“Waste pickers play a crucial role in tackling plastic pollution and have worked hard to make their voices heard within the Global Plastics Treaty negotiations, gaining support from countries around the world. As the treaty hopefully transitions our economies towards plastics re-use, we need to make sure that the role of waste pickers in re-use as well as recycling economies is recognised, safeguarded, and strengthened.”

Presentation title: Recognised for recycling, invisible in re-use? The role of waste pickers in re-use economies: the case of Turin, Italy

Dr Patrick O’Hare FRSA is a UKRI Future Leader Fellow (FLF) and Senior Researcher in the Department of Social Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. He researches circular and social economies intersections in the plastics industry and has more than 15 years of experience working with waste pickers, most recently as part of the Global Plastics Treaty. He is the author of “Rubbish Belongs to the Poor: Hygienic Enclosure and the Waste Commons” (Pluto 2022), amongst other books, chapters, and articles.