Expat
Waste Collectors in Istanbul: 'We Do the Hardest Work but Earn the Least Money'
In Istanbul, thousands of marginalized waste collectors, including undocumented migrants and poor rural youth, perform arduous labor for minimal pay despite Turkey's rising recycling rates. While First Lady Emine Erdogan promotes the Zero Waste initiative ahead of COP31, workers like Haci Celik report earning between 550 and 900 euros monthly with no job security or insurance. These informal recyclers are organizing to demand legal recognition and better working conditions, arguing they bear the heaviest burden for the least reward.
Ozetta summarises; the reporting is the newsroom's