanks to @ienearth.bsky.social, @globalrec.bsky.social, @acat_akaction, @portarthurcan, and @ypanpt/@cymgunep, who worked with #justtransitionalliance to write this collective response, and thanks to EnviroNews Nigeria for publishing this article: www.environewsnigeria.com/plastics-tre...

INC5.2 ends with no Plastics Treaty — a blow to 40M waste pickers fighting plastic pollution. We demand binding Just Transition, recognition, & plastic caps. Member states must fix this process — people & planet can’t wait. #PlasticsTreaty #IAWP Read our press release: www.bit.ly/INC52IAWP

🌍 From Geneva at the #PlasticsTreaty negotiations, waste pickers are making it clear: financing is key to justice. Severino Lima Jr., president of the IAWP, says it loud and clear. #WastePickers #JustTransition #CircularEconomy #EnvironmentalJustice #IAWP #PlasticsTreaty #ClimateJustice

♻️🌍 From Bangalore to Dhaka, IAWP delegates Indumathi and Kulsum Begum turn waste into livelihood, and invisibility into power. At UN #PlasticsTreaty talks, they demand dignity, rights, and a Just Transition for 40M waste pickers. Report by Ravleen Kaur for The Migration Story.

🌍♻️ Waste pickers at the #PlasticsTreaty talks in Geneva: recognition isn’t enough — we need a mandatory Just Transition. 💬 “Without waste pickers, the treaty fails.” 💬 “Recognition is justice.” 💬 “We turn waste into livelihood.” #JustTransition #WastePickers #CircularEconomy

The Plastic Treaty Coalition — a powerful alliance of civil society organizations from around the world, united in the fight for a future free from plastic pollution. Together, we are shaping the treaty our planet and communities deserve. 🌍✊ #JustTransition #PlasticsTreaty #EnvironmentalJustice

Before a crowd of Indigenous Peoples, waste pickers, unionized workers, environmental defenders & activists, John Chweya — IAWP delegate — sent a clear message: we cannot accept a Global Plastics Treaty that leaves vulnerable communities behind. 🌍✊ #WastePickers #ClimateJustice #JustTransition

📢 Press Conference – Without Waste Pickers, Just Transition Fails 🗓 Aug 14 | 14:00–14:45 CEST 📍 UNEP site, Geneva – Room XXVII We recover 60% of plastics going for recycling. We demand the #PlasticsTreaty include a binding Just Transition — recognition, rights & justice for 40M workers worldwide.

We are waste pickers — not by chance, but by choice. ✊♻️ This name carries our work, our history, and 50 years of organizing for recognition and justice. Led by Maditlhare Koena, Treasurer of the IAWP, we call on governments everywhere: respect our name, respect our struggle.

🌍♻️ Meet the IAWP delegation at #INC52! From every continent, Waste pickers unite to ensure our voices are heard in the fight for a just & binding #PlasticsTreaty. We lead the #JustTransition from linear to circular, defending rights, protecting communities & our planet. ✊

The IAWP delegates have something to say: A Just Transition is Non-Negotiable! ♻️✊🌍 #JustTransition #NoWastePickersNoJustice #IAWP

📸 Maditlhare Koena Treasure, Treasurer of the IAWP, meeting with Minister Dion George of the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) alongside civil society associations. Without Waste Pickers, There is No Just Transition! ✊

Jyoti Mathur-Filipp, Executive Secretary of the INC on Plastic Pollution 🌎, salutes IAWP waste pickers ♻️ for their unwavering commitment and vital role in the fight against plastic pollution 🛡️. Without Waste Pickers, there is No Just Transition! ✊

📢🌍 On day 5 of #INC52 in Geneva, civil society staged a silent protest over the lack of progress in the #PlasticsTreaty. 💰 interests still outweigh human rights ✊ and 🌱 protection. ⏳ Time is running out. #ClimateJustice #EndPlasticPollution

Beyond negotiations, building alliances. ♻️🌍 IAWP delegation met with Brazil’s Ambassador in Geneva, Tovar da Silva Nunes, and UNEP’s Inger Andersen to discuss the #PlasticsTreaty, the role of waste pickers, and financing a just, inclusive transition. #WastePickers #JustTransition #CircularEconomy

Change is built from the ground up. The International Alliance of Waste Pickers gathers during INC-5.2 — strategizing, organizing, and making sure frontline voices are heard in the fight for a just ⚖️ and binding plastics treaty. 📸: Kiara Worth, IISD.

From Colombia to Geneva, Silvio Ruiz Grisales — waste pickers leader and part of the IAWP delegation — calls for action. Let’s send strength and solidarity to the International Alliance of Waste Pickers as they fight for a just and ambitious plastics treaty! 💪🌍♻️ #WastePickers #PlasticsTreaty

✊🏾 The voices of those most affected by the plastics crisis must lead the way. 📍 INC 5.2 Press Conference 🗓 Friday, Aug 8 | 11:30–12:15 CEST 📌 Building E, Room XXVII (Media Event Space) ONU - Geneva.

“No inclusion without power.” 🌍✊ Indigenous Peoples, ♻️ waste pickers & 👷‍♀️ unionized workers demand a binding #PlasticsTreaty rooted in justice, rights & real solutions. We face the crisis daily — we must lead the response. #INC52 #JustTransition #IAWP #EnvironmentalJustice 👉 Read our press release:

♻️✊ The International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP) delegation met with Inger Andersen, Under-Secretary-General of the UN and Executive Director of UNEP 🌍 A key moment during the #INC5 negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty. 📸: © Florian Fussstetter / UNEP

Emphasizing the gendered aspects of waste picking, Indumathi of @globalrec.bsky.social underscores how the #PlasticsTreaty should clearly recognize their labor, including through adequate compensation, capacity building and just transition.

"It's an alliance of waste pickers for waste pickers." Presenting how the movement made up of both in Global North and South, Severino Lima, Jr., President of @globalrec.bsky.social, underscores the importance of making themselves visible in global processes.

Sharing perspectives from world of work, informal sectors & Indigenous Peoples in efforts to tackle #plasticpollution, the 2nd panel features H.E. Amb. da Silva Nunes of #Brazil & representatives from @globalrec.bsky.social, Indigenous Peoples’ Caucus, @psiglobalunion.bsky.social, IOE & ILO.

Waste pickers are here, watching, speaking, demanding. This treaty must work for the people who make recycling happen. #NoJustTransitionWithoutUs #INC5 #WastePickers

🚨 60% of workers & 80% of businesses operate informally. At #ILC2025, the IAWP calls for urgent action to transition to formality & ensure #DecentWork for all. 📌 Key: ✅ Digital inclusion ✅ Social protection ✅ Gender equity ✅ Worker voice 🔗 Read more: www.bit.ly/ILOConclusions1

All our support to the IAWP delegation as they bring the voices of waste pickers to the global stage at INC 5.2. Your presence and advocacy are shaping a more just and inclusive plastics treaty for all. #NothingAboutUsWithoutUs

🚨 1st edition of Circular Dialogues ♻✨ Theme: Just Transition for Waste Pickers: Towards COP30 Join us for a key discussion with Taylor Cass Talbott from IAWP on the role of waste pickers in the circular economy. 📅 15/07/2025 👉 Join the webinar: us02web.zoom.us/j/88231929909 #WastePickers

🚀 The ILC is paving the way for a new convention on decent work in the platform economy! Co-ops play a key role in formalizing work and ensuring fair conditions for platform workers. #DecentWork #ILO #PlatformEconomy #Cooperatives

🌍 Over 90 Member States just set red lines for the Global Plastics Treaty. Civil society groups urge it to be a “floor, not a ceiling” for progress at INC-5.2. 💪 Waste pickers, Indigenous communities, and activists call for real action. 🌱🌊 👉 Read the full article: www.bit.ly/3ZqBQ6m

🌍 Mapping of Waste Pickers in Vietnam 🌱 Informal waste pickers in Vietnam play a key role in recycling, but face health risks, low income, & social exclusion. Let's raise awareness for these environmental heroes! 💚♻️ The full mapping here: www.bit.ly/IAWPVietnam #WastePickers #Sustainability

🌍 The future of waste picker inclusion in Kenya’s EPR system is at a crossroads. While the 2022 Waste Management Act promises shared responsibility, informal waste pickers risk being sidelined. A just transition means integrating them for a cleaner, fairer economy! 🌱💪 #WastePickers #EPR

The IAWP delegation had the honor of meeting Moustapha Kamal Gueye, Director of the Just Transition Program at @ILO. A productive discussion on advancing Just Transitions for waste pickers and the environment. 🌍🌱 #IAWP #JustTransition #Sustainability #ILO #WastePickers

🇳🇬 Theresa Torkwase Bul, waste picker & IAWP member, spoke at #ILC2025 on #Formalization. She stressed that 2B+ work informally—not by choice—and called for policies that protect their rights to #DecentWork. 💬 “We need recognition, not blame.” ✊🏿 #WastePickers #InformalWorkers

2B+ people work informally worldwide—not by choice, but necessity. Governments must support them with rights-based formalization: decent work, social protection & collective bargaining. 👉 Read the full Global Position Paper on Formalization text here: www.bit.ly/IAWP-ILC2025 #ILC2025

The IAWP delegation is at the 113th International Labour Conference, participating in key discussions: ✅ Decent Work in the Platform Economy ✅ Transitions Towards Rights-based Formality ✅ Protection Against Biological Hazards in the Working Environment 📸 Eduardo Derrico #ILC2025 #DecentWork

We extend our best wishes to the IAWP delegation for success at the 113th International Labour Conference, and for the continued advancement of this vital work. #ILC2025

♻️ From waste picker to ‘wastepreneur’, Krishna is revolutionizing Bengaluru’s garbage management! He faced stigma and hardship, but his grit led to co-founding Hasiru Dala—a collective supporting thousands of informal workers 👥. His journey is one of resilience, dignity, and change ✊✨.

♻️ Severino Lima Jr., President of the International Alliance of Waste Pickers (IAWP), will speak at the F20 Climate Solutions Forum panel on philanthropy’s role in driving a just transition with justice, resilience & inclusion. Details 👉 f20climatesolutionsforum.org

🌍♻️ IAWP’s Madditlhare Koena & Kabir Arora visited Colombia’s ANR & ARB to strengthen communication 🤝, tour a plastic wood plant 🌿, and learn about political & production processes ⚙️ Bogotá handles 12,000 tons recyclables/month & recycles 1,000+ tons through worker-owned facilities 👷‍♀️ #WastePickers

♻️Webinar: Financing a Just Transition in the Plastic Value Chain🌐 👉 Join us for an important discussion on financial strategies that support a fair, inclusive, and sustainable shift to a circular plastics economy. 🔗 Registration link: www.bit.ly/4msf5Je

🌐 At the ILO Geneva meeting, we made sure waste pickers’ voices were included in new guidelines for decent work in recycling. Representing millions globally, we push for recognition and policies that protect our vital role in environmental sustainability ♻️ Credits: © Alioune Ndiaye / ILO.

♻️ The World Circular Economy Forum 2025 joint statement, signed by Ellen MacArthur Foundation, Circular Economy Foundation, WIEGO and the IAWP, highlights informal workers' key role in circularity and calls for an economy centered on Global South perspectives 🌍 Read it here: www.bit.ly/3YNxFBn