From Waste Pickers to Producers: An Inclusive Circular Economy Solution through Development of Cooperatives in Waste Management

Buch, Rajesh; Marseille, Alicia; Williams, Matthew; Aggarwal, Rimjhim; Sharma, Aparna

doi:10.3390/su13168925

Cited by 30 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 9 publications

(11 reference statements)

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“…All around the world, there are millions of people who work at the lower end of the recycling value chain; collecting, sorting, and selling reusable and recyclable materials they find in streets, landfills, waterways, and open dumpsites across all cities and small towns [ 11 , 12 , 13 ]. Known as waste pickers (or waste reclaimers), these workers make significant, but under-valued, environmental and economic contributions.…”

Section: The Broader Context Of Waste Picking Health and Occupational...mentioning

confidence: 99%

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Working with Waste: Hazards and Mitigation Strategies Used by Waste Pickers in the Inner City of Durban

Mlotshwa

Dayaram

Khanyile

et al. 2022

IJERPH

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Informal waste pickers in cities across the Global South divert significant amounts of tonnage from landfills. This diversion contributes towards a sustainable environment and better public health practices. Informal workers globally derive livelihoods from collecting, sorting, and selling recyclable waste. In South Africa, there is growing recognition of the valuable work that waste pickers carry out. Despite this, however, these informal workers remain largely unrecognised, are often stigmatised, and suffer from a lack of social protection linked to their work. This lack of recognition and protection creates specific occupational hazards for waste pickers. Using an ethnographic method, this study explores the physical and socio-psychological hazards that emerge from waste picking on the streets of the inner city of Durban, in South Africa. We found that the waste pickers, the majority of whom were women, developed mitigation strategies against these risks. A better understanding of how the occupational hazards of waste picking are shaped by the local context of working on the street enables the recognition of the knowledge waste pickers already hold regarding mitigation strategies. Insight into occupational hazards are important to consider if the municipal integration of waste pickers is to happen in a way that ensures access to social protections for these informal workers.

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Section: The Broader Context Of Waste Picking Health and Occupational...mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Many studies on the health impacts of waste picking focus on waste pickers who operate in landfills and dumpsites [ 13 , 22 , 23 , 24 , 25 ]. These offer important insights into occupational hazards and how to mitigate them.…”

Section: The Broader Context Of Waste Picking Health and Occupational...mentioning

confidence: 99%

Working with Waste: Hazards and Mitigation Strategies Used by Waste Pickers in the Inner City of Durban

Mlotshwa

Dayaram

Khanyile

et al. 2022

IJERPH

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Every year, 5–13 million tons of plastics, accounting for 1.5–4% of global plastics production, end up in the oceans [ 1 ]. It has been estimated that from all plastic waste generated, 11% is incinerated and only 19% is recycled [ 2 ]. The harmful impact of plastics is related to the occurrence of microplastics, caused by plastic fragmentation, with consequences for the destruction of river, sea, and ocean ecosystems.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Valorization of Polypropylene Waste in the Production of New Materials with Adequate Mechanical and Thermal Properties for Environmental Protection

et al. 2022

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Innovative composites based on polypropylene waste impurified cu HDPE (PPW) combined with two thermoplastic block-copolymers, namely styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBSBC) and styrene-isoprene-styrene (SISBC) block-copolymers, and up to 10 wt% nano-clay, were obtained by melt blending. SBSBC and SISBC with almost the same content of polystyrene (30 wt%) were synthesized by anionic sequential polymerization and used as compatibilizers for PPW. Optical microscopy evaluation of the PPW composites showed that the n-clay was encapsulated into the elastomer. Addition of n-clay, together with SBSBC or SISBC, increased the interphase surface of the components in the PPW composites and enhanced the superficial area/volume ratio, which led to a recycled material with improved performance. The data resulting from differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), mechanical evaluation, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) revealed that PPW reinforcement with n-clay and styrene-diene block-copolymers allows the obtaining of composites with favorable mechanical and thermal properties, and excellent impact strength for potential engineering applications.

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“…According to Barford and Ahmad 8 : 'In low-and middle-income countries, waste pickers underpin the recycling loop of the circular economy'. The contributions of waste pickers have been studied internationally by Gutberlet and Carenzo 9 , Buch et al 10 and Amorim de Oliveira 11 , amongst others. Waste pickers are broadly defined as small-scale, self-employed people who are mostly active in the urban informal economy.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The myth of livelihoods through urban mining: The case of e-waste pickers in Cape Town

et al. 2022

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Waste pickers are widely acknowledged as an integral part of the formal and informal economy, diverting waste into the secondary resource economy through urban mining. Urban mining in itself is considered to be a source of livelihoods. We investigated the livelihoods of e-waste pickers through 110 surveys in Cape Town, South Africa. Waste pickers often indicated that they were engaged in the sector not by choice but by necessity, expressing that earning money is the only enjoyable aspect of their job. The results from the study substantiate that it is unlikely that waste pickers could survive on e-waste picking alone as 83.3% of reported incomes were below minimum wage, with 22.9% below the food poverty line. Thus, the majority of waste pickers collected a wide array of recyclables. We also found that the waste pickers in Cape Town engage in multiple e-waste related activities, including collection, dismantling and processing to a lesser extent. They work long hours in arduous working conditions which present multiple hazards for their health and safety. Ultimately, e-waste pickers’ incomes cannot be considered commensurate with the nature of the work. Further, e-waste picking cannot be regarded to significantly contribute to livelihoods, but is rather a survivalist strategy. The survivalist nature of the work does not allow for waste pickers to move upwards in the waste value chain and benefit from greater income opportunities. Furthermore, their lack of skills prohibits waste pickers’ transition to formal employment. With a lack of options, it is necessary to ensure that the waste sector provides opportunities for decent work to enable workers to lift themselves out of poverty.

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From Waste Pickers to Producers: An Inclusive Circular Economy Solution through Development of Cooperatives in Waste Management

Cited by 30 publications

References 9 publications

Working with Waste: Hazards and Mitigation Strategies Used by Waste Pickers in the Inner City of Durban

Working with Waste: Hazards and Mitigation Strategies Used by Waste Pickers in the Inner City of Durban

Valorization of Polypropylene Waste in the Production of New Materials with Adequate Mechanical and Thermal Properties for Environmental Protection

The myth of livelihoods through urban mining: The case of e-waste pickers in Cape Town

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