Waste picker

The term garbage viewfinder (sometimes garbage people ) are people especially in the third world, and those of, live in and with the waste they collect, recycle or sell.

• 8.1 Oenophilogen German Society Community Service Association
• 8.2 Neuwieder club " The Garbage children of Cairo "
• 8.3 Africa of Friends
• 8.4 Yalla e.V.

Livelihoods

Among the recyclables, inter alia:

• Plastic ( shopping bags )
• Sheet metal
• Paper
• Bottle caps, metal pieces
• Empty bottles

This they can sell to kilo prices. Your daily food consists to a large extent out of found in the trash remains. Their living conditions are correspondingly poor. The organic waste, which accounts for about 60 % of the total waste, is used on the one hand for feeding their animals, on the other hand consumed itself. For shelter, they usually serve only a shack made ​​of cardboard and sheet metal.

The problem is that people have to live on garbage dumps, does not apply to individual countries, but refers to all continents. The garbage people mainly from rural areas, who have the hope of a better life in the big cities, but there it is hardly possible to gain a foothold.

Diseases

The lack of hygiene, the problem of drinking water, the mosquitoes and of course many dangerous items that are in the trash, are prerequisites for illnesses and injuries:

• Respiratory problems from resulting in waste incineration fumes and gases
• Lower, malnutrition and malnutrition
• Diabetes
• Dengue
• Fungal diseases
• TB (tuberculosis )
• Blood poisoning and abscesses, which are caused by open wounds.
• HIV / AIDS ( mostly through prostitution )

Latin America

As Pepenadores, Recicladores or Cartoneros are referred to in the Latin American region, the (literally ) waste viewfinder.

These people from the lower social strata, even worse off than workers and casual workers, have made it their mission to look into the trash heaps of cities after resalable residues. Only in this way they are able to secure their existence minimal.

On the urban central landfill in Mexico City alone already in 2500 this Pepenadores to reside, that is roughly one per ton of waste that accrues daily.

Nicaragua

In Nicaragua - or more precisely near the capital, Managua - is La Chureca, the biggest garbage dump in Central America.

It comprises approximately 420 hectares and is working area of ​​more than 1700 people, of which at least 80 % are minors. There live about 280 families with an average of six family members on the grounds of La Chureca. Further, hundreds daily to earn their living there.

Oil and gas are partially seconded by supply companies due to technical problems and corruption throughout the day. Adequate hygiene is not present in a living on a rubbish dump. Due to the bad eating moldy food with the risk of cancer is very high. Residues of lead and mercury in the blood are another consequence of bad food. Many people feed additionally also caught in Managua fish, which is a health hazard due to the strong water pollution.

In the summer months (December to April), huge amounts of waste to be burned in the open air. One uses here the rain-free time to dispose of the waste in this way. But this in turn has large air pollution.

For La Chureca the municipality of Managua is not responsible. This county has more than 1.3 million people, making a correspondingly large amount of trash accumulates (about 82 tons per day). To eliminate this, go from 9:00 am to 18:00 clock hundreds of garbage trucks on the grounds of La Chureca to deliver the garbage there. Many also come with pick- ups or trucks and load their garbage from private. Recycling does not exist in Managua by officials.

On 3 March 2008 the residents of La Chureca went on strike. They wanted to defend himself against the behavior of the truck driver that had their situation worse. At this time there was no fixed order, which said exactly where the garbage truck to unload the garbage. So sometimes large amounts were unloaded directly in front of the huts of the people living there and thrown from moving truck garbage, which is sometimes acted to hard objects.

The trucks drove at high speeds, which seems particularly dangerous with respect to the large share of the children living there. The working for the city council garbage men claim for themselves any materials that can be resold, such as copper, zinc, aluminum and paper. Plastic bottles you can currently sell by the kilo price of four of Córdoba, which is about 30 bottles for the price of the equivalent of € 0.14, which is a lot not in Nicaragua (compared to beans, the main food resources of Nicaraguans, cost currently 17 Córdoba, the pound ).

In protest, the garbage man from La Chureca all access roads blocked on 3 March 2008 to the area, so that no more trucks could come to the area. This led to a complete chaos in the city. The direct consequences were serious pollution of the streets that lead directly to the landfill. Many truck loads were dumped illegally in front of the official entrances to the dump or put the garbage in other areas.

On March 7, an agreement was signed which specifies that the working for the city garbage men the waste may no longer claim to be. This may now be availed only by the workers of Chureca. However, this agreement was ( the people who live in La Chureca ) has not been recognized by the majority of Churcequeros. They argue that those who negotiated this contract, not from their community stammen.Sie still attempt to prevent the waste deposit.

Egypt

In Cairo there are eight garbage settlements, where around 60,000 people garbage, Zabbalin (Arabic زبالين, DMG Zabbālīn ) called, are to be found. Izbat to - Nakhl is the waste settlement in the south of Cairo, capital of Egypt, live in the 8000 garbage man. A similar waste settlement in the east of Cairo is located in Manschiyyet Nasser.

The garbage men are mostly Coptic Christians. Since Egypt is dominated by Islam, they have to contend with many disadvantages. 2003, a central waste collection has been set up in order to escape the garbage people their livelihoods.

The livelihood of the Zabbalin consists of garbage fees and the profit from the resale of the garbage picked. Garbage people go with their donkey carts from house to house and collect there a garbage. It is important that they are still in front of urban garbage disposal there, because the garbage collecting in Egypt is illegal. Before the foundation of the community waste disposal Zabbalin still got a small tip of the residents. The rotting garbage is sorted after collection in plastic, paper, glass, cans and food scraps. Plastic, paper and glass will be picked up by a dealer and brought to the recycling center. The sheet of old cans is highly sought after. It is cut by the people of the garbage settlements and then resold to dealers. The garbage collection is forced to 100 - kg packages and then brought to the recycling points at the edge of the district.

Do not eat meat the Zabbalin, because it is too expensive. At the table bread, milk, cheese and vegetables. By the evening of the waste has to be ready sorted and loaded, because the Zabbalin need this space for living and sleeping. The life expectancy of Zabbalin is about 50 years. This is due to the high risk of injury and infection.

Philippines

The waste 15,000 people who live in the Philippines, mainly from three areas of Manila, Quezon City and Cebu City. In Manila, the people live on the two dumps Smokey Mountain and Payatas. It is around huge mountains of waste (up to 40 meters high ), the Smokey Mountain even is an internationally known landmark of the port city of Manila. In the area around Cebu City's garbage people are also called " Scavengers " (English for waste pickers or scavengers ). The sale of waste takes place in so-called " Junkshops " and will bring together the " Scavengers " daily average of between 50 and 65 pesos (around € 0.75-1 ) a.

Hundreds died already when one of the great mountains of garbage mostly due to a persistent monsoon rains in itself collapsed and many people among themselves buried. Again and again, the garbage people government assistance, clean accommodation, real work, or the like promised, but are hardly or not adhered to this promise by the person responsible. There are now more and more help from abroad, such as doctors, religious and clubs wishing the " Scavengers " help out of their misery.

Germany

Especially in the urban centers of major cities occurs the phenomenon of bottles collectors; similar phenomena exist in other states with deposit system on beverage containers. These people collect are transmitted or illegally discarded returnable or reverse vending machines next to discontinued misses on or looking at (mainly public ) trash cans or glass recycling containers for it and lead it back to the deposit system.

Help from the misery

Through such education should be helped people out of misery. On the disused part of the dump Smokey Mountain, Tondo, Manila is produced with support from Germany a school. This school is built with recycled material. After its completion in 2010, the digital learning Zenter to provide 1,000 school leavers the opportunity to get a degree.

Most children can not go to school, just get a high school diploma, as the school in the Philippines is not free.

The German Oenophilogen Society Community Service Association, a non-profit wine club from Oberhausen, this school building with a total volume of costs 109,000 EUR. In the year 2010, then first 400, later 800 children are taught here ..

Charities

German Oenophilogen Community Service Society eV

The German club Oenophilogen Society Community Service eV (respectively: www.gemeindienst.de ) support since 1999 exclusively educational projects in Tondo, Manila ( Smokey Mountain). The alternative projects include, inter alia, the maintenance of three kindergartens with a total of 700 children (as of 2010 ), the financing of teachers' salaries for the pre-school education (7 teachers) and for secondary classes ( 2 teachers and 1 technician ), 1 meal every Friday for the kindergarten children, features of 100 elementary school students annually. In November 2009, the club donated a non-profit, independent foundation IN VINO - CARITAS ( www.in- vino- caritas.org ).

Neuwieder club " The Garbage children of Cairo "

The Neuwieder club " The Garbage children of Cairo " was founded in 2001 and is continued on the initiative of Elke Scholl and Dr. Christopher Wilde. An important goal for the club is to draw attention to the garbage people in Egypt. It supports a Coptic congregation that in the garbage area of Ezbeth el Nakl has its center. This religious community is funded primarily through donations. The nun Maria and the physician Dr. Adel direct the Peace Center in Ezbeth el Nakl. There is also the possibility to accommodate the children in a kindergarten and the school El Mahaba School, which provides training for approximately 1,600 boys and girls from the waste places. The association, it is also important that in school Muslim and Christian children and young people are taught together to break down the prejudices against other religions and to practice tolerance and respect.

Africa Circle of Friends

The Africa of Friends was created on the initiative of Geography students at the University of Bayreuth. It was founded on 2 July 1992 and now has 160 employees worldwide. Currently they support projects in Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Egypt and Sudan.

Yalla e.V.

Yalla eV is an association that contributes to " help themselves " in Arab countries. The club has its origins in the meeting of two students with the nun Maria Theresia Grabis in Cairo. From this group was created in 1992 eV the officially registered association Yalla, whose members meet monthly in a working group to exchange experiences and plan projects. The main objective of the association is to make an active contribution to international understanding between Europe and the Arab countries. With donations and work site visits, the association supports self-help projects.