The informal sector in waste management: What can developed countries learn from India?

Rag pickers or "Kabadiwalas" are a boon for developing nations, and India has had an informal waste collection for a long time. In almost every society, community, and residential area where waste is being generated, these kabadiwala's are always found scavenging for things they can sell in the market as recyclables or reusables. If there is open dumping, they will go a collect things that are useful for them. If people dispose of waste via a government collection system, they keep recyclables with them to sell them off to these kabadiwalas.

SYSTEM

So, how does it works? The kabadiwalas come to collect recyclables, usually glass, paper, books, plastic, etc., once a day or a week and shout out in the society, "raddi dedo, kabad dedo" meaning, please give you refuse which is recyclable. People then bring their already segregated recyclables to the kabadiwala and sell them. They get some money or some eatables out of it. If there is open dumping, these people also scavenge for waste from there, like e-waste, glass, plastic, etc. This waste usually comes from localities and institutes where segregation is "not" done, and the recyclables are not sold off to the kabadiwala. Even people sell their hair in India. A person comes (usually on Sundays when everyone washes their hair mostly) and collects all the refused hair and exchanges them for food, bathroom supplies, snacks, etc. E-waste is also exchanged for "Jeera" (cumin seeds) in Delhi. There is a place in Delhi called Tagore garden which is known for exchanging recyclables for food.

ADVANTAGE

The advantage of having such an informal waste collection system is

• Recyclables are being segregated at the source.
• Less waste is going to landfills.
• No start-up cost for the government (the government is saving money as it has to pay nothing to these rag pickers); Cheap labor.
• People are getting incentivized.
• Extensive networking.
• These people usually know what can be sold in the market, so information about the type of plastic or glass that is sellable can be collected from them and used in policymaking or banning plastic.

CHALLENGES

Labor injustice- Usually, the kabadiwalas sell all this material to the nearest transfer station or the nearest recycling facility. These recycling facilities then further sell the recyclables at a higher cost and give only a small fraction of the money to kabadiwalas. So, an unjust scenario creates where this informal sector poor people are not getting their fair share for cleaning the trash.

Health Problems- These kabadiwals are usually poor, and small children are also part of this sector. They go around bare feet and naked hands in scorching heat to collect waste at times. They are not aware of the health issues that a hazardous dumpsite can cause.

SOLUTION

• Government should incentivize the informal sector and make sure that they are getting the right amount of money for their hard work.
• These people should be provided knowledge about health issues and ensured safe working conditions as they are eventually helping us segregate the waste.

TAKEAWAYS FOR DEVELOPED NATIONS

The problem that developed nations usually suffer from is recycling, and the problem India or other third-world countries suffers from is littering. From this kind of informal sector setup, I suggest that developed nations can use some labor (volunteers, NGOs, homeless people, people without jobs, etc.) to go around in communities and collect recyclables. These people can be given the training and knowledge needed to carry out the tasks. They will be paid, and society will eventually get aware of which things are recyclable and what can they make money from.

SUGGESTIONS

• It has to be made sure that the incentives given are enough in the initial stages for the community to make this transition.
• The volunteers and workers are given some incentive that is sustainable enough to attract them.
• Manufacturing of recyclables that can not be sold in the market needs to seize to convert the present system into a circular economy for everyone to benefit from it.

Benefits are, of course, more than the challenges, and hence this sector needs to be strengthened as such a network is very beneficial and crucial for waste management and segregation. I would like to know your thoughts and any other suggestions/examples you have.

Author- Ashpreet Kaur, PhD

#wastemanagement #complaince #monitoring #formalizing