Kagad Kach Patra Kashtakari Panchayat, a trade union, bringing together waste pickers, itinerant waste buyers, waste collectors and other informal recyclers, (all self-employed workers) of Pune and Pimpri Chinchwad was registered in 1993. These workers recover, collect, categorise and sell scrap materials for recycling. They pick up what someone has discarded as having no value and give it value through their labour. They are typically treated like the trash they collect. KKPKP has successfully argued that their work is environmentally sustainable, socially inclusive, economically productive and saves municipalities crores of rupees in solid waste management. This position, after years of struggle and engagement with various stakeholders, has ensured that the wastepicker members of KKPKP have visibility, voice and validity in the city that is unique. Their struggle to enhance the conditions of their work and living continues.
