INTERNATIONAL ALLIANCE OF WASTE PICKERS

The International Alliance of Waste Pickers is a union of waste picker organizations representing more than 460,000 workers across 34 countries
Supported by Logo WIEGO

by

December 21, 2011


Check translation:

Hello Waste Pickers and Allies,

A significant victory has finally arrived for the waste pickers of Colombia — and right in time for the holidays and New Year. For the past 11 months, the Colombian waste pickers and allies have been fighting a $2.5 billion public bid that would have taken the role of recycling from the recicladores and handed it over to private companies for a ten-year period.

On Monday, the court canceled the public bidding process. Justice Juan Carlos Henao said that the constitutional rights of waste pickers had not been respected.

Silvio Ruiz Grisales, the International Secretariat of Red Lacre, said that the waste pickers and allies were crying with happiness when the court canceled the bidding process.

Adriana Ruiz-Restrepo, an attorney who has been working with the waste pickers for a decade, said: “This is the biggest sanction ever declared and a major triumph for those of us who propound for the legal empowerment of the poverty trapped for advancing inclusive development. We are very appreciative of all the voices of support that we received when we were rejecting undue pressure of the Waste Agency of the municipality on the Constitutional Court.”

Here are two articles, translated in google docs (please excuse the bad translation but hopefully you get the idea):

Read the El Tiempo article

Read the Noticias Caracol article

Great work, Colombian waste pickers and allies!

On another note, I’d like to invite you all again to visit globalrec.org – and to contribute blog posts or information to globalrec.org. The more information and contributions from everyone, the better!

Also, if you wouldn’t mind taking a moment to “like” the GlobalRec Facebook page – search “GlobalRec.” Feel free to suggest that friends and contacts “Like” the page as well.

And – The Global Alliance of Waste Pickers is also on Twitter — feel free to “follow.” The twitter handle is @global_rec.

Thank you so much! Happy holidays and New Year to everyone!

Cheers.

Deia de Brito

Comunications Officer

The Global Alliance of Waste Pickers



  1. What an epic victory! Thanks for posting. The translation of the El Tiempo headline into English is pretty funny though–it translates “licitación del aseo” (waste management tendering process) as “tender toilet.”

    Comment by Michael — February 11, 2012 @ 6:12 pm