Help us beat this rubbish problem

Around the world, 2 billion people have no safe way to dispose of rubbish. This means many are forced to live and work among piles of waste. Burning it releases toxic fumes, it makes people sick and floods communities – causing up to a million deaths each year. That’s one person dying every 30 seconds.

And the rapid growth of single-use plastics is making this crisis worse. It’s fuelling our throw-away culture, threatening people’s health and adding to the climate emergency.

But you can make a difference to those living in poverty who are tackling mountains of rubbish.

Your gift could support Tearfund’s partners and local churches to address the rubbish problem with practical solutions that help people break free from poverty – from providing training to support people lobbying their local government for better waste management, to equipping waste pickers with bicycles so they can collect more waste for recycling. 

Flooded with plastic

In north-east Brazil, the congregation at Coqueiral Baptist Church – located in the city of Recife, state of Pernambuco – is responding to the devastating impacts of plastic pollution on their community. Because there’s no local waste collection, the nearby river has become choked with rubbish. Even the slightest rainfall can cause floods. Last year, in Pernambuco state, at least 128 people were killed in floods, and more than 9,000 people were made homeless.

Josias, one of the church’s pastors, explains, 'What makes the river overflow? The huge amount of plastic and rubbish in it.'

The church is responding in many different ways, with support and training from Tearfund. When floods occur, they provide meals, clothes, shelter and medical help, and send brave volunteers out in boats to rescue those who are stranded. The church has also organised protests and petitioned the mayor to clear up the rubbish. And they’ve become a ‘zero-waste church’, modelling how to care for creation.

Please give now and help tackle this rubbish problem.

Your gift could provide life-saving food and shelter for those devastated by flooding. It could also support training for communities to lobby their local government to improve waste management, helping those living in poverty break free from plastic pollution.

Poverty is not God’s plan. You are. Your gift will support Tearfund's work with local churches and partners as they help communities to restore and rebuild in the face of poverty and pollution.