𝐖𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞 𝐩𝐢𝐜𝐤𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐤 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐢𝐫 𝐥𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐬 𝐭𝐨 𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐩 𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧—𝐧𝐨𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐜𝐨𝐮𝐥𝐝 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐠𝐥𝐨𝐛𝐚𝐥 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐲𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐞𝐬 Globally, waste pickers are responsible for collecting and recovering—from homes, businesses and landfills—up to 60% of all plastics which are then recycled. These workers do more than any other people to prevent plastic contaminating the environment, yet their work is rarely valued and they struggle to earn a decent living. Despite recycling the waste of others, waste pickers often lack waste collection services themselves. They suffer the consequences of pollution more than most by inhaling fumes from burning plastic and breathing air and drinking water that is heavily contaminated with microplastics. Waste pickers are also vulnerable to abuse and exploitation as a result of being women, immigrants, indigenous or belonging to ethnic minorities and oppressed castes. Read more; https://phys.org/news/2022-11-pickers-plastic-pollutionnow-global-recycling.html