In Dhaka, Bangladesh, thousands of women work in informal textile-waste sorting centers, known locally as jhut yards, where they sift through discarded cloth scraps brought from across the country. These women often work in overcrowded, dusty warehouses without ventilation, safety equipment or fair pay, dedicating long hours to a job that supports their families but exposes them to health risks.
Bangladesh’s garment sector is a global powerhouse, accounting for most of the country’s export revenue, yet it also produces huge amounts of waste. Every year, hundreds of thousands of tonnes of textile scraps are generated, and only a tiny fraction of clothing is recycled into new garments. The women sorting jhut help reduce waste, lower greenhouse gas emissions and prevent materials from clogging Dhaka’s drainage systems, which can worsen flooding during monsoon seasons.
Despite their vital role in waste management and climate resilience, female waste workers earn far less than men in similar roles and face persistent inequality, including a wide gender pay gap. Inflation and rising living costs have intensified financial pressure, and many women see little support from authorities. Organized crime has also begun to control parts of the trade, making access to raw textile scraps more difficult and threatening their livelihoods.
Efforts by social entrepreneurs and emerging policy initiatives offer a glimpse of change. However, these efforts remain limited compared to the scale of the problem. Most of these women still work in precarious conditions, their labor sustains both the textile economy and environmental efforts, yet it remains largely invisible within the system that depends on it. Without structural change, the growth of the global fashion industry will continue to rely on their work while they remain trapped in vulnerability and exclusion.
Reference: Chatham House. (2024). Postcard from Dhaka: The women battling the scrap heap. Chatham House. https://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/the-world-today/2024-02/postcard-dhaka-women-battling-scrap-heap