Sushila Sable was born in rural Maharashtra, India, and experienced early hardship due to poverty and drought, which forced her family to migrate to Mumbai. She began working as a waste picker at a young age, navigating both economic precarity and gender-based violence. Despite these challenges, she remained determined to transform her life, learning to read at the age of 30 and continuing her education into adulthood. Her involvement with the Stree Mukti Sangathana (SMS) marked a turning point, leading her to organize waste pickers into self-help groups and eventually establish and lead the Parisar Bhagini Vikas Sangha (PBVS), a large federation representing thousands of women waste pickers.
As Vice-President of IAWP, Sushila brings decades of grassroots organizing and feminist leadership to the global stage. She has represented waste pickers in national and international forums, including United Nations climate conferences, advocating for their integration into formal waste management systems and for policies that protect their livelihoods and dignity. She also plays a key role within the Alliance of Indian Waste Pickers and contributes to IAWP’s internal governance, including the Plastics Treaty Working Group. Her work continues to center empowerment, financial inclusion, and the collective organization of waste pickers, particularly women.
