Talking Trash: A Citizen's Guide Waste Pickersthe ... pdf/4... · waste picker ? Depending on the...
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Talking Trash: A Citizen's Guide Waste Pickers...the generally overlooked
Transcript of Talking Trash: A Citizen's Guide Waste Pickersthe ... pdf/4... · waste picker ? Depending on the...
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
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