Living and working in a landfill in Eastern Indonesia

There are many low income families who live next to landfills in developing countries, where they scavenge and sell discarded materials to support their families. To date, documentation of recyclers' living and working conditions has been limited. The objective of this study is to evaluate environmental and occupational health conditions in landfill workers in Makassar, the largest city in Eastern Indonesia. Survey questionnaires have been collected (n = 100) from individuals (≥ 18 years old) who live in a small community next to Makassar's sole legitimate landfill. Biological and chemical contamination levels in solid wastes and ground have been measured in the landfill. Fecal indicator bacteria, (e.g. Escherichia coli 14 CFU/cm2) and toxic chemicals (e.g. arsenic 36 mg/kg and lead 777 mg/kg) have been detected in the working environment. The survey shows the median monthly household income to be Rp 1,000,000 (approximately $111). Only 4% of workers were wearing masks, 6% gloves, and 59% closed toe shoes. Workers ate food (41%), ingested beverage (64%) and smoked (76% among smokers) while at work in the landfill. The survey also showed that 14% of workers' children (<12 years old) worked in the landfill. We observed many minimally supervised young children present at the landfill, while their parents and older siblings were working. Three percent of children in this community had diarrhea two weeks prior to the survey. This study has shown that landfill workers and their family members, including young children were possibly exposed to several environmental hazards that affect their health.