Working with Waste: Hazards and Mitigation Strategies Used by Waste Pickers in the Inner City of Durban

• DOI: 10.3390/ijerph192012986
• Publication Date: 2022-10-11T10:13:27Z
• Authors: Ntobeko Mlotshwa; Tanya Dayaram; Asiphile Khanyile; Princess A. Sibanda; Kira Erwin; Tamlynn Fleetwood
• Keywords: Informal sector

Informal waste pickers in cities across the Global South divert significant amounts of tonnage from landfills. This diversion contributes towards a sustainable environment and better public health practices. workers globally derive livelihoods collecting, sorting, selling recyclable waste. In Africa, there is growing recognition valuable work that carry out. Despite this, however, these informal remain largely unrecognised, are often stigmatised, suffer lack social protection linked to their work. creates specific occupational hazards for pickers. Using an ethnographic method, this study explores physical socio-psychological emerge picking on streets inner city Durban, Africa. We found pickers, majority whom were women, developed mitigation strategies against risks. A understanding how shaped by local context working street enables knowledge already hold regarding strategies. Insight into important consider if municipal integration happen way ensures access protections workers.