Dow, Inc. (NYSE: DOW) has announced the launch of the Waste Collector COVID-19 Support Fund through GlobalGiving, a non-profit crowdfunding platform.

“If someone were to ask me who I admire most in steps of a circular economy, I would immediately have an answer for them: the entrepreneurial, hardworking, knowledgeable and inherently sustainable waste pickers across the world,” says Haley Lowry, P&SP Global Sustainability Director at Dow.  

Waste pickers account for 15 to 20 percent of waste collection globally, salvaging and selling both reusable and recyclable materials. But now the estimated 15 million of them are facing challenges as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Whether they continue to work in unsafe environments, or have found themselves without work due to the shuttering of recycling operations, these waste pickers are vulnerable.

Dow, along with its partners and other organizations that support waste collectors, hopes the Support Fund will help serve this underserved community at this critical time.

Lowry notes that, “Waste pickers are the heartbeat of a circular economy, and we all need them for a healthy and sustainable world. Right now, they need us. I hope you will join Team Dow and #SupportWasteWarriors.”

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