Shania Shayal Prasad 
Pacific Recycling Foundation founder Amitesh Deo
The Pacific Recycling Foundation is sounding the alarm over the systemic exclusion of LGBTQI workers in the waste sector
They are calling it a blind spot in climate and disaster planning.
Founder Amitesh Deo believes that these workers already face deep stigma because of their job, and for many, that’s made worse by discrimination tied to their identity.
He said LGBTQI people were active across both the formal and informal waste economy, yet their voices are ignored when policies around resilience and climate response are drafted.
Deo stresses that Collection Pillars of Recycling and other waste workers are vital to sustain-ability but they continue to be pushed aside, especially those from marginalised gender and sexual identity groups.
The Foundation is urging civil society and human rights groups to take advantage of the cur-rent open civic space to speak up for LGBTQI inclusion.
Deo states inclusion must sit at the centre of all policy, climate, and resilience efforts, any-thing less is a failure.
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