In the battle against plastic pollution, Asia’s informal workers are critical allies (commentary)
Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy, a waste worker from Binh Dinh, Vietnam, has worked in the waste collection industry for four decades. She has spent every day at the landfill – her home and source of income – since she was a child. Like many developing economies in the region, Vietnam has limited household waste separation. Informal workers like Thuy support 90% of plastics recycling in the country, separating materials by hand and delivering them to collection centers.