Members of the Kpone Landfill Wastes Pickers Association on Tuesday joined their colleagues worldwide to celebrate the International Waste Pickers Day at Kpone in the Kpone Katamanso Municipality of the Greater Accra Region.

The day has been set aside in remembrance of eleven Waste Pickers who were killed in a Colombian University in 1992.

In Ghana, the Association used the occasion to highlight the plight of its members on how they have been neglected and also the marginalization they go through in their daily work delivery.

However, the Association believes it’s now time to bring to the fore the challenges confronting informal waste pickers as they struggle to take care of their families.

The Association extends solidarity to all waste pickers in Ghana and abroad who are still faced with stigmatization, disrespected, threat and in some instances lose their lives through their work.

Speaking during the celebration the Chairman of the Association, Mr Johnson Doe paid a glowing tribute to Waste Pickers who were killed in a Colombian University in 1992.

Mr Johnson Doe said their work has become too crucial in the waste management sector as they provide recycling companies with a regular supply of recovered materials from the landfill site which generates income for government.

He said their role prolongs the lifespan of landfill sites as they remove large quantities of waste materials for recycling into the circular that becomes economic activities.

The  Association says the Kpone landfill site is the main source of income and livelihood for about 500 waste pickers and their families and therefore government’s move to decommissioning and reengineering the landfill site will have dire consequences on the livelihoods of waste pickers and their families.

 Government should target waste pickers as a group in need of appropriate tools, financial medical aid.

According to the Association, its members over the years provided critical services in municipal solid waste management (SWM) in the country.

They therefore urge Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies to integrate into the solid waste management systems through the provision of contracts for recycling services and secure conditions for work.