How waste pickers are helping tackle plastic pollution around the world

Aug 7, 2023

Waste pickers play an important role in tackling plastic pollution by collecting and recycling plastic waste. Image: Dean Saffron for WIEGO

Mark Hillsdon

Freelance Writer, Reuters

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Children cross the polluted waters of the Las Vacas in Guatemala amid piles of plastic heaped on the banks. Image: REUTERS/Josue Decavele

The Body Shop bought 617 tons of plastic waste in 2022 through Plastics for Change in India to incorporate into its recycled packaging. Image: Body Shop/Handout via REUTERS

BVRio has used plastic credits to pay fishermen in Rio’s Guanabara Bay to collect waste. Image: BVRio/Handout via REUTERS

The mangrove ecosystem in Guanabara Bay is improving as a result of efforts to clear plastic waste. Image: REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes

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