Waste pickers are people who earn their living by collecting, sorting and selling recyclable materials such as plastic, paper, metal and glass from streets, bins, households and dumpsites. In India they are also called ragpickers or, more respectfully, Safai Saathis.
India has well over a million waste pickers, and they recover a large share of the plastic that reaches recyclers, at no cost to the public. Most work informally, selling to aggregators at prices they cannot control, with little protection against health hazards. India’s waste rules recognise waste pickers and call for their integration into formal systems. Responsible recyclers support this through direct purchasing, fair and transparent prices, training and safer workplaces. Lucro buys from waste pickers at its collection centres and works with them as sorters at its Avkaar Kendras.
