Riza shines a light on the working conditions of informal waste collectors, their critical contributions to the circular economy, and what it takes for them to survive. In this intimate story, we meet one of them: Riza, a mother of four in Manila, Philippines. Largely unnoticed or ignored, she navigates her bicycle and sidecar through hectic traffic every day, collecting recyclables to resell to make ends meet.
Why this Story? There are over 20 million workers like Riza around the world who recycle over half of the world’s waste. In short, they are cleaning up our mess. They work with few legal protections, no health insurance, and in dangerous environments, with little means to build their skills or expand their businesses. Honest and unabashed, Riza asks us to take a closer look at the world of waste and challenges our assumptions about who matters.
