Pacific Recycling Foundation and Waste Recyclers Fiji will be rebranding today. The company had identified contributing factors to the stigma attached to the waste picking trade name “informal waste pickers”, during the gender and human rights workshop, initiated in partnership with Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre and International Union of the Conservation of Nature.

PRF Founder and WRFL Director Amitesh Deo said the event would mark a significant first step towards empowering people, mostly women, engaged as ‘informal waste pickers’.

“The name ‘informal waste pickers’ – a derogatory term used to describe people who play a crucial role in removing recyclables from dumpsites and our surroundings – will be replaced with a new name.,”Mr Deo said.

“One of the core functions of PRF is to provide support structure to the marginalised groups engaged in informal waste picking.”

Mr Deo said as invaluable contributors to the waste management and recycling sector in Fiji and across the Pacific, the 14 women engaged in waste picking shared about the stigma attached to the work that they do and the names they are often called.

“On this day, through a partnership with IUCN, we will be handing over some important PPE’s (Personal Protective Equipment) such as safety gum-boots, hand gloves, safety glasses and other key equipment to assist these women engaged in waste picking to conduct their work in a safer manner,” he said.

Fiji will become the first country in the world to formally recognise “informal waste pickers” when 14 women currently involved in waste picking will select a new name for themselves and those engaged in the trade.

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