Economic and social aspects of street waste pickers in South Africa

Ph.D. (Economics)Street waste pickers are a visible group of people trying to survive under poor socio-economic conditions. They participate in the informal economy as self-employed entrepreneurs. Despite the income-earning opportunity generated by the waste that is freely available, their social and economic conditions remain poor. This study is the first national study to investigate the social and economic conditions of the street waste pickers in South Africa. The national study covers thirteen major cities in South Africa and uses a mixed method research design. A literature review on informal waste picking activities and the participation of the poor in these activities provide a basis from which the socio-economic conditions of the street waste pickers could be analysed. A theoretical overview of poverty theories, the unemployment problem, and the characteristics of the informal economy and informal recycling activities help to contextualise the street waste pickers in terms of the link that exists between poverty, unemployment, and street waste picking activities as a marginal form of informal self-employment. With this as background, qualitative and quantitative data on the socio-economic conditions of the street waste pickers was collected from the street waste pickers themselves and from the buy-back centres with whom they interact on an almost daily basis