There was a talk which I attended recently. About a particular waste management project in India. This one municipality is employing people to collect/sort/recycle/compost waste from households and in the process generating employment and keeping the community clean and green.
They made it a point to mention that the group particularly employs underprivileged women (unemployed, abused, orphaned, wives of criminals, etc.). To them, this is acceptable employment and they are happy that they get the income they do from it.
After the whole talk though I was left with a vague uneasiness - it just didn't seem right to ask these "underprivileged" people to do something that I wouldn't consider doing myself. I strongly agree that waste management is a very necessary part of the whole existence process, but am unable to work my head around justifying people working in those conditions. Is there not a way to avoid having to process waste - by educating people in the proper disposal of the same; in not using non-recyclable items, etc?
2 comments:
Educating the public is the way to go in the long run. But it is a slow process. I'd never heard of composting till a couple of years back. And there are mechanized ways to do it - as its done in America. But if the women have nothing else to do and this is their source of income, isnt it a good thing.
Come to think about it, there are lots of jobs we wouldnt do if we had the option.
hmmm....
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