The work and lives of street waste pickers in Pretoria - a case study of recycling in South Africa's urban informal economy
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Date
2011
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Springer
Abstract
High levels of unemployment are a permanent feature in the urban areas
of many developing countries. South Africa is no exception in this regard. Poverty
and hardship caused by unemployment force many participants in the labour market
to venture into the urban informal economy in order to survive. The activities of the
waste pickers fall within the urban informal economy. In spite of the fact that waste
pickers are a common sight in the urban areas of Pretoria and other South African
cities, remarkably little is known about them and scant attention is paid to them. The
aim of the study was to establish a socio-economic profile of the street waste pickers
in Pretoria and to describe the social interaction and relationship dynamics between
the waste pickers and their families, each other, the community and buy-back
centres. This was done by conducting the first ever empirical study of the street
waste pickers in Pretoria. The results revealed that the role of street waste pickers in
the broader waste management system is an important public issue that requires
urgent attention and appropriate policy responses from policy makers.
Description
Keywords
Urban informal economy, Recycling, Street waste pickers, Waste management system
Citation
Schenck, C. & Blaauw, P.F. (2011). The work and lives of street waste pickers in Pretoria - a case study of recycling in South Africa's urban informal economy. Urban Forum, 22: 411 - 430