Search Results (24)

Background: This study explores the multifaceted inequalities faced by informal waste pickers in Hong Kong, focusing on the impacts of gender and socioeconomic status in shaping their working environment, income, and psychological health. Recognizing that social stratification encompasses a series of structural factors, i.e., gender, race, and socioeconomic status, we aim to fill the gap in existing literature regarding the precarious employment of this population. Methods: Utilizing a comprehensive, territory-wide survey, we analyzed the experiences of male and female waste pickers across different socioeconomic backgrounds. Differences between genders for continuous variables were assessed using the independent samples t-test. Differences across categories defined by gender and socioeconomic status were analyzed using one-way ANOVA, followed by post hoc comparisons with the least significant difference (LSD) method. Results: Our findings indicate that both gender and socioeconomic status significantly influence working environment, occupational income, and psychological health outcomes. Specifically, female waste pickers from lower socioeconomic backgrounds face more adverse working environments, lower income levels, and heightened psychological health risks compared to their higher-status counterparts. Conclusions: These results underscore the urgent need for targeted outreach and tailored healthcare services for vulnerable female waste pickers, as well as social support systems that empower them to negotiate with intermediaries and recycling shop owners. By recognizing their essential role in Hong Kong’s urban recycling ecosystem, this study advocates for policies that address these disparities and promote psychological health and social well-being among this marginalized group. Full article

Informal recycling workers (IRWs), including waste pickers (WPs) and waste sorters, are essential constituents of sustainable ecosystems in many cities in the Global South. Despite their valuable contributions to the economic and environmental dimensions of sustainable urban waste recycling, most IRWs work in precarious conditions. This paper examines recent efforts by local municipalities in Izmir to implement co-production design as a new institutional arrangement to generate green jobs for informal workers that provide high and stable incomes, job security, and social recognition. Using qualitative analyses of recent developments in the legal framework and in-depth interviews with key stakeholders, this paper identifies the following challenges associated with the current co-production efforts as its main findings: the lack of fiscal and legislative support from the central government; failure to include all IRWs in the co-production schemes; and the potential exclusion of marginalized communities due to the arbitrary requirements of a security clearance, which limit the inclusion of IRWs in co-production efforts. Full article

Even though waste pickers play a crucial role in the urban solid waste management system in developing countries, their social, familial, and labor conditions remain uncertain. In this study, we analyzed the profiles of waste pickers in Colombia using multivariate statistical methods and cluster analysis. Our findings indicate that the majority of waste pickers have only completed elementary or high school education, and most of them are not associated with any organization and belong to the subsidized health regime. We identified five profiles of waste pickers in the population. The first consists of the most experienced individuals, while the second comprises individuals with the lowest salaries. The third includes older individuals who work more hours per day. The fourth is made up of individuals who work in the informal sector, and the fifth includes individuals who work in the formal sector. Our study highlights specific actions to be taken for each profile. Improving family and household conditions, social and educational status, and job conditions can have a significant impact on their lives. Full article

The literature on dirty workers analysed material and symbolic aspects of work, highlighting how dirty workers deal with the stigma associated with their occupations. This approach put less attention on dirty workers who operate in the informal economy, which is a relevant category especially in some sectors, such as the urban-waste management and recycling. Drawing on a 2019–2022 qualitative study of waste pickers (WPs) in the Rio Grande do Sul state (Brazil), this article aims to understand whether and how the informal conditions interact with the symbolic and material aspects of the dirty job. First, it shows various attempts to redefine the meanings of waste pickers’ work, in a positive sense. The more articulated attempts mainly concern the more structured WPs organisations and, in some cases, go far beyond the strategies described by the traditional literature on dirty workers. Second, it emphasizes the importance of the relations between WPs organisations and public administrations in defining the effectiveness of the actions aimed at reducing the stigma associated with the WPs’ work. Together, these contributions highlight the utility of exploring the dynamics and the differences of informal dirty work in order to enrich the dirty-work approach. Full article

Social and spatial segregation structures in Latin America are perceived as processes for the selective concentration of social or demographic groups in geographic sectors of the city. This voluntary or forced segregation creates poor, wealthy, and marginal areas, leading to the territory’s marginalization and fragmentation, destroying the symbolic and territorial urban continuity. To understand the behavior of waste pickers in a Mexican city, we sought to know the conditions of the informal collection activity in eight Latin American countries with similar conditions. Therefore, the goal was to carry out a bibliographic evaluation that included the environmental contribution of waste pickers, their organizations, and their link with urban metabolism. The tasks performed by informal waste pickers in the cities of the eight selected Latin American countries, their organizations, and their way of working were studied. Their role in reducing environmental impact and improving the quality of life of city dwellers was evaluated. Web sites, web searches, and face-to-face meetings created electronic communication channels with this community were analyzed. In some cases, they are well organized and become microentrepreneurs with salary, social security, and economical insurance by starting an ecological business. In contrast, marginal groups seeking economic support collect, separate, sort, and group recoverable waste daily and sell it at waste distribution points. This link in the urban metabolism reintroduces valuable solid waste into the production chain. In addition, materials with commercial value, such as metals, plastics, paper, cardboard, and wood, can re-enter the production chain as secondary materials for industry. Thus, a collective of well-organized waste pickers contributes to the city’s sustainability and provides better living conditions for the waste pickers. In Mexico, there is a lack of official information regarding the number of waste pickers, organizations, activities, and their environmental contribution. Therefore, a directory with that information is highly relevant to designing public policies to recognize the essential contributions of this sector. Full article

Since the publication of the Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment (S-LCA) of Products by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and the Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC) in 2009, there has been an increase in publications and research using this tool to assess the positive or negative social impacts of products and services. This can be done by assessing all processes in the material supply chain, thereby identifying and quantifying the respective social impacts to inform decision makers. Because raw materials can come from different countries, some production processes may use recyclable or reusable materials handled by waste pickers in order to return them to the production chain. Since these waste pickers earn their living from collecting and selling these materials, the social impacts of the final product integrate the social evaluation results of the processes involving these materials. Thus, this article aims to survey the characteristics of current S-LCA models applied to Municipal Solid Waste Management Systems (MSWMS) that include waste pickers and their organizations, in order to identify research opportunities to expand the understanding and application of this tool. In this study, 33 articles were selected, using a systematic review methodology. Analyzing these articles has revealed possible paths to improve the choice of elements for S-LCA models applied to MSWMS that involve waste pickers or equivalents. Full article

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. Full article

The older adult population in Hong Kong is large and diverse. The “Cardboard Grannies” in Hong Kong are informal waste pickers (IWPs) who represent a unique sub-group that is often forgotten in society. This group has unique social and economic conditions and contributions that are not monitored and recognized. Leaving no one behind in healthy ageing requires an understanding of the needs and contributions of those on the margins of society, like older adult IWPs. This study answers two main research questions: (i) what are the service needs of the older adult IWPs and (ii) what are their contributions (social impact)? Qualitative methods were used to collect data from the older adult IWPs and key informants. Thematic analysis and word clouds were used to analyse the data. Nine themes were identified, providing relevant and significant insight into the service needs of the older adult IWPs. Two themes were identified, providing insight into the contributions (social impact) of the older adult IWPs. These themes inform recommendations that cover a range of individual, family, and community service responses to address healthy ageing of this unique sub-group. Full article

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the nutritional status, dietary intake and dietary diversity of waste pickers in South Africa, a socioeconomically vulnerable group who makes a significant contribution to planetary health through salvaging recyclable material from dumpsites. Participants were weighed and measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Dietary intake was recorded using a standardised multipass 24 h recall. Individual dietary diversity scores were derived from the dietary recall data. Data were collected from nine purposefully selected landfill sites located in six rural towns and three cities in four of the nine provinces in South Africa, providing nutritional status information on 386 participants and dietary intake on 358 participants after data cleaning and coding. The mean BMI of the study sample was 23.22 kg/m². Underweight was more prevalent among males (22.52%) whilst 56.1% of the females were overweight or obese. The average individual dietary diversity score was 2.46, with 50% scoring 2 or less. Dietary intake patterns were characterised as monotonous, starch-based and lacking vegetables and fruits. The nutritional status, dietary intake and dietary diversity of waste pickers reflect their precarious economic status, highlighting the need for health, social and economic policies to improve access and affordability of nutritious food. Full article

The complexity of converting political options into socially, economically, and environmentally acceptable strategies places collectors of recyclable material and the challenges they experience on the agendas of research in science, technology, and society. This article aims to investigate the negotiations and conflicts that permeated the implementation of a waste pickers’ cooperative and its integration into the municipal solid waste management system. Considering the complexity of the theme, the methodological approach adopted was grounded theory. This method encourages the expansion of knowledge in an area through the connection of theoretical concepts and significant aspects of the actors’ experiences. The techniques applied for data collection included semi-structured interviews, participant observation, document analysis, and informal interviews. The results are based on narratives analyzed from concepts derived from the Sociology of Translation. It was possible to observe the efforts undertaken by multiple actors, sometimes in the construction and other times in the destabilization of a support network for the establishment of a cooperative. The network suffered dissidents and was destabilized by the habits of the original network and by unexpected events, which made the results achieved opposite to desired ones. In the end, the network was not stabilized, and municipal solid waste management was unchanged. Full article

With this study, we aim to assess integration possibilities of formal and informal waste management approaches in a low-income country context by using recycling as a tool towards sustainability. Using a holistic approach, this study examines both formal and informal aspects of recycling value chains through a stakeholder lens. Pakistan is far from being a circular economy, as evident from the dismal levels of municipal solid waste collection and recycling. This problem calls for the effective integration of formal and informal recycling business processes to fill the void. With this study, we seek to assess various aspects of formal and informal waste recycling in Pakistan through an inductive qualitative research design by examining the case of one of the most populous cities, Lahore, in the Punjab province of Pakistan. Equal representation to various stakeholders is accorded, with 25 interviews each with managers of private companies, public companies, waste pickers and scrap dealers in the target area. The study highlights that recycling sector in Pakistan is completely informal and unregulated with no or little support available due to a lack of funds and systematic planning. The empirical evidence suggests that the formal sector lacks the capacity for proper waste disposal of total waste generated. The recycling aspects are left to informal sector stakeholders who improvise to extract value from MSW in an entrepreneurial manner. The formal sector holds a bias towards informal stakeholders due to the fact that their work also serves as a theft bargain and resale platform under the guise of waste collection and recycling. The study highlights the most and least sought after recyclables, identifies gray channel markets of spare parts, metal recycling and counterfeit products, and practices of adulteration in the target area. This study recommends as a policy input, to overcome bias towards the informal sector, the creation of a central recycling commission to overlook and regulate the affairs of hitherto unregulated and informal municipal solid waste and recycling value chains. Full article

This study assessed the role of waste picker sustainopreneurs (WPS) by examining their recycling contributions in a special case of District Swat, Pakistan. Using a transformative worldview, this study acknowledges their contributions to recycling. The study envisages how entrepreneurial agency works in unanticipated ways where the poorest of the poor enterprise without resources demonstrate unexpected agency to improve the environment. An inductive research design in conjunction with grounded theory was used to analyze data from 37 interviews in three tehsils of District Swat. The recycling sector uses primitive measures, which are completely informal, self-organized, and self-controlled. Surprisingly, we discovered that informal recycling contributes unfavorably to waste, energy, and food (WEF) security due to intermixing and adulteration, as well as acts as a gray channel for illicit practices that have taken advantage of tax amnesty in the area until 2023. The uncontrolled welding of half cut and nose cut car parts has skyrocketed the motorization index and CO₂ emissions; however, it has also resulted in alternative sources of livelihoods, as these accidental environmentalists had found modern sources of income. This is similar to low-tech innovation and business creation that takes advantage of tax holidays due to the special status of District Swat. The study highlights the most and least valuable recyclables and identifies the gray channel markets of spare parts, metal recycling, counterfeit products, fuel intermixing, and adulteration. The study contributes by untangling the understanding of a legal gambit of tax amnesty as a critical pre-policy input as well as advocates for rights of invisible stakeholders of waste management in Pakistan. Full article

Large-scale informal recycling networks often emerge among developing economies in response to the challenges of modern urban waste accumulation. South Korea, despite its highly industrialized, developed economy, still maintains an extensive informal recycling sector made up of networks of local junk shops and individual waste pickers. As cities’ large data sources have become more widely available, the use of urban informatics in sustainable smart waste management has become more widespread. In this paper, we use geographic information system (GIS) analysis in order to uncover patterns within Korea’s informal recycling system, looking at the relationship between population demographics, waste levels, and urban planning with the prevalence of junk shops across Korea. We then interviewed junk shop owners, urban planning researchers, and government officials in order to better understand the factors that led to the coexistence of the country’s informal and formal systems of waste management and how junk shops have changed their operations over time in response to recent developments in cities’ urban fabrics. We conclude by giving suggestions for how the usage of urban informatics could increase the efficiency and sustainability of the country’s waste management systems, while also discussing the possible pitfalls of using such existing datasets for future policy decisions. Full article

In many cities of third world countries, managing waste represents a beehive of activities that involve human scavengers searching for reusable or recyclable items that are either consumed or sold to generate funds for personal and family upkeep, since alternative decent employment are not available for them in the formal employment sector. Many of these waste pickers are young, work without the necessary health and safety apparatus, and expose themselves to injury and various health hazards. Therefore, this study investigated the working conditions and career aspirations of waste pickers in Lagos State, Nigeria. Using the questionnaire approach, structured, semi-structured, and open-ended questions were asked, and the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) was used to descriptively analyze the data collected and interpreted. The results showed that 87% of waste pickers in Lagos State have safety kits. In addition, the results showed flexibility in working hours and days since most waste pickers get to determine when and how they begin their work, i.e., 89% of the waste pickers spend 5 to 6 days a week in waste picking while 64% of them work between 10 and 14 h daily. Regarding earnings, the results showed that 68.3% of waste pickers earn between ₦2500 ($8.2) to ₦4900 ($16) daily. Finally, the results showed that despite access to safety kits, most waste pickers (54%) had experienced one form or another of hazard which has affected their career aspiration. Therefore, based on the study results we recommend that the Lagos State and the Nigerian federal government should develop a system that ensures strict compliance to established rules or guidelines that ensures the safety and health of waste pickers on the job. Full article

In many developing countries, the informal recycling sector is responsible for reducing the amount of waste in landfills and supplying the needs of recycling industries. In the context of municipal solid waste (MSW) management, considering that developing countries aim to implement circular economy (CE) actions, it is essential to ensure the inclusion of waste pickers (catadores) in an adapted CE structure. This study analyzes the integration of recycling cooperatives in the formal management of municipal solid waste with recyclable potential (MSWRP) of a medium-sized municipality in Brazil, with the objective of ascertaining the contributions of cooperatives in an adapted CE structure and, at the same time, identifying a cooperative that can be used as a benchmarking option for other cooperatives, especially in relation to their organizational and operational practices. The results indicate that from this integration, cooperatives have legal responsibility in the management of MSWRP, resulting in the professionalization of its members and increasing their productivity. The results also revealed that the implementation of the CE in developing countries is, in a sense, conditioned to the performance of the informal sector in the recycling chain and, in addition, that the inclusion of cooperatives in the formal sector of MSWRP management can improve the rates of a municipality. Full article