South Africa's First National Waste Picker Meeting. Johannesburg. read more...

Waste Pickers

Waste pickers form a small, but vital, part of the informal economy. In nearly every city of the developing world, thousands of men, women, and children make a living collecting, sorting, recycling, and selling the valuable materials thrown away by others.  They collect household waste from the curb side, commercial and industrial waste from dumpsters, and litter from the streets, canals and other urban waterways.  Others live and work in municipal dumps – as many as 20,000 people in Calcutta, 12,000 in Manila, and 15,000 in Mexico City.

In spite of working in an activity that recovers and recycles thousands of tons of raw material each year, this population is economically and socially falling further behind and becoming highly vulnerable.  As a result, waste pickers have begun to organize and fight for their right to work in decent conditions that are within the framework of a public waste collection system.

Learn how informal waste pickers perform an essential role in the economies and societies of developing countries. 

Download the pdf: Waste Collectors (pdf 128 KB)

Urban Story

From Waste Pickers to University Graduates in One Generation the Story of the More Family By Nalini Shekar, KKPKP

Impact: Suman More has improved her working conditions and income by organizing with other waste pickers through KKPKP (trade union of waste pickers). Before becoming involved with KKPKP, Suman collected recyclables along the roadside and from trash bins, working very long hours in difficult and unhygienic conditions. Suman now has improved working conditions and income and has (along with her husband) provided an education and opportunities for her children.

Download the pdf: The More Family (pdf 96 KB)

Recent Publications

Reclaiming Livelihoods: The role of reclaimers in municipal waste management systems. Melanie Samson, South Africa 2009.

This report focuses on the contributions of reclaimers (waste pickers) to social and environmental sustainability. It explores the work that reclaimers do, how they use salvaging of commodities from the waste stream as a way to support themselves, and how they are being affected by municipal waste management policies.

Download the pdf: Reclaiming Livelihoods (pdf 1.1 MB)

Report of Conference Proceedings: Waste Pickers without Frontiers.

First World Conference and Third Latin-American Conference of Waste-Pickers, Bogota, Colombia, 1-4 March 2008.

Download the pdf: Waste Pickers Report (pdf 2.7MB)