Urban informal economy and vulnerabilities of domestic waste-pickers: A case of Chandigarh, India

Abstract

In urban informal economies, waste-pickers increasingly face threat to their livelihoods due to the rapid emergence of formal systems of waste collection and lack of adequate public policies for their welfare. In this context, the study explores livelihood conditions of domestic waste-pickers and their occupational and educational mobility in Chandigarh, which is often referred as one of most well-planned cities of India. Using a semi-structured schedule, a field-based survey of the waste-pickers brings out that waste-pickers are the migrant workers from adjoining states and work as waste-pickers mainly due to non-availability of alternative employment opportunities. Employment in waste-picking is characterized by informal service charge fixation purely through interaction between house-owners and waste-pickers, where their low bargaining power leads to a surprisingly low level of income with significant variations due to gender. Child labour, even though disguised, also tends to exist. The study reveals unsafe working conditions, awful health conditions and unpleasant living conditions of the waste-pickers along with trivial upward educational mobility and no upward occupational mobility. The analysis presents a classic case of failure of both market and state in delivering optimum economic welfare to waste-pickers even in case of well-planned and highly urbanized city such as Chandigarh of India and demands immediate public policy intervention.

Informal recycling sector contribution to plastic pollution mitigation: A systematic scoping review and quantitative analysis of prevalence and productivity

“…Informal sector waste activities are not consistently and systematically documented (Velis et al, 2021), apart from examples such as Brazil, where waste picking is formally recorded as part of the decadal census. In fact, waste pickers may have little reason to share details of their activities with the formal authorities, who they may see as a threat to their very existence (Neville and Tovar Cortés, 2023;Singh et al, 2023). In this data vacuum, individual action researchers have attempted to provide insight on a localised basis.…”

Exploring the concepts of decent work through the lens of SDG 8: addressing challenges and inadequacies

“…Our scientific quest delves deeply into the complicated mechanisms that characterize market-driven economies, providing insight into their influence on employment quality, labor rights protection, and the long-term viability of economic ventures. In addition to our research, we examine the complex terrain of the informal sector, a domain characterized by a conspicuous lack of legal protections and social security guarantees, a solid barrier to the acquisition of decent work ( Dewick et al, 2022 ; Padmavathi and Aruna, 2022 ; Singh et al, 2023 ). Within this dimension, we examine a repertory of policies and strategic interventions designed to empower the informal labor force and provide them with the resources to improve their economic well-being.…”

“…In addition, “informal sector employers are frequently harsh, ignore the law, and easily dismiss their workers with little to no recourse to legal remedies” ( Bonner and Spooner, 2011 ). For Dewick et al (2022) , the nature of informal work is heavily polluted with illegal activities such as disguised child labor ( Singh et al, 2023 ), which goes unmonitored by any form of government ( Padmavathi and Aruna, 2022 ). It has been argued that the market and state have failed in delivering optimum economic welfare to informal workers even in the case of well-planned and highly urbanized cities ( Singh et al, 2023 ), as it is sometimes stigmatized as troublesome and unmanageable ( Padmavathi and Aruna, 2022 ).…”

“…For Dewick et al (2022) , the nature of informal work is heavily polluted with illegal activities such as disguised child labor ( Singh et al, 2023 ), which goes unmonitored by any form of government ( Padmavathi and Aruna, 2022 ). It has been argued that the market and state have failed in delivering optimum economic welfare to informal workers even in the case of well-planned and highly urbanized cities ( Singh et al, 2023 ), as it is sometimes stigmatized as troublesome and unmanageable ( Padmavathi and Aruna, 2022 ). Even while the informal economy contributes to the GDP ( Charmes, 2012 ; Dell’Anno and Adu, 2020 ) and overall production and consumption in both developing and developed countries ( Horodnic et al, 2022 ), it is sometimes not included in a nation’s GDP, unlike the formal sector ( Padmavathi and Aruna, 2022 ).…”

“…In a different view, women often engage in informal work, particularly in domestic services, which is undervalued and unrecognized, perpetuating negative stereotypes ( Jackson, 2019 ). Critics have expressed worry about the escalating disparities surrounding the gender wage gap, particularly about the unpaid labor that women engaged in domestic work in the informal sector ( Jackson, 2019 ; Singh et al, 2023 ). Addressing this issue involves recognizing and valuing unpaid domestic work, challenging negative perceptions, and ensuring equal opportunities for all genders ( Jackson, 2019 ).…”