DIFFERENT TYPES OF RECLAIMERS

Reclaimers come from a diverse spectrum of age, ethnicity, race and level of education. According to the WWF report, most reclaimers are unskilled and illiterate, with only a few possessing a formal education or some formal industrial work experience. There are six types of reclaimers:

DOORSTEP/KERBSIDE RECLAIMERS

Reclaimers collecting waste outside people’s homes and from dustbins along the side of the road on municipal waste collection days.

ITINERANT BUYERS

Individuals who collect recyclables from households or businesses in exchange for payment or who barter from households, buyers, buy-back centres or recyclers.

LANDFILL RECLAIMERS

Individuals or groups who reclaim and sell recyclables from landfill sites or illegal dumpsites.

ON-ROUTE/TRUCK RECLAIMERS

Collection groups (predominantly formal) who segregate recyclables from household waste as a supplement to their salaries.

Individuals who select and sort recyclables by type from conveyor belts or manually (at small recycling plants).

STREET RECLAIMERS or as pollution in nature. Then, African cities should explore ways to involve reclaimers in earlier stages of the product life cycle rather than only at the end-of-life stage,” states the report.

Individuals who reclaim recyclables from mixed waste disposed in garbage bags and bins on streets or in dumpsters.

Barriers

Various barriers to inclusion are identified, namely: interventions to support the circular economy would improve participation in and co-design of initiatives suited to an inclusive and sustainable mainstream economy.

01

Informal reclaimers have historically been – and continue to be – exposed to unfavourable perceptions from the formal waste sector and society at large. They are frequently subjected to negative or derogatory remarks.

02

There are also instances of criminals posing as informal reclaimers and committing unlawful acts in communities. Some secondary materials, such as scrap copper, often come from stolen electric wiring. At landfills, some reclaimers are forced to pay a portion of their earnings to gang members operating in surrounding areas.

• Improve the working conditions of reclaimers: Partnerships between the public and private sectors that invest in robust workspace health and safety training along with social benefits for reclaimers are key in addressing the risky environment in which the informal waste sector operates. Improved working conditions for reclaimers will translate into their protection from social injustices, empowerment and creating an enabling working environment in which to conduct their work more efficiently.

03

Reclaimers physically search through rubbish bins or bags for recyclable materials without even the minimum personal protective gear. This maximises their exposure to hazardous and toxic liquids and fumes, and puts them at high risk of infections, injuries and long-term health problems.

04 Reclaimers are unfairly compensated and overexploited by middlemen and are at the mercy of unstable and complex material value chain markets.

Key recommendations

The report suggests that the transition from the linear economy status quo to an inclusive circular economy can be made by implementing the following regarding the informal waste sector:

• Include reclaimers in key policy and industry discussions about circularity: Including reclaimers in policy and private

• Promote reclaimer integration: Regulatory frameworks that legitimately recognise the highly proactive informal waste sector are needed. Integrating reclaimers in formal waste management systems will benefit collection services to unserved areas in many African cities while alleviating pollution and improving reclaimers’ ability to earn a living.

• Ensure fair compensation for the materials reclaimers sell and the service they provide: Regulatory measures guiding fair compensation for postconsumer material collected by reclaimers and the overall collection service would lessen recycling market volatility and price manipulation by buyers while safeguarding reclaimers’ livelihoods.

In conclusion, mandatory and inclusive policy interventions such as extended producer responsibility, complementary depositreturn schemes, as well as reuse/refill and separation-at-source initiatives can strengthen the role of informal reclaimers. This will retain products and packaging in the economy and prevent them from becoming waste and pollution, while simultaneously improving sustainability and livelihoods.