Mainstreaming the informal waste sector

Over 90 000 reclaimers are estimated to work in South Africa’s informal waste economy. They play a significant role in the country’s recycling economy, recovering mostly paper and packaging waste from households and businesses.

Data published by the packaging sector estimates that waste reclaimers collect 80-90% of post-consumer paper and packaging for recycling. Over the past year, the WWF has been engaging with reclaimers in South Africa and informal waste sector representatives from Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and Uganda to find ways to include them as key stakeholders in the shift towards a more inclusive circular economy.

In late 2022, the WWF released a report titled Mainstreaming the informal waste sector: Towards an inclusive circular economy in African cities. This article explores some of the key findings from the study.

The plight of reclaimers

Reclaimers collect materials such as plastic, cardboard, paper, e-waste and metal from various spaces, including landfills and illegal dumps. These are then reintroduced as secondary raw materials into the economy.

For most reclaimers, this is their entire livelihood. Limited employment opportunities, which worsened with the Covid-19 pandemic, have seen many residents resort to reclaiming post-consumer products in exchange for income. In the third quarter of 2022, the unemployment rate in South Africa reached 27.9% among workers aged 35 to 44 years.

Even though studies have shown the important work that reclaimers do and their contribution to the economy – saving the government roughly R750 million in landfill costs – they are not recognised by formal stakeholders in the waste sector, and their activities are limited to the end-of-life stage in material value chains.

According to the WWF report, reclaimers have unique knowledge, understanding and experience of waste management and their work fills a widening gap between the formal waste management system and public and private recycling services.

Yet, in many parts of Africa, they are currently subject to poor working conditions for little return and remain largely unacknowledged and unrecognised in policy and local mandates. They are also among the most vulnerable members of society.

Additionally, the current linear economic model focuses on end-of-life treatment methods such as landfilling and recycling, which limits reclaimers’ involvement in more circular initiatives.

Circular economy calls for inclusion

The need to shift towards a circular economy has intensified globally. This has been echoed in South Africa. The circular economy approach encourages the innovative design of products to eliminate waste and pollution. In this economic model, materials are retained in the economy for longer, while local natural systems are regenerated.

The report states that, with the transition to a circular economy, it will be necessary to prioritise the inclusion of individuals in the informal waste sector into the overall waste management value chain.

“An inclusive circular economy should start with recognising the important role played by informal reclaimers in diverting materials, which would otherwise end up in landfills