The industries that pride themselves on being friends of the earth are often hostile to workers, according to new research on the safety conditions in recycling plants.
Published by Massachusetts Council for Occupational Safety and Health
(MassCOSH), National COSH, and other advocacy groups, the analysis of
the industry shows that despite the green sector’s clean, progressive
image, workers remain imperiled by old-school industrial hazards.
Workers face intense stress, dangerous machinery and inadequate
safeguards, while toiling in strenuous positions amid constant toxic
exposures.
Often the sorting of recyclables requires directly handling
hazardous materials and improperly disposed waste, such as plastic bags
that accumulate and cause potentially deadly clogs in machines. Some
cities allow dumping of “mixed” trash, leaving workers to separate metal
cans from organic waste, or battery fluid from old meatloaf (cities
could prevent such dangers through the slight inconvenience of simply
requiring people to separate garbage beforehand).
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Just as sanitation workers have historically suffered
both extreme labor abuses and job hazards, recycling workers’ physical
insecurity is aggravated by economic vulnerability, as workplaces often
lack labor protections and adequate staffing. One worker told
researchers, “When I started working a sorter over 10 years ago, they
had eight people on a sorting line, now there are only four, but the
company expects us to work as if there are eight people on the line.”
Some workers have reported “constant pressure from supervisors to work
fast so as to not get fired.”
Someone Has to Sort Your Recycling and It’s a Disgusting and Dangerous Job | The Nation
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