Health security

Dangerous Work for “Crap Money”: The Dark Side of Recycling

RECYCLING MAY BE GOOD for the environment, but working conditions in the industry can be woeful. The recycling economy encompasses a wide range of businesses, from tiny drop-off centers in strip malls to sprawling scrap yards and cavernous sorting plants. The industry also includes collection services, composting plants, and e-waste and oil recovery centers. Some of the jobs at these facilities are among the most dangerous in America. Others offer meager pay, and wage violations are widespread. Experts say much of the work is carried out by immigrants or temporary workers who are poorly trained and unaware of their rights.

"These are not good jobs," says Jackie Cornejo, former director of Don't Waste LA, a campaign to improve working conditions for waste and recycling workers in Los Angeles. "People only hear about the feel-good aspects of recycling and zero waste, and rarely do they hear about the other side."