Waste pickers trained in health safety measures

PESHAWAR: Water and Sanitation Services Peshawar (WSSP) has started training of ragpickers to sensitise them against health and environmental hazards of waste-picking.

Field staff of the Information and Communication Department of WSSP are organising training sessions and have already concluded first phase in localities under its sub-office Zone D. The staff has launched sessions at other zones.

There are around 5000 people working in this informal sector in Peshawar and collect 20 percent solid waste to support their families.

The waste-pickers collect almost everything from leftover food, discarded plastic bottles polythene bags and other re-usable items without taking health safety steps.

Unaware of its hazards, these waste pickers work in hazardous environment and are exposed to injuries, infections, respiratory and other diseases.

To protect them against such diseases, these waste pickers are being trained to adopt precautionary measures before picking waste from streets, roads and dumping grounds.

These ragpickers would also be sensitised on roads safety measures and hazards of littering.

During the training sessions, they are being sensitised on importance of health safety measures, use of machinery, hazards of waste, importance of using masks and gloves.

The training will help them organize their role in waste collection to keep the city clean and protect them against diseases. The staff also distributed soaps and masks among the participants of the sessions.