JUST TRANSITION OF THE INFORMAL RECYCLING SECTOR
CASE STUDIES
Organising and Integrating the Informal Recycling Sector in the Solid Waste Management Sector
INDIA
The informal waste recycling sector in India accounts for around 4 million people, including waste pickers, local kabadiwaalas (small scrap aggregators), larger aggregator/junkyard owners, and intermediate dealers, or other middlemen playing a significant role in the recovery and recycling of resources.
A recent profile of the informal sector in India by Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing and Organizing (WIEGO) provides that an estimated 2.2 million people are engaged in waste picking, of which 76.2% are informally employed. Most waste pickers work independently or in small groups, collecting and sorting various types of waste, such as plastic, paper, metals, and electronic waste, from households, streets, and dumping grounds for recycling. It is estimated that waste pickers in Indian cities collect about 15- 20% of municipal solid waste. In cities like Delhi and Bangalore, most of the recycled plastics are collected by waste pickers, either directly from households or working with non-governmental organisations. Some estimates suggest that waste pickers in these cities help save the government and taxpayers around 13,700 USD per day in waste disposal and collection costs.
Tweet
Leave a comment