RASC News Agency: Mohammad Reza Barzegar, head of the Waste Management Organization in Yazd, Iran, recently stated that most waste pickers in the city are Afghanistani nationals. Iranian media reported on Friday, May 31, quoting Barzegar: “Some of the waste pickers are children, a limited number are originally from Yazd, a percentage are from other cities, and the majority are Afghanistani citizens.”
According to this Iranian official, waste pickers who collect 30 to 50 kilograms of sorted waste daily can sometimes earn up to four million rials a day. Following the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan, due to unemployment and the group’s restrictions, many citizens migrated to neighboring countries, especially Iran and Pakistan.
Reports indicate that both countries are currently expelling thousands of Afghanistani migrants weekly. It should be noted that the Islamic Republic of Iran has officially declared that the entry of Afghanistanis is prohibited in 16 provinces.
