Waste pickers in India are an integral part of the healthcare and sanitation sector, yet are largely unrecognized by the very systems they support. In the state of Gujarat, #breakfreefromplastic member Paryavaran Mitra, an environmental organization that aims to increase public participation in government decision-making, is appealing to authorities to acknowledge the essential role waste pickers have in keeping the environment clean and safe, especially as COVID-19 continues to spread. The group is demanding that the government provide waste pickers livelihood and policies that will help protect them.

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