What Life Is Like For 20 Million Waste Pickers | World Wide Waste Marathon | Insider Business

Globally, an estimated 20 million informal waste pickers are responsible for more than half of all plastic waste collected. Now, a 30-year fight for fair wages and legal protection has culminated in these workers' first international union. This video explores their essential role in how the world handles trash.
00:00 Intro
01:10 Landfill Pickers In Indonesia
10:37 Collecting Metal From Old Ships
22:18 The Children Working In Delhi's E-Waste Market
27:50 Earning A Living Off A Flaming Landfill
38:28 Hunting For Deadly Explosives In Afghanistan
47:56 The World's First International Waste Pickers Union
51:41 Credits
Editor’s note: An earlier version of this video misidentified Lucia Fernandez’s title. She is the General Secretary of the International Alliance of Waste Pickers, not the Secretary General. Also, we misidentified a videographer as “Mateo Fernandez.” His actual name is Mateo Vazquez.
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How The World's Largest Paper Company Makes 1/3 of Cardboard Boxes In America
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#insiderbusiness #worldwidewaste #trash
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20 Million Workers Sort Our Trash. Now They're Unionizing World Wide Waste | Insider Business

[@fugoventro9403]

A harsh job that helps the environment deserves both respect and higher wages. 💪🔥

[@Ahmed-ow3rc]

​@@Joe-sg9llWhoa there, Joe Doe here might cut himself on the edge, please be careful or you'll get hurt like the actual hard-working people in the video. PS, 😂😂😂🤣🤣

[@Ahmed-ow3rc]

​@@Joe-sg9llWhat's that supposed to mean? Also stop liking your own comments, it's pathetic 😁

[@dianeruiz0721]

These poor forgotten souls are truly living hell on earth! 😭 It breaks my heart and it helps me to put everything into perspective. It does make you appreciate what you have! I pray for God to help them and protect them all! God bless you amazing courageous people! ❤

[@Cwgrlup]

They live in these conditions as a result of their own karmic actions.

[@dominusetdeus2247]

​@@Cwgrlup🤣🤣🤣

[@roxyroxy6824]

When it comes to the "so called green deal" let them look at these people! They deserve all the applause!! Much respect!!!

[@kt88sl45]

The best environmentalists are the poorest people. They don't waste because they have nothing to waste and a lot of them like these guys live out of the waste so call environmentalists thrown away.

[@manjiriinamdar6761]

This is an eye opener for the urban people to know the consequences of their high class lifestyle

[@DisturbedDrake]

you mean city folk

[@apinokoibodje1876]

i doubt it

[@darkslayer4552]

​@@Flynn1982xno heart and sick in your mind, be proud of yourself, youll never know how it is to feel and have a soul 🤝👏

[@darkslayer4552]

@@Flynn1982x just being honest, you get what you seed, so enjoy 🥳

[@vincentfiestada]

cause people in small towns don't make trash right?

[@josefinematildehansenvonki2384]

10:20 love that message❤❤ only buy what you need, NOT what you want!

[@temptemp4174]

This man is so humble, the way he kept saying "alhamdulilah", praise be to God, even though he lives in a hut and eats trash. Shame on all of us.

[@FunSkipping]

It makes me so mad when I see some kids that clearly haven't eaten next to fat kids. The injustice of it all saddens me.

[@DBT1007]

capitalism is to be blame for that. it;s not just about people's consumption. but also business. nowadays, companis only be like.. spam produce their products. hoping it all gonna sell. but obviously some going to be waste. capitalsim mentality need to be gone. you only produce when there is a demand !

[@fishing8503]

How bout don't have 5 kids if you're poor living in a landfill..

[@chat-arina]

They deserve good pay, health protection, reasonable work hours and that’s just the minimum!!

[@prodigysonhiddenforareason1239]

😂😂😂

[@Pagan_0210]

​@@prodigysonhiddenforareason1239???

[@SubjectiveFunny]

Maybe if they trusted in science instead of god, they would not still be scratching around in the dirt? Just a thought...

[@ned431]

and also not having that many kids..@@SubjectiveFunny

[@karenannskreation2022]

I totally agree and people who negative comments reflects them

[@Taegreth]

This is noble work, even though it's hazardous to the worker's health. Sorting through trash to help minimize the landfill pile-up is immensely important, hopefully in the future they can have it more stream-lined in a way that makes that work less dangerous and more efficient. Very sad to see what some people have to go through to survive, though these situations put things into perspective and help people think twice about being so wasteful, for those who see it anyway.

[@voidhunter2800]

Datri is one strong woman having the will to endure all of that, and the strength to keep going is incredible.

[@jumbo9380]

10:20 what he is saying isn't wrong but, from what i know that stores will dump foods anyway when it's not bought so it doesn't matter either way, but he is still right about giving it away instead of dumping them.

[@brucelintz7946]

UDF or United Dairy Farmer in Ohio state. Throw away all of the items that are put on the shelves to be sold. If they aren't sold in three days. This is breakfast sandwiches, all lunch sandwiches, pizza, donuts that are brought in from crispy creme are thrown away daily if not sold. All items that are made fresh are thrown into the trash. I asked store people why these items aren't donated to shelters, what I was told is the company doesn't want lawsuits. Its really sad.

[@patricialong5767]

They are happy and very adaptable to live there near the mountain of trash. They are the living embodiment of be happy where you are! Good for them! :))

[@livdirrengesuasmatsuoka9843]

Such a hard working people..their perseverance is amazing.

[@davida7559]

This is made me thank god for everything that I have and it’s not much. I’m humbled

[@janeenharrison1953]

We all need to be doing this to support and help, it's our doing!

[@harrygibbs9436]

People that cant/wont do the most basic of work in developed countries need to watch this.

[@NameIsJoco]

You know I hope these people at least got paid for being filmed

[@nathanbabiuk6286]

They didn't

[@chopro291]

Surely. Otherwise they wouldn't even bother doing the interview as the time could be used for more scavenging.

[@JorgenBlomqvist-po7zk]

I'm curious on how much the producers compensated this old woman ? For her participation in this documentary.

[@FunSkipping]

3:00 bless these people. I wanna cry seeing him reduced to this. He looks like he'd be happy as hell if he got to experience America for just one day... I hope the best for Gulzar, I hope he gets much farther than a police officer.

[@rminitials]

Crazy how privileged I am. I knew these things but never really saw it like this

[@wanderingokapi1]

My god this is inhumane, never waste and reduce plastic Usage and adopt low consumption lifestyle, I hope the government recognizes such workers and pay them well and also provide the necessary protective gear and provide free Healthcare and free education to their children

[@motherhoodsbeauty9279]

They didn't hired widow women because they think these women will bring back luck to them? This is so messed up. It's 2023 and people still act like this, it just sad.

[@PressedSteel1919]

I hope the lady at 17:50 hits the Lottery & never has to work in the oily mud again.

[@anoopkfrancis3977]

Huge respect for these people ❤

[@johnking975]

I wish these people had a cash app so we can just send him a few dollars directly to help them out

[@nictibbetts]

If you cared you take your ass to this hell hole and give them money directly

[@SaltedBadly]

Govt should fund them rather than funding wars to make themselves richer.

[@orishaeshu1084]

Govt should build them subsidized houses. They don’t deserve slums

[@petebutler5139]

32:31 what these people have to go through is beyond imaginable. I cannot believe the amount of garbage and how survival is so dependent on living next to it. The trash looked so pungent, I swear I could smell it. Watching this video makes me very aware of just how fortunate I am. It’s unbelievable, the amount of disparity that exists among human beings, all trying to accomplish the same end game… survival.

[@sasha_yudin504]

Ya Allah, may we learn from these humble human beings like Rasidin to not take privileges for granted. Ameen.

[@vannieroxas3317]

This is why I always feel bad throwing out big amounts of food

[@RS-yq1ty]

This is heartbreaking. No human should hv to work like this. Enough technology has been invented but we r using human labour as its cheap

[@zayonkiber2510]

God watch over these people 😢

[@richieeemosley1178]

Why would he allow it in the first place us a better question

[@bunz637]

Why doesn’t God just do something, if you see evil and it doesn’t affect you to stop it and you choose to ignore it…then you are the source of evil.

[@FunSkipping]

​@@bunz637 "If God is all powerful, then he cannot be all good. And if he is all good, he cannot be all powerful."

[@orishaeshu1084]

@@FunSkippingunless you asked him and his definition of good will make you so confused and have a glitch. I imagine God is like the Gravemind from Halo.

[@strukitru]

Your god merely exists within your head.

[@SRunni_]

Wow, those are the hardest amazing workers I've seen so far. 👍👍😎👍👍

[@funkystuf23]

Hardest workers? They are not doing anything to help, they are just helping themselves to make a bit of cash, you are blowing this nonsense way out of proportion

[@SRunni_]

@@funkystuf23 They truly are hardest working, they do the job YOU won't do for the rest of your life

[@hueman9]

these people should get paid more than professional athletes

[@BlackWaterMetals]

I mean, you could say that about many jobs, military, fire, police, fish and game, farmers, utilitie workers, water facility workers, teachers, social works the list can go on and on. But that's not how the world works. You do what you have to do to survive, and that's it.

[@fakename7901]

Good, lets unionize even harder

[@orishaeshu1084]

Unions vs corporations

[@longestvideoever]

Unions for the win!

[@GamerbyDesign]

They say deliver us from hell fire but i'm pretty sure that's a lot of people version of hell.

[@orishaeshu1084]

This or begging….

[@cindymichelle2200]

It boggles me why we , as a planet …can’t come together repair (as much as possible) the damage we have caused. I feel grateful for the life I have… I wish humans didn’t have to life these types of life’s in these documentaries…

[@paquitoignacio3449]

I wish there is garment factory that they could earn a good living for their family, hope more foreign investment in Indonesia.

[@Flokiabob311]

Makes me feel really great full for my career here in America

[@dannymclovin1270]

The lady looking for scrap metal should send her son and daughter-in-law to work that’s fucked up she’s the only one working and supporting them she’s even supporting the grandson why have kids and can’t even support them SMH!!!!

[@LS-zo3cr]

Exactly, I am also having the same thought. The daughter in law is still young, I am wondering why she doesn’t try to earn some money…

[@gigithebarberbeauty7146]

Yes! Let her stay home and watch the baby and she and the son go work!

[@idonthaveone50]

This, I thought I was the only one thinking this. Disgusting, the old go work while the young stray home relaxing doing nothing

[@freedoms2010]

There is something beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time to see how simple their life is by default. This woman who polishes this frame ( 21:49 ) containing the four photos of her husband and children is touching. This frame is an important part of her environment and probably one of the few things she has

[@danbanks7930]

I feel a little bit ashamed sitting in my nice comfortable home ... it's definitely humbling

[@richardnixon4345]

If you are consuming and wasting less than you used to, then you are trying to do something about it 👍

[@lillianroself]

We need to sort out trash like Japan does do something like: burnable trash, glass trash for recycling, and plastic trash for re-melting. After all, our biggest upcoming job postings seem to be for sorting, cleaning, and melting decades worth of garbage. 😂🎉 We did this to ourselves. 😢

[@SethMethCS]

Don’t forget RECLAMATION. Lots of stuff in dry areas has survived being compacted, rolled and crushed into a landfill. Especially small things which include all the phones and other small electronics.

[@ArthursHD]

1. More like Glass, wood/plastic pallets, and Plastic, reusable (deposit) 1½. Cardboard (It may be reusable as well), Office paper 2. Green, Brown, and Clear glass that's to broken to be used otherwise. 3. Window glass 4. Automotive Glass 5. Like two hundred types of thermoplastics (Only 2 to 5 most common actually getting recycled) 5½. Metals 6. Otherwise unrecyclable/dirty plastics, wood, composites, thermoset plastics, dry biomass - basically everything with high calorific value. Either to make fuel or heat and electricity. 7. Tyre recycling (negative price in my country :) 8. Construction waste 9. Biowaste - food scraps, etc. 10. 💩waste 11. E-waste Isn't that more complicated than initially realized?

[@vekanup8573]

these guys are the real hero's they should be given at-least shoes to wear...lets pray for these beautiful people.. 🤗

[@harrycee656]

Bezos and others like him could supply food for people like this. They are eating from the dump, it would not take much to give them a dignified life. I am not saying give them a new life. They can continue to do the work they do, but give them a chance.

[@algutime]

thank you

[@hoseamatavao1208]

Good documentary 👍👍👍👍👍

[@sofisuhail007]

He is a man of god He will never be hungry nor his family Also blessed with humble wife ❤

[@amrita3000]

I was blown away. He was thanking God for his meals which are basically trash. Though must say makes me doubt God when I see how poor some people are.

[@sharnie528]

Big up❤

[@nancysmith9487]

That's great, How about trash to treasure. Plastic in gas melts use for fuel. Plastic in acetone for glue, clear coating wood,bricks, metal for weather,nature preserving them

[@nancysmith9487]

Williams ll James r IBEW local 94 international NJ recommend

[@rumikohotohory]

як можна так жити???

[@boltonky]

The problem is most of the areas that are really effected by the need of unions and better laws etc are the ones that haven't been taught how to reduce waste to start with and there is no real punishment for companies and people that hurt others + communities don't work together to stop it or change. Ocean cleanup is a perfect example it wants to put itself out of business by implementing change & teaching communities how to deal with the problem long term.

[@Be_Kind7683]

We as humans need to rethink about how we package things. Manufacturers and retailers play a major part in this. The recycle bags help but its not enough they merely remove the guilt from consumer minds in the USA.

[@thebraziliangardener8481]

46:00 thats so f-ing sad i almost cried

[@GCSTRADE09]

Man. A mothers love

[@krystlea5210]

kudos

[@leathan7]

So nice of the ship yard owner to let them work for free

[@JorgenBlomqvist-po7zk]

The young man whose recyclables got burned in the fire. I don't understand why he would save it for a later day. Turn it into cash and store that for a "rainy day" instead.

[@sharonkaczorowski8690]

The profits made at the top are obscene…that many workers are not even paid is even more obscene. Conspicuous consumption is the root cause and it’s done on the backs of the poor and working class. Consumption has so deeply embedded in so many cultures that rooting it out seems overwhelming. And waiting for enough individuals to become enlightened without an educational system that does that is hopeless.

[@Be_Kind7683]

They deserve prayer and deliverance too.

[@b.gopalakrishna870]

Health issues 100% risky works. World environment issues.

[@mdmarcus7494]

These people have more value compared to lawyers who cant wait to earn money on conflicts and doctors who provides you cure that is extremely expensive and majority of them doing their job because of Oath and laws in country.

[@dedvi]

It’s not up to doctors how much to charge. Insurance companies are the problem. Lawyers also do much more than just make money off of conflicts

[@mdmarcus7494]

@@dedvi Wrong. They give you prescription on medicine that is expensive while in free time they offer their service for money. As for lawyers im talking from experience so your fact pretty much dull. Both act rude and mighty above common folks so stop defending since you dont know anything.

[@dedvi]

@@mdmarcus7494 im going to guess that you are from america based on your comment, but just fyi healthcare is free in other countries and prescription medicine costs basically nothing. If you really think doctors set the prices and have a say in it look into big pharma. Lawyers also don’t just sit there waiting for conflicts. There are immigration lawyers, lawyers focused on the money side of things, lawyers focused on buying and selling property e.t.c. You dont NEED a lawyer but they are there to help you navigate the law and make sure you come out with the best deal/best position possible

[@abhayagarwal5097]

​​@@dedviyou honestly know nothing about how this world works or you lucky to live in a very good country .

[@kds365]

It feels good to help employ all those people.

[@needmoreramsay]

If they are unpaid and living in poverty, maybe spend their energy on more productive activities ??

[@juliajs1752]

Like what? Stealing? Begging? If these people had a chance to do something else, they would. But with the prejudice against poor people in many countries, it's unlikely they'd find a paid job.

[@mlissgay5054]

its very hard to read the translations. please make them larger or interpret them for the listeners ❤thank you from big island 🏝️

[@princesshephzibah5894]

God abeg ooo 😮😢😢

[@needmoreramsay]

"mixed crap" 😂 (mixed Scrap)

[@Py16777216]

Wow. I'm sitting here watching this on a $900 phone. At least it's 6 years old, but it's on its 3rd battery so oof. I barely work, but I earn hundreds of times what these scavengers earn each year. Unfortunately when your work is not subsidized the earnings are only relative to the minuscule commercial value of the wast.

[@jerseys89finest]

And why doesn't a governed jus build them a small town. Itll cost less than the war funding and other stuff we throw money at. They handle trash. They shouldn't be handled like trash.

[@HikikomoriDev]

So beautiful... 1:17...

[@244hayrick]

After all, pagpag isn't unique to the Philippines' poorest. It's a desperate resort done by the poorest in developing countries to survive. Regardless of number, the fact that it's from trash recycled as recooked food makes it all the same. So why do I see a lot of them with condescending remarks towards their neighbour like their country doesn't have its own similar issue? As long as there are cases of it, remotely or not, they're not that at all different.

[@user-su5uf5yv1w]

I could use grass seed & more plant's to plant to trade for what I need.

[@quintinmason3723]

so crazy cuz they should separate the food an compost it an sell it an recycle the plastics , it would def get rid of the methane issue for sure

[@MrJackassz]

I wonder if insider business that made money off their suffering, gave money to help them???

[@abelrivera9619]

The same here in Philippines

[@SepherStar]

This is not a land fill. This is a trash heap. In a landfill, the waste is layered in a lined crater. Waste, liner, dirt, waste, liner dirt. This here is just a mountain of trash that has been terraced so it doesn't collapse

[@timbob1627]

Culturally as with many south Asian countries, in India a waste infrastructure was not really a thing before the explosion in the urban population and huge increase in packaged foods and goods , traditionally waste was always organic or hard recyclables like glass , yet in last decade a horrific cycle has emerged as people try to keep up the the supposed advanced waste culture of the west😢😢😢😢😢

[@projectm8899]

this is hard to watch damn

[@thelegion_within]

so 2023 is in the past now, did the Delhi govt solve their trash mountain issue?

[@skepic1519]

God Bless these segregators of recyclable plastic

[@AsalBoleh_Yt]

indonesia is G-20 and richest countries in South Asia

[@fishing8503]

Banning one time use plastic products globally would make a huge difference in waste volume.

[@magihoney2]

31:19 written in TAMIL southern part of Indian language. not sure they moved to Delhi from Tamil Nadu ,. its a sad part

[@Discombobulations]

no batman

[@Rohirrim009]

The world needs a better cleaner,safer, cheaper way of dealing with the mountains of trash we produce each day.

[@uriulanov8520]

true héros, they deserve a Noble prize.

[@user-qn1kz7dk3t]

Noble prize 😂? For what?

[@nicholaswhorley8343]

How am I supposed to go back to sleep now?

[@yak-machining]

This is just depressing and sad to watch, no wonder why they want to emigrate to europe. The invention of plastic was a mistake

[@GoatBarn]

How we dispose of and not reuse the invention of plastic is the mistake...

[@pamelaippel2039]

WOw thats horrendous. They need hazard pay in order to work in such a contaminated and hazardous environment. Hopefully when they receive higher wages they could buy food and not eat the rotten stuf.

[@SolarizeYourLife]

There's this thing called PYROLYSIS and every city in the world needs a tire/plastic pyrolysis facility...

[@tylerh866]

we all started from an empty universe. 14 billion years of events that had to happen when they happened for us to be here. consciousness is incredibly rare. we're suppose to be in this together. We're nothing compared to where we emerged from. We're all fundamentally related through the universe. This is not okay.

[@venkatnarahari]

If only more businesses invest more in them and pay these workers more! Then more would join the workforce and more the recycling!

[@lexithompson3030]

Imagine what this family would have done with a check from the states during lockdown, let alone two checks..... why cant all money be equal.

[@user-su5uf5yv1w]

God, I'm pissed the Jason threw food in trash rather than composting it in my garden.

[@DeathsGarden-oz9gg]

I mean I'll collect the seeds out of the food and I'll grow the root crops together for freash food to eat. I also would live 1 mile from there if I did this. I would have a underground storage I dug to protect the trash that's money lol never thought I'd say trash is money lol. But there would be a metal door with 5 locks on it so people won't won't to get in there to much work and all.

[@juliajs1752]

Oh yeah, where would you get the soil and clean water to grow your mysterious crops? And how would you pay for housing a mile away? From where you'd get those 5 locks on your doors, I won't even ask, because you surely won't find them in the river.

[@jenijanewilliams6033]

It's 2024 and I doubt very much Delhi has removed the rubbish dump. And it sounds like USA needs to lift its game...not surprised.

[@AaronsSpeedShop]

You are aware that #1. these dumps could literally just put up fences around them and not allow these people in. And #2. These people sell the things they collect, which is equivalent to being a metal scrapper in the US. Choosing to work for yourself VS. Choosing to work in whatever conditions someone else is willing to pay you to work in locally, is your choice. If they unionize, what employer with they negotiate with? They work for themselves. Are they going to try and negotiate with the dumps for better quality trash? Or try to negotiate with the buyers to try and get them to pay more? Or are they trying to force the government to pay them? I’m confused.

[@bearback_]

The unionizing part was for clickbait except for the last one where those people work for a company that sell those plastic and the lady trying to convince the government to give them retirement pensions like normal employees; i think. The main point of this video was to show what's going on around the world and for people like us to see what we could do better like separating our trash and properly recycling to make the people in the video's lives better. Forget the unionizing part, cuz same, that doesn't make sense.

[@thebigdig]

The biggest problem with the western world is that they don’t comprehend that recycling plastic being possible is a lie started by and perpetuated by the plastics manufacturing industry. Seriously. It’s 2023. We need to stop using plastic, which is primarily derived from oil, overall. Glass bottles are actually infinitely recyclable. Recycled glass is 100% as useful as virgin glass. Most metals are at the least 90% recyclable. Plastics are not. If you want to solve problems overseas, educate people domestically about the cause, not the result. Recycling plastic is a complete impossibility.

[@thebigdig]

Early plastics were derived from plant material, mainly cotton, resulting in nitrocellulose, celluloid, and other similar compounds. These were far less toxic to the environment however they came with many shortcomings like being highly flammable and continually off gassing solvents which cause them to corrode all nearby metals and slowly break down completely into tiny flakes. Eventually braking down entirely. People are so sensationalized by what they see on TV and on social media that they are completely brainwashed. The truth is out there and easily accessible. It’s just not forcefed to you by public media conglomerates.

[@bearback_]

@@Joe-sg9ll ..yeah. Your trash...aka recycling.

[@baroonono]

still more than what farmers make.....

[@nictibbetts]

I love the dystopian vibes

[@marie23926]

The most insane part is that all of this could have been avoided. Its really the worlds fault & how we've chosen to live & operate. We always build now and think later, with no thiught if how it will be recycled, or if its safe etc then once done just throw it on the ground 🤦 maddening Also concerning, how are they recycling these used needles??

[@DennisFreitas-bn7nh]

The Elite he send in world 💀

[@prawnstar9213]

Bones used to make glue.. what happened to those days?

[@jsc1227]

excellent video, usa israel other countries have trillions for war but they cant clean up their military waste when they are done so evil.collateral damage says president bush millions of crippled children from their greed and war insanity