Waste workers in Ghana are calling for recognition, integration, and inclusion in waste management policies, citing stigma, health risks, and lack of support.

Johnson Doe, co-founder of Green Waste Pickers Cooperative Society Limited and Africa Regional Executive of the International Alliance of Waste Pickers, shared the struggles faced by waste workers.

"Waste pickers or waste workers in Ghana face a challenge, and the most important one is the stigma on waste workers," Doe said.

"There is no respect for them. They always think we are criminals."

Doe highlighted the health risks faced by waste workers, who are exposed to hazardous liquids daily, and appealed for occupational health and safety training, capacity building, and mobile clinics.

"We believe the authorities would have come to our aid to at least support us," he said.

Doe emphasised the need for waste workers to be included in policy discussions, citing the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) policies and laws.

"Integration, recognition, and inclusion are key," Doe said.

"We want to speak for ourselves, not always people speaking for us."

The waste workers' plea comes amid efforts to establish a National Waste Workers Alliance, aiming to amplify their voices and address challenges.

Mabel Naa Amorkor Laryea, Project Coordinator at Green Africa Youth Organisation(GAYO), highlighted the need for the alliance, citing financial difficulties and exploitation by middlemen aggregators.

"Most of the time, waste workers are cheated because they do not have people to talk for them," she said.

The alliance will prioritise issues such as fair payment, safe working conditions, and social protection.

A drafted framework is being refined based on input from waste workers, including those from landfills and corporate offices.

The alliance aims to present policy suggestions to the government, focusing on practical solutions to address waste workers' challenges.

"We want to hear about the difficult problems they are facing that we do not see," Laryea said.

With thousands of waste workers across the country, the alliance seeks to formalise their status and provide a united voice. "We are not making them a formal entity, we're just putting them into a cooperative," Laryea explained