Waste Pickers
latest news & developments
National emergency: The urban models turning waste into opportunity
An innovative project for informal waste pickers in Cape Town demonstrates how empowerment and a circular economy can make a difference
South Africa’s landfills reaching capacity, not properly managed
The solution is not to expand or build more landfills but rather to focus on recycling, say waste management experts
Creating food security through training, technology and the establishment of Buy-Back Centres for recycling waste
Initiatives by the Gauteng Department of Social Development, Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment
CCBSA, local communities join forces to help create a World Without Waste
The goal is for every package to have more than one life
Informal waste collection shouldn’t let plastic polluters off the hook
The image of plastic recycling as the solution to plastic pollution is perpetuated by statistics that highlight successes, which are communicated in tonnes and percentages that…
South Africa and other countries ignore waste reduction in climate plan
‘If plastic were a country, it would already be the fifth-largest emitter in the world’
Waste pickers should be seen as essential workers
Come rain or sun, waste pickers push their trolleys full of recycled material. But despite providing an environmental service they are not treated as the public-service workers…
Sisters pave the way with ecobricks
The durable bricks are made from 30% recycled plastic, some of which they collect from a network of 50 waste pickers
Don’t Miss: Our weekly round-up of live and in-person events
Travels in Afrofuturism, Themba Mkhize and an exhibition focusing on Johannesburg’s informal recyclers take centre stage in our weekly events guide