On a rainy afternoon in 2024, Nasima welcomed me at her home – a modest 6-by-5-foot room in the Faridpur Municipality quarter, which she shares with her daughter, a university student.
The small space was neatly arranged with essentials – a bed, a reading table, a small wardrobe, and a sewing machine resting on top. Despite the room’s darkness and dampness, it exuded a sense of order, resilience, and quiet dignity.
Nasima’s husband and teenage son live in another small room nearby. Though she lives humbly, Nasima is a powerful frontline leader in the “Doel Women Cleaners Cooperative Ltd.” — one of the cooperatives formed through Practical Action’s plastic waste recycling initiative, launched in 2021 in Faridpur with support from Danida. As President of the cooperative, she demonstrates exceptional organizing, inspiring, and influencing skills.
We work with nearly 2,500 waste workers. They are essential to keeping the city clean, yet they are often underpaid, stigmatized, and excluded from services and rights. For women, these challenges are compounded by gender, caste, and religious discrimination.
But change is taking root. With, partners like the Society Development Committee, River Cycle, and Faridpur Municipality, we’re helping waste workers access dignity, security, and opportunity. Our mission goes far beyond recycling — it’s about restoring equity, fairness, hope and dignity.
Thanks to leaders like Nasima, cooperatives are growing stronger. Workers are engaging with local government and community leaders. Access to insurance, savings, and training is improving. Most importantly, people once excluded are now finding a voice — and a future.
Our initiative, “Increasing Employment by Creating Value from Plastic Waste in Bangladesh”, has proven that an inclusive model can work — increasing income, status, recognition, and resilience for workers.
Yet key challenges remain — wages below the national minimum, gender gaps, and limited access to healthcare, better housing, job benefits, and social protection. Many still lack safe, inclusive workplaces with gender-sensitive facilities such as separate washrooms, changing rooms, and childcare. Market access for circular products and opportunities for recreation or rest also remain scant.
The good news? These challenges are solvable.
The lessons from this phase lay a strong foundation for a more inclusive and transformative next phase: one that could shape the next five years and beyond.
New opportunities in the green and circular economy
Through pilots like plastic collection, pyrolysis, plastic-based furniture, and organic manure production, we’ve learned what works. These insights will guide the next phase: aiming for bigger, fairer, and more lasting impact.
Empowerment & equity
Inclusive green economy
Safe workplaces
Financial security
Gender-inclusive governance
Stronger partnerships
As we move forward, we seek strategic partners and allies who share our vision for inclusive development, climate resilience, and circular innovation. Together, we can scale these solutions and build a more dignified and equitable future for those too long left behind.
The journey towards a fair, inclusive circular economy isn’t easy, but it is possible. With the right support, leadership, and care, Bangladesh’s waste workers, especially women can move from surviving to thriving.
If your organization shares this vision, let’s take the next step together.
For partnership enquiries, please contact:
✉️ [email protected]
Practical Action, Bangladesh
