Mohammhad Saeed Hossain

This research investigates the health impacts and access to health services by children who are engaged in waste collection in Dhaka, the capital city of Bangladesh. The relevant qualitative data were collected through expert interviews and personal observations, while quantitative data were gathered through a face-to-face questionnaire survey given to 50 street children who collected waste at the landfill site located in Dhaka city's Matuail area. The results indicate that 94% of these children have suffered from many health problems, such as fever and fatigue due to tiredness, dizziness, and vomiting. Consequently, a significant portion of their daily income is spent on medical treatment. This study suggests that the waste collection system must integrate modern technological, health and environmental resources so that: firstly, they do not harm waste collectors; and secondly, rehabilitate the street children and give them better access to acceptable basic amenities. This is a priority the city authorities.

Generally in the city areas of developing countries, children from the poor and low income families are involved in a range of risky, unhealthy, and environmentally hazardous economic activities and trades. One of these common activities concerns collecting recyclable waste form the street or landfill areas. To understand the socioeconomic characteristics of these waste collector children, this study collected data from fifty children who engaged in waste collection in the landfill of Matuail in Dhaka City, Bangladesh. The data were collected by questionnaire guide, and the samples were selected based on convenient random sampling. This study analyses the socioeconomic conditions of these waste collector children by focussing on such characteristics as their demographic profile, economic affiliation, and nature of the waste collection task. This empirical study may inform and illuminate the relevant policy makers and field activists in widening their understanding of the life and living of this vulnerable group.