Understanding reclaimers / waste pickers
If you live in an urban area in South Africa, you see waste pickers (who are also known as reclaimers) almost every day as you move around the city. But most of us know very little about the men and women who perform this important work.
The sections below explore who reclaimers are, why they chose this occupation, the problems they encounter, the particular challenges faced by women reclaimers, and how reclaimers are organising. They provide a rich, multi-dimensional understanding of these issues through reclaimer profiles, written overviews, photo essays, videos, and posters.
Reclaimers are the foundation of South Africa’s recycling economy. Learn more about their daily work and the contributions they make (published in 2022).
Additional resources:
Reclaimers & Reclaiming – Reclaimer Contributions (published in 2022)
Reclaimers & Reclaiming – A typical day of a female landfill reclaimer (published in 2022)
Reclaimers & Reclaiming – A typical day of a male street reclaimer (published in 2022)
A day in the life – landfill waste pickers (published in 2022)
A day in the life – street reclaimers (published in 2022)
It is hard to understand reclaimers and the work they do just by reading about them. Reclaimers were incredibly generous in welcoming us to take photos of them at home and while they were working. These photo essays give you unique insight into reclaimers, their work, and their lives (published in 2022).
Additional resources:
Photo essay – Living and working in Metro Centre (published in 2022)
Photo essay – Reclaiming in the Streets in Johannesburg (published in 2022)
Photo essay – Recycling, upcycling and reusing (published in 2022)
Photo essay – Selling to buyback centres (published in 2022)
Photo essay – Northern landfill site (published in 2022)
Photo essay – Reclaiming in the Streets in Durban (published in 2022)
Photo essay – Palmer Street recycling facility (published in 2022)
An important part of respecting and valuing reclaimers is seeing and interacting with them as whole human beings with full lives who have chosen this occupation. Get to know some reclaimers and learn more about their work, lives, and dreams by reading their profiles.
Reclaimer profile – Ana Mabe – Organisational support and friendship (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – David and Andronica – A working couple (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Dorah Mabe – Safe conditions (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Emily Mrabalalo – Women working for their families (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Eva Mokoena – Organising (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Francelina Lekeno – A roof over her head (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Lefa Mononga – A natural leader (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Nthombizodwa Gcabashe – Working with others (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Papi Spekhang – Fast Trolleys (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Simphiwe Rholoma – Recycling, upycling and reusing
Reclaimer profile – Refiloe and Sfundo – Working on Durban Streets
Reclaimer profile – Samual Motshwadi – Supporting a family
Reclaimer profile – Sibongile Muthwa – Professionalizing reclaiming (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Simon Ramohlokane – Sorting in a cooperative (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Solomon Mafabatho – Getting the copper (published in 2022)
Women who work as waste pickers often choose this occupation because it provides them with more control over their work and working hours than other jobs available to them, such as domestic work. This helps them to balance their need to earn an income with the family responsibilities that fall on them because of gender stereotypes.
Through a written overview on women and waste picking, photo essay, reclaimer profiles, videos, and webinar recording in this section, you will learn more about women who decide to work as waste pickers, their accomplishments, the challenges they face, how they are organising, and the leadership roles they play in their organisations (published in 2022).
Additional resources:
Webinar – Celebrating and learning from women reclaimers (published in 2022)
WIEGO Gender and Waste Picking Project (published in 2022)
Video – Infrastructure for integration – eThekwini (published in 2022)
Photo essay – Palmer street recycling facility (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Ana Mabe – Organisational support and friendship (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Dorah Mabe – Safe conditions (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Emily Mrabalalo – Women working for their families (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Eva Mokoena – Organising (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Francelina Lekeno – A roof over her head (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Nthombizodwa Gcabashe – Working with others (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Sibongile Muthwa – Professionalizing reclaiming (published in 2022)
Asking residents and businesses to separate recyclables from their waste through separation at source is an important way to reduce waste to landfills. It can greatly improve reclaimers’ working conditions if they are permitted or contracted to collect these clean recyclables instead of digging through rubbish. But to date, instead of working with reclaimers, municipalities have been paying private companies and cooperatives of non-reclaimers to collect separated recyclables.
The cartoon, diagrams, and written overviews below explain why such contracts have negative implications for reclaimers working on the streets and at landfills, and how contracting reclaimers to collect separated recyclables benefits everyone and the environment (published in 2022).
Additional resources:
Separation at source – Separation at source and landfill reclaimers (published in 2022)
Separation at source – Separation at source and integration (published in 2022)
Separation at source – Reclaimers and reclaiming – Key waste picker needs (published in 2022)
Instead of waiting for government and industry to implement waste picker integration aligned to the Waste Picker Integration Guideline, reclaimers are creating and implementing their own integration programmes and have started providing separation at source collection services. They are also organising to fight for integration and change the sector and their position in it. Learn more through these case studies, reclaimer profiles, videos, and written overview (published in 2022).
Additional resources:
Reclaimer profile – Eva Mokoena – Organising (published in 2022)
Video – Paying reclaimers for a Separation at Source service – Johannesburg (published in 2022)
Written Case Study – Separation at source by reclaimers – Johannesburg (published in 2022)
Reclaimer profile – Simon Ramohlokane – Sorting in a cooperative (published in 2022)
Written case study – Separation at source by a cooperative – Metsimaholo (published in 2022)
