A study of occupational health and environmental hazards of waste pickers in Delhi
Student name: Ms Pooja Sharma
Guide: Dr Suresh Jain
Year of completion: 2014
Host Organisation: Chintan Environmental Research and Action Group
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Mr Noble Varghese
Abstract: Waste generation is an inevitable part of all human activities. There has been a rise in the production
of waste in our country owing to rapid urbanization and industrialization. In the face of
mismanagement in the waste sector, rag pickers carry out recycling and help municipalities tackle
the huge amounts of waste generated. Yet they live in a state of neglect and their contribution is
largely unacknowledged. This questionnaire based study administered to 163 waste pickers working
at landfills and door to door waste collection assess the occupational health and environmental
hazards faced by the respondents. The questionnaire probed into the handling practices of potentially
hazardous waste mixed with Municipal Solid Waste (MSW), the working conditions, common health
ailments and safety measures along with food, water and sanitation facilities available to this
workforce. The results revealed that waste pickers live in poor conditions and lack basic
infrastructural facilities. They worked for long hours in unsanitary conditions with minimal use of
protective equipment. Musculoskeletal, respiratory, gastrointestinal and skin related ailments were
common among them. Level of knowledge and awareness relating to practices that posed a health
risk to these waste pickers was also found to be low. Many waste pickers were deprived of clean
drinking water and lack of proper sanitation facilities forced many to defecate in the open. On the
basis of the data collected certain recommendations have been made which will help bring about a
positive change in the present conditions of the waste pickers.
Key words: Waste pickers, occupational health hazards, landfill waste workers, door to door waste
collectors and informal recycling sector
