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Informal waste pickers play an integral role in South Africa’s waste industry and keep tonnes of material out of landfills. Now, they are organizing, and through collective efforts, beginning to transform years of struggle and stigma into success vital to livelihoods and dignity.
Although the kinds of work waste pickers do differs across countries, some basic categories exist. These include: On route/truck waste pickers Refers to formal collection crews who segregate recyclables from household waste as a supplement to their salaries. The term can also designate informal...
Waste pickers collect, sort, recycle, and sell materials that others have thrown away. They benefit urban health and sanitation, lower municipal costs and fill gaps in municipal services─all contributing to a more sustainable urban environment. Yet waste pickers face challenges in protecting their...
Introduction: Nohra Padilla was waste picking on a dump in Colombia by the time she was seven years old. On April 15, 2013, her activism on behalf of recyclers was recognized with the world’s largest prize for grassroots environmentalists – the prestigious Goldman Environmental Prize . Origins of a...
A 10-city study on three continents, led by WIEGO, offered insight into the grounded reality of waste pickers, street/market traders and home-based workers--including their contributions, challenges, and how governments and other players help and hinder their work.
(Esta página también está disponible en español) The United Nations Conference on Housing and Sustainable Urban Development, Habitat III , was a consultative process held every 20 years to reinvigorate the global commitment to sustainable development. All UN Member States and other relevant...
Waste pickers are increasingly motivated to organize and fight for recognition and a place within formal waste management systems. They are forming cooperatives, associations, unions, movements and networks. The extent and depth to which waste pickers have organized varies across countries and...
WIEGO works with four main occupational groups of informal workers: domestic workers, home-based workers, street vendors and waste pickers. Workers in each occupational group face unique legal challenges. This page outlines some progressive legal developments that respond to the needs of these...
Little research exists about gender relations and divisions among waste pickers. A collaborative in Latin America has shed light on the multiple levels of discrimination that women waste pickers face - and developed resources to help women waste pickers improve their lives and livelihoods.
The WIEGO Perspective Formalization of the informal economy can take different forms: registration, taxation, organization and representation, legal frameworks, social protection, business incentives/support, and more. And formalization means different things to different categories of the informal...
Videos / Slideshows / Audio
Millions of women work long hours, in dangerous conditions, for little pay. They are fighting for change, with the help of ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Watch this video to learn how.
Workers Education/Organizing Materials
This manual helps street vendors learn more about the regulations that govern public space and how to defend the right to work in public space. It describes successful actions taken by street vendor organizations. And it offers information to help you organize and negotiate with local government.
WIEGO Working Papers
Mike Rogan reviews how informal workers are taxed, why there is growing interest in taxing them, and whether they should be included in the tax net.