Pride of Rag Picker

The world generates 2.01 billion tonnes of solid waste annually. India is the 2nd largest populated 
country and 3rd largest economy in terms of purchasing power. Urban India generates 62 million tons 
of waste annually. Only 43 million tonnes are collected out of which 31 million are dumped in landfill 
and just 11.9 million tons are treated. Dumping yards are mostly open places that hold a mix of 
different materials are dumped without precautions. It results in a degraded toxic environment. 
One group of people is not only working there but also live directly on the dumping sites, and are not 
aware of the health risks. The rag-pickers, and their social, economic, and living standard are stigmatized and remain on the sidelines of society. The dumping sites are toxic which leads to facing different health risks, diseases, and malnutrition among rag-pickers. A study, reveals that 38% of women workers had lost one child, 10% had lost 3 or more, 80% had eye problems and 73% had respiratory ailments, etc... 
The government and NGOs involved in waste management activities have been focusing on the collection of household waste to either be treated or brought to the dumping site. These efforts only 
focus on reducing pollution, mechanism development, and expanding regions. However, the welfare of rag-pickers is excluded from being addressed. They continue to work in unsafe conditions without having basic protective gear.
Waste as such does not exist, it is a resource that is in the wrong place. Therefore, I wish to create a 
standardized waste management system that prevents waste to end up in dumping sites. What is needed is a circular system where rag-pickers become resource managers, so rag-pickers will be a ‘profession’ from the past and no one will be exposed to such dangerous environments anymore. They then lead a more secure and dignified life and the environment wins too.

AIMABIG starts a model project at Vellore in Tamil Nadu, which opens the formal sector employment to the rag-picker. They may register as a member of the organization. They will receive basic training to handle different kinds of waste and they will use safety gear to protect them 
from being vulnerable through their occupation. In addition, they would go on to continue their work with the identity of AIMABIG. Not just as a rag-picker, but instead as a waste collection expert. We make collect the waste from piles of trash or directly from households, which would be much safer. 
This employment is not like usual working hours fixed time or tenure. It is fully optional and volunteer 
participation of the rag-picker. We used a template to measure the individual performance by the 
amount of waste received from them. Based on that they get paid to ensure their income.
AIMABIG would create a mechanism to collect and segregate the waste and send back this waste to become resources to the recycling industries as part of a circular economy. The waste will be collected daily from the rag-picker. They do not need to hold it in their place anymore. This arrangement will help them in their personal as well as professional life to detach themselves from the social stigma of rag-pickers being dirty and worthless.
To ensure their employment and earnings, they do not need to depend on the scrap shop owners or local bigshots in their community anymore. The segregated waste has been directly sent to the recycling industries at getting a high price. There is no middleman or market in between them. They would earn more than earlier. As a result of dignified employment and consistent income, they are 
individually able to find their house to lead a standard of life. It starts to reduce their migration and supports their resettlement. They overcome and reduce the chances to get abused by the local people. 
In the long run, the rag-picker could come forward to take part in their community activities, such as Panchayat meetings as well as organizing local festivals.
In the point of waste collection, apart from the waste collected at the dumping site, AIMABIG creates 
a community network to connect the rag-pickers with local inhabitants, and our waste collectors will be able to safely pick up the trash right at the households. This results in a reduction of the amount of waste that has been dumped at the dumping site, which causes environmental pollution and health risk to the rag-picker.
To ensure that rag-pickers receive already separated and safe waste materials, AIMABIG regularly 
organizes workshops on the reduction of waste generation and optimizing consumption. The workshops focus on community members and youngsters, particularly college students and volunteers. . At the end of these workshops, the participants are ready to work on reducing their waste generation and practice segregation of waste in their house, take lead in the college and community

we will use Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag system to monitor and identify the rag picker location to went there collect their waste collection filled bags. On the other hand we use mobile application which connects the community member with the rag picker to share their household waste information. So the ragpicker went on time to collect it from the houses. 

We will restrict the monitoring to collect bags with time limitation on tracking the Radio-frequency identification (RFID) ensure that monitoring would not affect the movements of privacy of rag picker.

On the other hand sharing community member privacy of information and its protection taken in to consideration. It would safeguarding under organisation and national law of the information protections.

our target beneficiaries are rag picker. Most of them were migrated and socially depressed section of people. They continue to collect the recyclable waste form the dumping yards and waste piles for sell it to feed their family and lead their daily life. Most of them not finished their school studies and started to work as a child labour to went collect waste for support their family financial needs. They does not have any job security and employee welfare even continously working in dangerous working conditions. And they were dominated and worked as a bounded labour under small Scrap shops owner. These man were continoue to exploit the rag picker's work, and forced for physical, sexual harassment too.

We will create a dignified employment with social and employee welfare for the rag picker through connect with the community. So they does not need to continue their work in inhuman condition. Along with that  we ensure for their fair and stable income through material recovery facility center. Through decent working condition they will protect themselves from  health risk and continue better quality of life.

Valuing waste as a resource to get dignity…

What comes to mind if you think of a rag-picker? A man, dirty, poorly clothed, roaming around to 
search for waste material in a pile of trash? However, most rag-pickers are women or young children who are hard-working to feed their families.

My name is Anbalagan. I  founded an organization named AIMABIG in the Vellore district in Tamil 
Nadu, India. I grew up in a middle-class family. While finishing school, I was forced to work in a leather factory. There, I found an extension of leather damaging, waste generating, and valuing waste executed in the process of production and consumption involved by and for the people's needs. 

It created my passion for waste management, and later, I finished my master’s in behavior study on the occurrence of waste generation. In 2018, I met a student whose mother did rag-picking. Their challenges in life replicate what I had experienced. 

From all the stages in my life, I have closely connected with the lives of rag-pickers. Yes, I am not one 
of them. But I had experienced all the circumstances of disadvantage and pain that they are facing in 
their life because I came from the same communal background. Even today, this particular community 
contributes to 99 percent of the workforce in cleaning the environment in both formal and informal sectors. I want to create dignified employment and a more sustainable society for their well-being.

We are starts working try to  mobilize our target beneficiaries. It would not not easy to approach and communicate with them in the presence of scrap shops business people. As of now we completed  pilot survey study on living status of the ragpicker and their daily earnings. On the other hand we finished envorinmental and waste management awareness program in two school and three colleges in tenkasi and ine college in thirunelveli district.

We are apply to look support  
 1. capital investment to setup our material recovery facility center. 

2. Expand our network with linkminded people to learn and  contribute in education and research on waste management and environmental protection. 

3. Accessing tools, technology, marketing and policy strategy development supports.

we want to create the waste management would be more formal sector which ensure the welfare the people involved. Our approach would focused not much about waste instead of that we consider the people particularly those contribution were not taken in to account and neglect them from main stream of the society.

As a result of our project the middle man and small scarp shop dealer were removed for hold their hand to dominate the rag picker. Further, the rag picker will get safe and decent work with sustainable earning for better quality life. 

we could work with both hands to create the impact. On the one hand we try to improve the working condition of the rag picker, on the other hand we focusing on the mind shift of the community through network and training on approach and handle the waste, which generated by them.

our goal is reduce the amount of waste reached in the dumping site where the ragpickers face dangerous work nature. Instead of that the rag picker directly collect the segregated waste from the houses more safely. 

It impacts will be measured with the following indicators such as, Health condition, improvement of their earning, their living standards, participation of rag picker in community activities

The Radio-frequency identification (RFID) tag will used for monitor and identify the location to collect the bag of the rag picker daily collection.  On the other hand a mobile application will help the community members to connect with the rag picker to update their household waste details. Once they shared  information with rag picker, then the rag picker would went there and collect waste from their house safely.

At present Five in our team it includes three male and two female members.

Two male members are working on full time unpaid staff. And other one male and tow female are continue as part time volunteers.

we starts our filed work in the past six months. 

We have gender and social equality in our team. Discrimination on person in any form of sign will not entertained. We ensure the feasible confition of work and welfare of our team members. Participatory actions and transparent communication will entertained for free and fair discussion on making plan and decisions. We have always open hearted to welcoming anyone form any where. But who have not any social, religious and political dominance of ideology and its preachings.

we create a formal work opportunity for rag picker through connect with household members in the community network. We educate the community members through workshop the valuing waste and respect the dignity of others working for them. Entertain the community network members to install our mobile application to update the quantity and types of material's details of their household waste. It would be collected by the rag picker and in the end of the day rag pickers waste collection bag will be collected from the located tracked by radio identification frequency device. Then the amount of waste will measures to pay salary to the ragpicker. 

In helps remove throwing and dumping waste in our environment and waste improve the quality of working condition of rag picker. In the end the the rag picker, household in the community and environment get benefits.

We are looking for grants and sponsor funding for our capital investment. For its sustainability of future financial needs, we try to collaborate with industries and companies under their extended producers responsibility and social corporate responsibility schemes funding. And more, we may apply a nominal charge (fee) to collect from the community network for offering servies to safely collect their household waste which generated by them.