Strengthening Waste Picker Organising in Africa

Strengthening Waste PickerOrganising in Africa

' U N I T E D W E A R E S T R O N G , D I V I D E D W E F A L L '

This publication was produced in partnership with our member organisations the Centre forEnvironment Justice and Development (CEJAD), Nipe Fagio, Green Africa Youth Organisation (GAYO),Citizen’s Environmental and Social Concern (CESCO), Centre for Zero Waste and Development in Africa(CZWDA), groundWork (gW), Zero Zbel and the South African Waste Pickers Association (SAWPA). Weare thankful to the South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), fortheir contributions. Other contributors and reviewers are Cecilia Allen, Neil Tangri, Kenza Elazkem andDesmond Alugnoa. The publication was edited and compiled by Carissa Marnce and Niven Reddy.

The report has been made possible in part through funding from the SAGE Fund. The views expressedin this publication do not necessarily reflect those of the SAGE Fund. This report or its parts may bereproduced for non-commercial purposes provided the source is fully acknowledged. Reproduction forsale or commercial purposes is prohibited without the written permission of the copyright holder.

Available online at: www.no-burn.org/Strengthening-Waste-Picker-Organising-in-Africa

©2021 Global Alliance for Incinerator Alternatives (GAIA) 500 Esther Roberts Road, Glenwood, Durban, 4001, South Africawww.no-burn.orgFacebook:@ZeroWasteAfrica | Instagram: @africaforzerowaste

GAIA is a global network of grassroots groups, NGOs, and individuals, in over 90 countries. Theorganisation envisions a just, zero waste world built on respect for ecological limits and communityrights, where people are free from the burden of toxic pollution, and resources are sustainablyconserved, not burned or dumped. GAIA works to catalyse a global shift towards environmental justiceby strengthening grassroots social movements that advance solutions to waste and pollution.

Cover image courtesy of the Green Africa Youth Organisation (GAYO), ©Taha Sayeh/iStock and ©SeppFriedhuber/ iStock. Maps by Vemaps.com.

Acknowledgements

http://www.no-burn.org/

https://www.facebook.com/ZeroWasteAfrica

https://www.instagram.com/africaforzerowaste/

Table of Contents

South Africa: A decade into democratic waste picker organising 4

Ghana: Increasing waste collection in municipalities 8

Tanzania: A need for recognition from government and local communities 11

Kenya: Forming associations to advocate for waste picker rights 14

Morocco: Waste pickers integral for a circular economy 17

Zambia: Formalising waste pickers in national waste management plans 18

Introduction 1

Reflections on waste pickers across the African region 4

a.

b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

Partnering with national government 22

A way forward for Africa 25

References 27

BTTA: Borla Taxi and Tricycle Association

CEJAD: Centre for Environmental Justice and Development

CESCO: Citizens Environmental and Social Concern

CZWDA: Centre for Zero Waste and Development in Africa

DFFE: South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment

EPR: Extended Producer Responsibility

GAYO: Green Africa Youth Organisation

gW: groundWork

IESS: Institute of Environment and Sanitation Studies

MMDAs: Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies

MRF: Material Recovery Facility

PPE: Personal Protective Equipment

SAWPA: South African Waste Pickers Association

SCP: Sustainable Community Project

SLEP: Sustainable Livelihood Empowerment project

WIEGO: Women in Informal Employment: Globalising and Organising

Acronyms & Abbreviations

Introduction

For centuries, indigenous cultures within the African continent have abided by principles ofpreservation and reuse. Traditional indigenous knowledge illustrates understanding and respect of theunique ecosystems in the continent. People within Africa understood their existence in terms of thesocial belief system and cultural constructs to which each belonged 1. The basic principle was this,nothing would be taken from the earth that could not be repurposed and returned.

Today parts of Africa have become dilapidated wastelands, flooded with toxic and non-recyclableplastic waste. In countries like Ghana, masses of electronic waste are imported into the country everyyear 2. High mass consumption, which has operated under the guise of economic development, hasmotivated African countries to abandon traditional indigenous knowledge and open their borders totrade agreements that facilitate the entry of transnational corporations, which has escalated thewaste management problem in the region. This has consequently altered the relationships that peoplehave formed with each other and the earth. Despite strong plastic legislation in more than 34 Africancountries, waste disposal is still a significant challenge that requires lasting solutions. Governmentsare often presented with false solutions like “waste to energy” incineration and other harmful, wasteburning technologies to deal with the waste problems within the region.

This technology is not made for the African context; they are imported systems that are being shippedinto the continent as green and efficient technology, led by companies looking to expand into newmarkets. Furthermore, these expensive waste management systems have high environmental impacts.

Strengthening Waste Picker Organising in Africa 1

©Sepp Friedhuber/ iStock

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/282523644_African_Indigenous_Knowledge_System_and_Environmental_Sustainability

https://www.resource-recovery.net/sites/default/files/greenpeace_ghanaewaste_final_0.pdf

2 Strengthening Waste Picker Organising in Africa

It would also not be a feasible option for thecontinent considering that Africa has onaverage 50-60% organic materials making upthe waste stream, and an incinerator relies onthe dry, flammable waste to be profitable tooperate 3.

Instead of investing in these false solutions,African governments need to uphold existinglegislation to prevent hazardous and municipalwaste being transferred into countries and torehabilitate society by implementing zero wastepractices that are rooted in the local contextand strengthen the local expertise.

Zero waste is defined as the "conservation of allresources by means of responsible production,consumption, reuse, and recovery of products,packaging, and materials without burning andwith no discharges to land, water, or air thatthreaten the environment or human health" 4.

Implementing strategies like the separation oforganic waste at a national level can preventthe cross-contamination of materials andincrease the number of recycled products. Thistransition to zero waste can be driven bycreating partnerships with waste pickers, alsoknown as 'reclaimers', 'informal recyclers' or'waste workers', who are the cornerstone ofrecycling in many Global South cities 5.

Waste pickers recycle materials such as plastic,cardboard, paper and metals and prevent themfrom remaining in landfills. They also play a keyrole towards achieving environmental justiceand mitigating climate change by collecting andselling waste as a livelihood strategy. Incountries like South Africa, statistics show thatwaste pickers recover between 80 to 90% ofthe post-consumption packaging and paper 6.

However, despite their critical social,environmental and economic role, wastepickers across the continent are faced withmany challenges. This ranges from socialstigmas, abuse from municipal or securityofficials on landfill sites and the privatisation ofwaste which prevents them from having accessto certain waste to make their livelihood. Wastepickers have rights, and through formingalliances with each other they can ensure thattheir work is respected and their contributionsto society are acknowledged.


https://no-burn.org/wp-content/uploads/Ethiopia_factsheet_layout_SEP-7-2018.pdf

https://zwia.org/zero-waste-definition/

https://zerowasteworld.org/wp-content/uploads/Economic-Justice-Report-SINGLES-1.pdf


Forming alliances will allow for theirvoices to be heard at local, nationaland regional levels, in a unified call toimprove working conditions and to beprovided with safe spaces to sort,collect and sell their recyclablematerials.

There are successful ways that wastepickers have formed alliances andintegrated themselves into municipalsystems to adopt zero wasteapproaches. These experiences canact as a roadmap to implement thesestrategies in different parts of thecontinent.


Extending lifespan of landfills by divertingrecyclable materials away.

Increasedrecycling ratesby reenteringmaterials intothe economy.

Job creationpotential .

Benefits of waste picking.©Vladan Radulovic /iStock

Reflections on waste pickers across the African region

South Africa: A decade intodemocratic waste picker organising

These challenges included waste pickers receiving varied income from middlemen in exchange forrecycled materials. Middlemen act as intermediaries between waste pickers and the formal recyclingsector by purchasing materials from waste pickers and then selling them to recyclers, usually makinga profit in the process. Since they determine the price, waste pickers have no control in addressingthis individually. Additionally, they also faced discrimination from municipal officials preventing themfrom accessing landfill sites. Furthermore, waste pickers worked in dangerous and unhealthyconditions without the necessary tools and protective equipment. Simon Mbata, National Coordinatorfor SAWPA said, “waste was privatised, and contracted companies were dictating the terms. Wastepickers were exploited and were chased out of landfills by municipal workers. They have been lookeddown upon and stigmatised as being uneducated, homeless and unaware of the value of resources atthe landfill”.


©Carissa Marnce/ GAIA

South Africa has more than 90 000 waste pickerscollecting recyclable waste materials on the streets andlandfill sites to earn a living. The South African WastePickers Association (SAWPA) is an organisation of morethan 1000 registered waste pickers from all nineprovinces of South Africa. The organised movementstarted in 2007 and was constituted in 2009 during thefirst national meeting of waste pickers in South Africa.Before the organisation's inception, waste pickers facedmany challenges that come with working in isolation 7.

https://groundwork.org.za/Documents/waste/groundWork%20SAWPA%20Waste%20pickers%20organising%20booklet.pdf

In 2007, waste pickers began organisingthemselves 8. This was done with the help ofgroundWork (gW) and Women in InformalEmployment: Globalising and Organising(WIEGO), who started visiting different landfillsites across the country, motivating wastepickers working in these spaces to organisethemselves. gW developed an organisingbooklet, showcasing the benefits of collectivelyorganising to speak to the government toimprove working conditions. Together, wastepickers began holding meetings, and they soonrealised that their challenges were very similarwhich led to a national meeting in 2009. Wastepickers who attended the gathering committedto advocating for recognition and inclusion at anational level; they also agreed on the nameSouth African Waste Pickers Association.

SAWPA has grown from strength to strengthsince that first meeting in 2009. Theassociation has been championing therecognition of waste pickers for over a decade,and now waste pickers are an integralstakeholder in any national waste policydiscussions. This significant victory not onlyprevents the introduction of false solutions towaste issues but also ensures that the voices ofwaste pickers are heard, especially sincetechnological infrastructure such asincineration can easily displace them andimpact their livelihoods.

Apart from ensuring a voice in policy arenas,SAWPA has been able to challenge falsesolutions through practising viable systems thatdemonstrate zero waste principles. If thecorrect systems like separation at source andnecessary equipment are available, wastepickers have shown the financial benefits theyhave been providing to municipalities bydiverting waste from landfills.

While SAWPA continues to champion zero wasteand fight for the collective voice of wastepickers, they have been growing the movementby registering waste pickers across thecontinent. The database of waste pickers hasbeen essential in managing the nationalassociation's members and a starting point forthe distribution of Personal ProtectiveEquipment (PPE) and food parcels during theearly stages of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.Furthermore, the registration of waste pickershas sought to dignify the profession of wastepicking by providing members withidentification cards, which helps to unify all theindividuals contributing to the informal wastemanagement sector. SAWPA also dedicated itstime to improving the working conditions ofwaste pickers.


©Focalize Media/GAIA


In the past, waste pickers spent hoursat landfills searching for recoverablewaste; this often exposed them toharsh elements. The organisationcontinues to advocate for theestablishment of Material RecoveryFacilities (MRF) for waste pickers inmunicipalities to sort through materialsin a safer environment. They have sinceestablished MRF's in Vaalpark of theFree State, Mooiriver of KwaZulu-Nataland Paarl of the Western Cape, wherewaste pickers are workingcollaboratively with the localgovernment and communities to carryout recycling operations.



Mantwa Mokena

In the past, we were evicted from the dumpsites, in other caseswe were threatened to be handled by soldiers with dogs, all withthe intention of being taken out of the space, but we refused. SAWPA taught us how to stand up for ourselves. Today we haveformulated a committee that can go to the municipality or thepolice if we are being threatened to be evicted on a landfill site.We no longer work in fear and we are able to speak out againstevictions.

Lefa Mononga

Before 2007, we were not allowed to work in landfills, policeharassed us to get us out of landfills and the streets. People usedto call us names like hobos, and I used to feel shame when I toldpeople what I did for a living.

Today, I can support my family. Through SAWPA my life is morestable.

Madi Koena

Before SAWPA, we didn’t have space to store materials, we had topick and sell items on the same day. Every day was just aboutsurvival to buy bread, and I only made around R200 daily (USD13.59). When you work individually you do not have a chance toconnect with others.

Now when we have problems, they can be solved collectively withpeople who can advise, we all support each other. We also have aspace to sort our materials. These experiences are only possiblebecause we are part of this association.

Voices from the ground: SAWPA members attest to the benefits of joining a waste pickerorganisation.


Through this project, the organisation proposes a waste management model hinged on achieving zerowaste and reaping the economic benefits of waste recycling in local communities. This model dependson waste workers to collect recyclables, both organic and plastics, and transport them to a materialsrecovery facility where further sorting and recycling takes place.

To celebrate World Cities Day 2021, the organisation launched their "Zero Waste Strategy: Ghana",which outlines zero waste and demonstrates how it can be implemented in municipalities andcommunities across Ghana with many case studies of good practices and examples. Furthermore,GAYO actively creates awareness on the importance of waste workers and calls for their inclusion inwaste management systems. To support their works, GAYO has been providing much-needed supportand relief for them during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic and after.


Ghana: Increasing waste collection inmunicipalities



The Green Youth Organisation is a Non-Governmental Organisation(NGO), based in Accra, Ghana. As part of their advocacy for zero waste,GAYO has a Sustainable Community Project (SCP) in Adansi SouthDistrict of Ghana, the first community-led circular economy wastemanagement project in Ghana.

Some challenges faced by waste pickers inGhana include not being formally recognised askey actors in the waste management sector. Asa result, they are excluded from decision-making processes in Ghana's wastemanagement sector and waste managementpolicies. This has caused societal stigma, wherethe public perceives them negatively, andexploitation from middlemen.

They also do not have the necessary protectiveworking equipment or working space to sortand store their collected waste. Additionally,they lack access to decent housing and live inpoor conditions within the informal spheres inAccra and other major cities.

They lack access to health care and often facemany health threats, including inhaling toxicsubstances. Furthermore, there are risksassociated with handling mixed waste, as thereare not any policies mandating waste beingseparated at the source. Ghana’s NationalEnvironmental Sanitation Policy (ESP) datesback from 1999 and was revised in 2010 with nodirect indication of waste segregation at thesource. This is a huge challenge as it limits therecovery of waste and creates health problems.

The inclusion of informal wastecollectors has helped increasewaste collection coverage from 75%to 90% in the capital of Accra 9.

Waste workers have helped increase wastemanagement services across the 261Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies(MMDAs) to 80%, across the country 10. Theshift towards the private sector (wastecollectors) in Ghana has effectively improvedwaste collection services in major cities overthe past 10 years. After the collection, therecyclables are cleaned and sorted before beingsold to middlemen, who transports them torecycling plants.


©GAYO

Waste workers, also known as ‘Borla’, in Ghanawork at landfills or dumpsites, where the cities'solid waste is disposed of. Some move betweendifferent places such as households, offices,markets, factories, stores, schools, hospitals,the streets, industries, and construction sites.Others work at canals, rivers, and wetlandswhere people dump refuse.

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/8/1/12

https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/8/1/12

https://www.rvo.nl/sites/default/files/2019/08/Ghana-Market-Survey-Waste-Circular-Economy.pdf

Voices from the ground:Reflections from the Chairperson, Lydia Bamfo of the Borlar Taxiand Tricycle Association (BTTA)

I have been a waste picker for more than seven years. As waste pickers, we face manychallenges during our operations at landfill sites. When it comes to our health, we inhale alot of toxic substances daily, which puts our lives at risk. We also struggle to get supportfrom health care personnel when we have an injury. They tell us to go and change how weare dressed before they can assist us. These are stigmas that are very unfortunate,embarrassing and dehumanising.

My hope for the future of waste picking in Ghana is that I want to see more waste pickerssupported and respected in the country. Our government needs to include us in decision-making processes in the waste management system, particularly at a district level. If anincentive model is implemented, it will increase collection and provide better income forwaste pickers. We deserve to be recognised. Based on our unfortunate experiences inaccessing healthcare services, we also need a clinic to be set aside for waste pickers.Additionally, we need MRFs to aid us in sorting waste materials.



Waste collectors and pickers in Ghana have organised themselves into associations such as the BorlaTaxi and Tricycle Association (BTTA), the Kpone waste pickers Association and the La Informal wastePickers Association. Their contribution to the waste management sector is gradually being recognised.In the Ga East Municipality, the BTTA are registered through a project known as 'Formalising TheInformal Waste Pickers'. This project is being championed by the Institute of Environment andSanitation Studies (IESS), GAYO and the Ga East Municipal Assembly. At the La Dade Kotopon MunicipalAssembly, the La Informal Waste Pickers are being formalised through the Zero Waste Accra Projectimplemented by GAYO.

Nipe Fagio is an environmental NGO based inDar es Salaam, Tanzania. They have built arelationship with local waste pickers in Dar esSalaam, by prioritising campaigns focused onthe valorisation of waste pickers as essentialworkers and creating awareness on the need toprovide them with safe working conditions,community recognition, and the right to beprotected in times of crisis like the COVID-19pandemic.

The organisation has also included wastepickers in a zero waste model in the Bonyokwacommunity, which combines separation atsource, organic waste management andrecycling into a decentralised framework. Inthis project, they have built collection pointsintending to provide waste pickers with neededfacilities for waste segregation.


Tanzania: A need for recognition fromgovernment and local communities


©NipeFagio


Waste pickers play an essential role in collecting recyclable waste that has been misplaced in theenvironment and reentering it into the production chain, increasing material recovery rates. Theycollect recyclable waste from the streets, drainage channels, businesses, beaches and illegaldumpsites, as well as from Pugu, the official dumpsite in Dar es Salaam.

The challenges they encounter in the country include marginalisation from community members whoare afraid of them. They also experience a lack of recognition from the government, who are unable tosee the essential role that they play in waste management. Nipe Fagio said that a few groups havetried to organise themselves in the country. This includes one group that works at the Pugu dumpsite,but there have been minimal results.

We hope that their position in waste management is recognised and respected and that they canperform their work in a mutually beneficial way for themselves and the communities they work in.

Ana Le Rocha.

Tanzania lacks waste collection systems in most parts of the country. Our neighbourhoods lackwaste collection systems, our communities lack education on waste segregation and ourrecycling capacity is limited. The rivers and drainage channels are frequently used as wastedisposal areas and producers continuously put unmanageable products in the market

Ana Le Rocha, director of Nipe Fagio.

©NipeFagio

Deogratius Felix Mgongolwa

I have been a waste picker for more than three years, and some of thechallenges I have seen is that we are not valued like other workerswho are making a living in the community. Waste pickers are seen asthieves and beggars. We want to form a group or an association ofwaste pickers, that will be recognised by the government and otherplayers in the waste management system. This will be the platformthat can help us get recognised and valued by our community.

Veronica Lunyali

Local governments are aware of our existence; the centralgovernment has to somehow get involved and help push themanufacturers who are buying the recyclable plastic bottles to buythese plastic bottles at a reasonable price. This will help us andbenefit everyone along this value chain.

Voices from the ground: Reflections from waste pickers in Dar es Salaam


Selemani Ally Mtola

For over four years, I have worked as a waste picker. I believe that ourbiggest challenge is the community’s perception of us. They think weare thieves, and they call us names in the street. This proves that thecommunity is not valuing our work. We also lack protectiveequipment like gloves, boots and masks, that can protect us againstdiseases. I want to see waste pickers having a good life like otherworkers in the future. I would also like to see an environment that isclean and safe for everyone.

In Kenya, waste pickers play a crucial role in solid waste management by reducing the amount of wastesent to landfills and returning materials back into the economy through recycling, which promotes acircular economy. They also contribute to cleanliness in municipalities, by collecting waste inresidential areas. Some of the challenges waste pickers face in the country include harassment anddiscrimination, respiratory disorders due to prolonged and frequent exposure to smoke from the firesat the dumpsite, poor working conditions, and injuries from sharp and heavy waste materials in thedumpsites.


Kenya: Forming associations to advocate forwaste picker rights



The Centre for Environment Justice and Development (CEJAD), isa Kenyan NGO, based in Nairobi. As part of their commitment tozero waste, CEJAD works with local waste pickers in Kenya. Theorganisation facilitates and trains individuals on the benefits ofself-organising, workers’ rights, legal provisions, andopportunities associated with their line of work. They have beenmobilising waste pickers in Kisumu, Nakuru, Nairobi andMombasa, to advocate for their rights and recognition in thewaste management economy, including waste collection,recycling and safe disposal.

The lack of proper sanitation and PPEfrequently puts them at risk of touchinghazardous, toxic and infectious waste. Wastepickers also receive low incomes as a result ofunregulated markets and brokers (middlemen).

Waste pickers low income is due to both the lowvalue of the materials and the market structure,which affect the waste pickers at differentlevels. At most, the formal recycling sector willpay 60 Kenyan Shillings (0.53 USD) per Kilogramof plastic. For waste pickers to receive the totalamount, some value addition to the plastics hasto have occurred in the form of sorting,cleaning and baling, or shredding. However, thewaste pickers do not have the infrastructure forvalue addition, forcing them to sell the plasticsto a broker, who will set the fee that they willpay for the materials.

Furthermore, the market for materials variesdepending on the availability of recoverablematerials. In some areas where plastics arescarce due to low scattered populations, theprice will be higher than in areas where plasticscan be found everywhere.

The amount is usually lower due to the gapbetween waste pickers and the formal recyclingsector, as well as the lack of regulated prices. Insome cases, waste pickers who are in need ofmoney go to the brokers for a loan and have tocontinue supplying the broker with materialsuntil they have paid off the debt. Sadly, evenwhen the market value for plastics increases,brokers do not inform the waste picker.

We hope that through formalisation,waste pickers will have a unified voice toadvocate for their rights, and that theywill get improved working conditions likeworking in material recovery centres.Waste picking should be recognised asany other job, and its players should beinvolved in policy and other decision-making forums through theirassociations. This will provide wastepickers with a collective voice to claimtheir rights and air their views in thesedecision-making forums

Griffins Ochieng, director of CEJAD.


Additionally, there is a lack of nationalpolicies that implement separation at thesource, which is a system that wouldincrease the number of recyclable materialsfrom which waste pickers can make anincome.

With the support of CEJAD, waste pickersfrom Kisumu, Nairobi, Mombasa, and Nakuruhave formed associations. They have beenundergoing waste picker leadership trainingon how to use media to amplify their voiceand be included in the country’s formalwaste management system.

Solomon

In the Dandora Dumpsite, I have experienced harassment by the general public and fellow wastepickers. I have also experienced poor working conditions, like working in an open space which isunfavourable, especially during the colder seasons. I hope to see waste pickers being moreorganised, recognised and appreciated by the general public in the future. I hope that our workwill be guided by a constitution like any other profession, where waste pickers will have a seat atthe table, and we will be recipients of tenders from the local and national governments for wastemanagement projects. To achieve this, the government needs to integrate waste pickers in theirformal waste management plans and formally recognise them as waste warriors! Waste pickersneed to be trained on their rights, and some basic health and hygienic ways to protectthemselves in their work areas, to avoid injury and contracting diseases.

James Githae

Since 2000, I have worked as a waste picker. In this work, we are exposed to smoke becausesome waste pickers burn waste to enable them to recover metals. There are also pricefluctuations of collected waste, which leads to low income and increased poverty levels. Welack personal protective equipment and washrooms near the dumpsites. Additionally, there is alack of unity amongst waste pickers, as they see each other as competitors for recyclablematerials.

We need waste pickers to be organised, legally recognised and aware of their rights.

Voices from the ground:Reflections from waste pickers at the Dandora Dumpsite andGiotto Dumpsite in Nakuru


As part of their contract, these companies thenhelp organise waste pickers working on existinglandfills into cooperatives to sort some waste in anMRF built on the site. This is part of their corporatesocial responsibility programmes. There arecurrently MRFs established in the landfills of Rabatand Marrakesh. There is also an MRF in Meknes;however, it is not functional. This wastesegregation is done by waste pickers at the end ofthe chain and still requires them to sort throughthe mixed waste to recover materials. Somecooperatives have declared that they are only ableto process about 5% of the truckloads of mixedsolid waste coming into the landfill.

Zero Zbel is a zero waste NGO dedicated tocreating a change in how waste is managed inMorocco. They have conducted several studiesand interviews with waste pickers in Morocco tounderstand their work better. The organisationhas plans to begin working with waste pickersdirectly through a program that will facilitatepartnerships between waste pickers andneighbourhood associations. This program aimsto demonstrate the potential of zero wastemanagement models for a circular economyand job creation.

According to Zero Zbel, most waste pickerswork at the bottom chain of the recyclingindustry. There are about 34 000 waste pickersin the country. It is estimated that each onecollects about 50 kilograms of recyclable wastea day. The Moroccan plastic recycling market ischaracterised by a major production in theinformal sector, which generates 85% ofturnover. The overall turnover of the Moroccanrecycling sector is 850 million Moroccandirhams (USD 95 million).

Despite some waste pickers organisingthemselves, they are still faced with challengessuch as poor working conditions, lack of socialrecognition and exploitation by intermediaries(middlemen).Through waste collection companies’ corporatesocial responsibility programmes, Morocco istrying to regulate and control dumpsites. Whenmunicipalities in Morocco want to build newlandfills, they call on waste managementcompanies.


Morocco: Waste pickers, integral for acircular economy


©Taha Sayeh / iStock

Citizens Environmental and Social Concern (CESCo) is an NGO dedicatedto improving working conditions for waste pickers in Zambia. They haveestablished a department in their organisation, which they named'Platform for Waste Pickers', which will assist waste pickers innegotiating for better working conditions and pay. Through thisinitiative, they have identified one hundred vulnerable women, elderlypeople and youths. In August of 2021, they supported waste pickersbased at Chunga dumpsite in Lusaka, through GAIA’s COVID-19 relief andadvocacy funds. They distributed face masks, boots, gloves, reflectorvests, and hand sanitisers to the vulnerable individuals. Furthermore, theorganisation has started engaging with recycling firms to buy wastematerials from waste pickers.


Zambia: Formalising waste pickers innational waste management plans


©CESCO

Environmental NGO Centre for Zero Waste and Development in Africa (CZWDA), based in Zambia, hasalso been working closely with Zambian waste pickers to organise them to form co-operatives andeducate them on the environmental and economic value of their work.

Through their Sustainable LivelihoodEmpowerment Project (SLEP), they haveempowered waste pickers by sharing recyclingskills and facilitating the creation of green jobs inwaste management. This includes information onreducing waste, reusing goods, composting andrecycling items to improve total wastemanagement and build sustainable and moreresilient communities.

Waste pickers play a significant role in Zambia’swaste management and the environment atlarge. They help separate waste by ensuring thatrecyclable materials are removed from thegeneral waste and sent to the recycling plants.They collect waste from the dumpsite, landfills,along the streets, waterways and streetdrainages, which subsequently mitigatescommunity flooding caused by plastic cloggeddrainages during the rainy seasons.

In Zambia, waste pickers face many challenges,such as access to waste and the privatisation ofwaste, which are key issues that impact wastepickers’ livelihoods. Waste pickers face lowsocial status, deplorable living and workingconditions, and little local government support.They also face the challenge of shelter andadequate space for sorting and storing collectedmaterials. Without storage, the material cannotbe held, and the weather can degrade or ruinunsheltered materials. Furthermore, handlingwaste poses many health risks. Waste pickersare exposed to contaminants and hazardousmaterials.


©CESCO

CZWDA and CESCo organised a joint national symposium for waste pickers on plastic pollution. Theevent, held on 22 October 2021, was the first national symposium for waste pickers in Lusaka. Theobjective of the symposium was to advocate for waste picker rights, promote plastic reduction,advocate for a total ban on single-use plastic bags, promote separation of waste from source and zerowaste, as well as to demand ambitious plastic policy through national alliance-building.

The meeting brought together different actors in the waste management sector, such as the localgovernment, the Zambia Environmental Agency, local waste pickers from the Lusaka and Serenjeregion, and the South African Waste Pickers Association (SAWPA), who joined the meeting to shareexperiences on waste picker organising in South Africa.

During the gathering, speakers highlighted the role that waste pickers play in recycling and achieving acircular economy. Speakers also addressed the importance of recognising and formalising them in thecountry’s waste management plans, and engaging them in policy formulation in the waste sector.


We hope for better policies that will protect the well being of waste pickers in Zambia, like re-enforcing and strengthening the Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to compel themanufacturers of products with single-use and disposable plastic packaging, to buy back theirdisposable plastic packaging from waste pickers at a good and sustainable price

Conwell Hakapya, director of CESCO.

As an organisation that works closely with waste pickers, we hope that they are formally recognisedby the local government, provided with good working conditions, as well as social protection andorganised to form waste pickers co-operatives that will have representatives. We also hope that inthe near future, there will be localised collection centres that will act as storage where all the wastematerials will be gathered and sold at a good price, and will cut the expenses of rentals andtransportation.

Billy Lombe, director of CZWDA

©CESCO


Voices from the ground:Reflections from waste pickers in Zambia

Justine Kalota

I have been in waste picking for 13 years, and some of the challenges we have encountered is a lack ofprotective equipment, transport, and finances. My hope for the future is to grow the business of wastepicking at a large scale and have access to equipment like digital scales. I also hope for buyers toincrease their rates for the materials. We need unity amongst waste pickers to achieve this.

Morgan Chama

I have been a waste picker for 17 years; I have found that buyers tend to change the buying priceduring the rainy season; they stop weighing the products and buy per bag of collected recyclables,which means it will come at a low price. It becomes like slavery and not a job. We need the governmentand organisations to hold buyers accountable and ensure transparency. We also need waste pickers tohave a union to speak on our behalf.

Sarah Ngosa

I have been waste picking since 2014. We face many challenges as waste pickers, such as inadequatestorage for the waste materials we collect before taking them to the recycling points. The price rates atthe recycling markets are too low compared to the labour we endure to collect the waste. There arehigher transport expenses to move the waste to recycling companies in Lusaka and Copperbelt area.We need to form a strong association with proper management so that we get recognised by the localgovernment. To achieve this we need proactive leadership and active associations to advocate for therights of waste pickers in the country.


Partnering with national governmentThe inclusion of informal recyclers and the zero waste systems they advance results in greatereconomic and social justice for an important percentage of the population performing an essentialservice 11. Through the work of organisations like SAWPA and gW, the national Government of SouthAfrica has acknowledged the critical role of waste pickers in the country. It has taken notable steps toenable them to be fully integrated, with safe working conditions across various municipalities.

The South African Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) acknowledgesthe significance of waste pickers in the value chain of waste management. It is estimated thatthere are between sixty and ninety thousand informal waste pickers working at the heart of SouthAfrica’s recycling economy, recovering mostly paper and packaging waste from the service chainand introducing secondary resources into the country’s value chain. Waste pickers are experts intheir trade, and we need to acknowledge their skills and ingenuity.

Peter Mbelengwa, Acting Chief Director: Communications and Advocacy, DFFE

While there is still a considerable need for more support for the work of waste pickers in the country,the government has put the following measures to protect and advocate for their rights inmunicipalities; this includes national Waste Picker Integration Guidelines, which was developed in2020. These guidelines guide municipalities and industries on measures to improve the workingconditions of waste pickers through their integration into formal waste management and recyclingstructures 12.

©Carissa Marnce / GAIA


https://wasteroadmap.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/Waste-Picker-Integration-Guidelines.pdf

Other critical areas government and municipalities are working on for the successful waste pickerintegration include implementing policies like EPR. This can be defined as "A policy principle topromote total life cycle environmental improvements of product systems by extending theresponsibilities of the manufacturer of the product to various parts of the entire life cycle of theproduct, and especially to the take-back, recycling and final disposal of the product" 14. Theseregulations were established to ensure that producers take responsibility for reducing their non-recyclable waste. The regulations apply to electrical, electronic, lighting, paper, packaging and certainsingle-use product sectors and recognise the mechanisms of waste pickers' role in collectingrecyclables.

The guidelines were developed for municipalities and focus on separating different types of post-consumer waste materials at the site where they are generated as a component of an integrated wastemanagement system of solid waste 15.

Peter Mbelengwa, Acting Chief Director:Communications and Advocacy, DFFE

The Guidelines is designed to support the move beyond the charity approach and ensure thatwaste picker integration in South Africa is meaningful and achieves all of the environmental,economic, and social benefits of working with waste pickers.

Waste Picker Integration Guidelines, 2020 13


The lack of infrastructure for separatecollection of recyclables and waste recyclingin some parts of the country demands thatwaste pickers should become central inmunicipal solid waste management.


https://portal.research.lu.se/en/publications/extended-producer-responsibility-in-cleaner-production-policy-pri




Furthermore, the South African NationalEnvironmental Management: Waste Act of2008 includes waste pickers pickingmaterials on landfills. However, the road tobuilding stronger partnerships betweenwaste pickers and municipalities is stillunderway. Despite the integration of wastepickers being accepted at a national level, insome parts of the country, municipalitiesneed to collectively recognise their work.

Waste pickers have established strongrepresentative bodies. SAWPA and theAfrican Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) arenoticeably present in national policydiscussions and are engaging withmunicipalities to work better with wastepickers. Like SAWPA, ARO is a membership-based democratic organisation of reclaimersworking with reclaimers in residential areasand landfills. They have a membership ofover 5500 reclaimers in and around the Cityof Johannesburg, South Africa 16.

Government can do more to support wastepicker Integration in the country. Some of theissues that are under discussion includeexploring the possibility of giving contractsfor waste collection in Government buildings,to waste pickers

Peter Mbelengwa, Acting Chief Director:Communications and Advocacy, DFFE


https://www.africanreclaimers.org/

This includes allowing them to charge user fees,develop inclusion plans, supporting them withsorting centres and equipment, collectionroutes, and paying them for the service theyprovide.

National governments have to centre wastepickers in the waste management plans,starting with formal recognition of waste pickerorganisations, prioritising mandatoryseparation at source policies and supportingmunicipalities with funds to implementseparate collection of recyclables and organics.

Organic waste has to be treated and managedseparately to provide waste pickers with clean,recyclable materials to secure their livelihoods.Effectively separating the waste streamscreates opportunities for investment into theright types of infrastructure to ensure thatrecyclable materials are sorted and processedfor recycling by waste pickers. They are avaluable resource to our society and the cost ofintegration and enablement is far less than thecost of the linear model of waste management.

A way forward for AfricaWaste pickers showcased in this reportdemonstrate the common need for officialrecognition from national and municipalgovernments, better working conditions, PPE,improved payment for their recovered materialsand collection and processing service, and anend to social stigmatisation. The experience oforganising shows that these needs areachievable through building representativeorganisations that will ensure that their voicesare heard in negotiations with governments anddemonstrate their value to society.

This requires waste pickers to workcollaboratively and embed the principles ofdemocracy, equality and environmental justicein their organised structures. Furthermore,municipalities and national governments needto recognise the value that waste pickers play indiverting waste from the landfills, encouragingrecycling where materials re-enter the economyand addressing poverty by providing an incomefor individuals that have been excluded fromthe formal economy.

With the right support mechanisms in place bythe national government and localmunicipalities to recognise and support the roleof waste pickers, their ongoing work inchampioning recycling along with bettersystems to manage organic waste, it makestechnologies like incineration, chemicalrecycling and other false solutions to the wastecrisis irrelevant. Municipalities will benefit fromconsidering the waste pickers as champions ofdoor-to-door separate collection services forrecyclables, organics, and plan together ways toresource this


©GAYO

Other approaches that national governments can take to enhance the value of this relationship is byensuring that EPR can be used as a tool to not only support better collection for recyclable materialsbut also having the scope to phase out non-recyclable materials and others like single-use plasticwhich has no market value and obliges waste pickers to spend a lot of time sorting through to separatethem from the materials that do have markets.

If we want to unlock the full potential of zero waste in Africa, we have to create enabling systems thatplace waste pickers at the centre of our plans while ensuring that they will not be undermined by thecapitalist system that seeks to perpetuate overconsumption and a wasteful society.


©CESCO

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Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries and Departmentof Science and Innovation. 2020. Waste picker integration guideline for SouthAfrica: Building the Recycling Economy and Improving Livelihoods through Integration of the InformalSector. DEFF and DST: Pretoria.

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groundWork.n.d. United we progress, divided we fall.https://groundwork.org.za/Documents/waste/groundWork%20SAWPA%20Waste%20pickers%20organising%20booklet.pdf

Jo Kuper, Martin Hojsik. 2008. Poisoning the poor Electronic Waste Ghana. Greenpeace.https://www.greenpeace.de/sites/www.greenpeace.de/files/GhanaEWaste_FINAL_0.pdf

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Oduro-Appiah, Kwaku, Abraham Afful, Victor N. Kotey, and Nanne De Vries. 2019. Working with theInformal Service Chain as a Locally Appropriate Strategy for Sustainable Modernization of MunicipalSolid Waste Management Systems in Lower-Middle Income Cities: Lessons from Accra, Ghana.Resources 8, no. 1: 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/resources8010012

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