Improving Working Conditions for Waste Pickers in Khulna Bangladesh

Khulna is the third-largest city in Bangladesh, and with a rapidly-growing population of more than 1.5 million, the amount of urban waste has become a problem for the city's inefficient waste management system.

To help cut down on the problem, people without other options have elected to work as "waste pickers", sifting through the rubbish heaps and collecting items such as batteries, bottles, cans, paper, and other items which can be recycled for a very small profit (waste pickers typically make about US$ 40 - 60 per month). They often work with just their bare hands and bare feet in these unsanitary conditions, which leads to health problems including infections, cuts, rashes, difficulty breathing, diarrhea, and other chronic health issues.

The low pay from this work keeps the workers from being able to afford treatment, so when they become ill they face the difficult choice of either working through what could be a serious condition and risk making it worse, or abstaining from work and forfeiting much-needed earnings for a family that is already struggling to survive.