Once invisible, 42,000 waste pickers now recognised as climate champions under UN project

Once invisible, 42,000 waste pickers now recognised as climate champions under UN project

New Delhi, Long before the national capital wakes up, a large force of informal workers begins its day by collecting waste door-to-door, sorting every kilogram of it by hand on street corners, and silently powering the nation's circular economy, with little to no recognition, though a gap that has begun to close.

Once invisible, 42,000 waste pickers now recognised as climate champions under UN project

For thousands of these workers, that recognition has been taking shape slowly since 2020, through a first bank account, a growing saving habit, and an insurance policy, marking a change that is as much about dignity as it is about economic security.

"Earlier, I spent every penny I earned on our immediate needs. But now, I can save and manage household expenses, including food and my children's education," said 48-year-old Joginder Kewat, a waste worker in Delhi.

Thousands like Kewat are part of project Utthaan, an initiative supported by the United Nations Development Programme and a group of partner foundations that helps India recognise 'Safai Mitras' or waste workers as environmental stewards, partners in the circular economy, and allies in climate action.

The campaign 'Planet Starts With People' launched on World Environment Day in 2026 gives visibility to these workers, placing them at the centre of the climate story alongside others already driving sustainability and resilience but often unseen.

"Before joining the project, I did not have much stability and used to earn around ₹100 to 150 per day. But I have a secure source of livelihood now, and I earn more. This has made things easier for my family and me. I have also learned about some of the government schemes and support available to us," Kewat told PTI.

Nearly four years into his association with the project, he said that his life is noticeably better than before, a change that began when the project team visited his household directly, conducting surveys and explaining government schemes and support available to workers like him.

Rashida, a 40-year-old waste-picker who also works at one of the partner foundations of UNDP in Delhi, concurred.

Reflecting on how her life changed over the years, she described her family's journey from being unaware of government benefits to receiving an e-Shram card, a free LPG cylinder, and other support.

Rashida still sorts the waste her husband collects, which involves separating cloth, bottles, and mattress material from the rest. However, she said that her work under the UNDP project made things somewhat easier for her family a change she's glad to be part of.

"Through Project Utthaan, I learnt about some of the government support available to us. I got an e-Shram card, got access to a free LPG cylinder, and received other benefits. I still sort waste, but the work at Shakti Foundation has made things easier, and I am happy to be working there," she told PTI.

Across India, more than 42,000 waste workers are now associated with the project, and for each of them, that same recognition has arrived in its own way, with a shared belief in the renewed dignity of the work they do.

Shabana, a 32-year-old waste worker and artist who once relied solely on her husband's income, described her situation as a strain that grew harder to manage as the cost of living rose. These circumstances led her to join a partner foundation of UNDP, where she first learnt about Project Utthaan and gradually began receiving the support available through it.

"With support through the project, I was able to get some of my important documents, including my Ayushman card and e-Shram card. Having these documents has made it easier for us to access healthcare. Earlier, we had to pay for hospital treatment, while now we are able to use the benefits available through the scheme," Shabana told PTI.

"Things are a little more stable for us now, and we have also started building a house in our village and are able to save a little. I feel proud of the work I do and of being able to contribute to my family," she added.

At one of the project's upcycling centres here, discarded milk pouches are given a second life. Each pouch is washed thoroughly until every trace of residue is gone, then left to dry before being cut into a single unbroken strip, corner to corner, to form a ribbon of plastic.

Thereafter, the plastic ribbon is woven with cotton thread on a wooden frame until the plastic and cotton become indistinguishable, and what emerges is not waste but commercial goods like handbags, wallets, plant holders, and more.

Speaking about the initiative, Angela Lusigi, UNDP Resident Representative in India, told PTI that their campaign highlights how climate action begins locally with people, and that waste workers exemplify this best, sorting and recycling waste every day yet rarely being seen as climate leaders a gap the campaign aims to close by finally recognising them as such.

According to Ashish Chaturvedi, head of Action for Climate and Environment at UNDP India, awareness and confidence were the real barriers for waste workers to accessing welfare schemes, and not eligibility.

"We also saw a multiplier effect. When one person successfully accesses a scheme, neighbours follow, trust widens, and social protection carries forward on its own. Communities have become their own ambassadors for inclusion," he told PTI.

For Chaturvedi, the biggest change wasn't in the schemes accessed, but in how people began to see themselves: No longer only as workers who keep cities clean, but as citizens holding rights, entitlements, and aspirations.

This article was generated from an automated news agency feed without modifications to text.