NAIROBI, May 26th, 2025 – Greenpeace Africa has released ‘ Dumped: A Waste Picker’s Story’, a powerful 18-minute documentary that reveals the harsh reality faced by waste pickers at Nairobi’s notorious Dandora dumpsite while challenging the plastic industry’s recycling narrative.
The documentary follows Joyce, one of thousands of waste pickers who sort through mountains of plastic waste daily at the dumpsite. Despite working tirelessly to make a living, Joyce suffers from respiratory infections, requiring monthly medical treatment. Her doctor has explicitly linked her deteriorating health to the toxic fumes from burning plastics and pollution at her workplace.
“What we’re witnessing at Dandora is a public health emergency masked as a waste management solution,” said Gerance Mutwol, Plastics Campaigner at Greenpeace Africa. “Joyce’s story represents thousands of waste pickers across Africa who sacrifice their health daily while the plastic industry uses their labor to greenwash its continued production of single-use plastics. These workers earn pennies while suffering from chronic respiratory diseases, skin conditions, and other serious ailments directly linked to toxic plastic exposure.”
The documentary dismantles the plastic industry’s narrative that recycling can solve the plastic pollution crisis. In reality, only 9% of all plastic waste ever produced globally has been recycled, with the rest accumulating in landfills, dumpsites, and the natural environment.
“The recycling myth has been perpetuated by the plastics industry to shift responsibility away from producers and onto consumers and waste workers,” explained Mutwol, “Our investigation reveals that most single-use plastics are not collected by waste pickers. These plastics often end up being burned in open air, releasing toxic chemicals that harm both waste pickers and surrounding communities. The truth is that managing waste is not enough to solve the crisis as long as plastic production continues to increase exponentially.”
The film documents how low-value plastics like sachets, thin bags, and multilayered packaging have flooded African markets, creating an insurmountable waste management challenge while providing minimal economic benefit to waste pickers.
Gisore Nyabuti, Secretary General of the Waste Pickers Association, emphasised the need for systemic change: “Our members work in dangerous conditions with little protection or recognition. We need solutions that don’t sacrifice our health and environment. We support a transition to refill and reuse systems that would create safer, more dignified jobs while eliminating the toxic burden of single-use plastics on our communities.”
The documentary concludes that the only transformative solution to the plastic crisis is the widespread implementation of refill and reuse systems, highlighting successful models already operating in Kenya that demonstrate viable alternatives to the throwaway culture.
“Dumped: A Waste Picker’s Story” will be launched in 5 countries and is available for online viewing on YouTube.
Contacts:
Ferdinand Omondi, Communication and Story Manager, [email protected]
Gerance Mutwol, Plastics campaigner, [email protected]
