Talking Trash: A Citizen's Guide Waste Pickersthe ... pdf/4... · waste picker ? Depending on...

Talking Trash: A Citizen's Guide

Waste Pickers...the generally overlooked

What do you see?

Source: bettertourismafrica.org | 3

More specifically…who

do you see?

Image Source: Sunday Tribune: IOL.co.za | 5

This is who/what I want

you to see!

Images Source: globalrec.org | 7

Serbia

Senegal

Uruguay

India

South Africa

Brazil

China

Waste pickers

are not only in

South African.

People make a

livelihood from

collecting and

selling waste

all around the

world.

Picking (Collecting)

waste is work…and it is

TOUGH.

It is really really HARD

WORK.

Image Source: GreenCape | 8

Access to income

“No other options, it’s a way to survive”

| 9

If it is so hard,

why would

anyone bother

doing it?

An average day of a waste picker

| 10

Collecting to sell –

(Rand per kg)

Metal: R 0,50c

R 50,00c

Office paper : R 1 ,00c

Magazines: R 0,20c

Cardboard: R 0,40c

Soft plastic: R 0,80c

PET: R 1,10c

Mixed paper: R 0,20c

Average 8.5 hours per day

Earliest 3:30am Latest 8pm

People are doing this work.

ABOUT 60 – 90,000 PEOPLE IN

SOUTH AFRICA ARE DOING THIS.

They are largely over looked.

Image Source: globalrec.org | 11

| 12

What does this

mean for the

waste picker ?

Depending on the mix of waste collected :

Earning per day ~ R 300

Average trolley (collecting capacity) 150 kg

(if two trips are done per day, i.e. collecting

300 kg)

Monthly earning : ~ R 7200

This can be higher and much

much lower

Rate per hour

Farm / labourer @ R 18,00Domestic worker @ R 15,00Average worker @ R 20,00

Monthly income: R 2880 to R 3840

| 13

How does this

compare to

minimum

wage?

What does this

mean for us?

Source: BMI (2013) for PackagingSA | 15

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Metal Plastics Glass PET Paper% r

ec

ove

ry b

y th

e i

nfo

rma

l se

cto

r

Post-consumer material stream

Informal sector contribution to the waste economy

MO

ST

What do the waste

pickers think of

the work?

| 17

I can

make

money

Keeps

me out of

trouble

Independence

Working

with

others

Cleans

the City

What the waste pickers

like about the work. I am my

own boss

| 18

Everything The

insults

It’s

dirty

Early

start

Health

risks

What the waste

pickers don’t

like about the

work.

CrimeCompet -

ition

What can you

do to help?

If you are not having your

recyclables collected at

home, or you are not dropping

it off at a City drop-off…

| 20

…place your recyclables (paper,

glass, metal and plastic) in a

CLEAR BAG and place it on top of

your waste in your bin on

collection day. | 21

Image Source: and Plastic SA | 22

IN =

Thank youWaste Programme Manager

Quinton Williams

Quinton@greencape.co.za

(021) 811 0250