While waste picking is a low-paid and often a dangerous job, these workers are doing much of the world’s recycling. In Mumbai, a city of 20 million people, the trash headed for recycling ends up in Dharavi, a slum where thousands of waste pickers live and work. They sort through the piles, and clean and separate the different types of materials destined for a second or third life. Without them, Namrata Kolachalam reports, much of the city’s trash would end up in incinerators or dumped in the ocean.
Without federal support, local stations, especially in rural and underserved areas, face deep cuts or even closure. Vital public service alerts, news, storytelling, and programming like The World will be impacted. The World has weathered many storms, and we remain steadfast in our commitment to being your trusted source for human-centered international news, shared with integrity and care. We believe public media is about truth and access for all. As an independent, nonprofit newsroom, we aren’t controlled by billionaire owners or corporations. We are sustained by listeners like you.
Now more than ever, we need your help to support our global reporting work and power the future of The World.