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Magister Legum - LLM / The unemployment rate in South Africa is alarmingly high. In the year 2018, the unemployment rate was recorded at 27.2%. Many people are forced to do desperate, and even dangerous things in order to sustain themselves. This includes people going into landfills to collect recyclable materials to sell and look for a meal. Collecting and retailing recyclable waste has become an informal source of income for thousands of people in South Africa. Waste pickers are individuals whose survival largely depends on collecting, sorting and selling recyclable waste. Waste pickers are defined as people who “collect, sort and sell reusable and recyclable materials”. They embark on waste picking as a means of survival. Given the fact that informal waste management is not regulated by the government, waste pickers are left vulnerable to exploitation and hazardous working environments. Waste pickers are denied access to landfills by either private companies, where municipalities have outsourced this function, or by municipalities themselves. Depending on the management of the landfill, waste pickers could also potentially be faced with crime on landfills with gangsters robbing them of their recyclables and/or hard earned money.

Magister Artium - MA / The local economy of the City of Cape Town supported by formal economic activities that are carried out through modern production processes whose existence is officially recognized and benefits from the protection of the authorities, and the informal activities that exist outside official control and protection systems. There is a dynamic connection between actors in the formal sector and those in the informal sector, which is seen at the levels of production, distribution and consumption of goods and services. This research investigates the linkages between informal and formal resource recovery activities in Devon Valley Landfill Site in Stellenbosch and Bellville South Landfill Site in Bellville. The two landfill sites are at the margins on the city economy where the formal and informal sectors interact and at times collide. Notwithstanding the negative health effects associated with the informal waste collections and the fact that informal waste collectors are neglected by policy makers in many developing countries in general and in South Africa in particular, evidence from Southern Africa has shown that the informal sector fosters considerable social, environmental and economic benefits that should be preserved. Informal recyclers constitute the essential workforce of the recycling business. These recyclers have undertaken various commercial and environmental tasks as a survival strategy long before the state and private entities became interested in participating in this profitable business. Waste recycling in most developing countries is a response to the inability of the formal economy to absorb a growing urban population, and the value placed on recyclable materials in the globalized economy. The study explores the various linkages between the informal sector and formal sector in the recycling industry and it examines the activities of these people involved in informal sector activities at the bottom end of the commonly neglected waste recycling chain. It also examines how waste pickers have developed livelihoods based on resource recovery activities at Devon Valley Landfill Site and Bellville South Landfill Site. This thesis is the result of an extensive literature review and primary data collection using a mixed methods approach. Primary sources of information consulted include, waste pickers, dealers, buy-back centres and manufacturing companies. This thesis attempts to establish the respective correlation between urban poverty, informal waste collection, and the recycling industries. The findings reveal that informal recycling is intricately linked to the formal recycling sector with waste pickers selling their waste to merchants and recyclers.

Magister Public Health - MPH / Background: Waste picking is not a new phenomenon in South Africa and is becoming increasingly prevalent, with rising numbers of waste pickers operating on landfills and on the streets. Although waste pickers are recognised as making an important contribution to waste management systems in South Africa, they remain at the lowest level of the waste collection and disposal hierarchy. Operating on the fringes of the formal economy with low and generally erratic income, they have limited access to safe and nutritious food. Many waste pickers are therefore prone to micronutrient malnutrition and macronutrient malnutrition. Food insecurity is a constant threat. Few studies have been conducted on this vulnerable group of people, with relatively little known about their eating habits and the impact thereof on their health. The aim of this study was to assess the dietary intake, food (in)security and nutritional status of waste pickers in South Africa, with a specific focus on landfill waste pickers. Study population and design: This constitutes a secondary study which builds on an earlier (primary) study conducted among 409 landfill waste pickers on nine landfill sites in four provinces in South Africa. Data was obtained from a cross-sectional quantitative survey conducted during the primary study which assessed the food (in)security, anthropometric status and dietary intake of waste pickers. In this study, group discussions were also conducted with waste pickers to gain more insight into activities and conditions on the landfill sites.

Global waste generation trends are increasing at an alarming rate. Low- and middle-income countries (or the ‘Global South’) bear an increasing proportion of this burden, as the amount of waste produced in these countries is expected to surge drastically in the coming years. Since cities in the Global South rarely have formal municipal recycling systems, recycling activities are typically performed by waste pickers who are precariously employed and sell their wares in unpredictable, unregulated markets. That is to say, this economic activity is an archetype of what is commonly referred to as that taking place in the ‘informal sector.’ Although waste pickers must often confront exclusionary policies and social marginalization, some countries such as Colombia have begun to recognize the social, economic, and environmental contributions of informal recycling activities and have introduced policies that support waste pickers by trying to improve their working conditions. Bogotá has been recognized internationally as an example of ‘best practice’ in terms of creating inclusive policies aimed towards improving the livelihoods of waste pickers. To this end, the Colombian government has introduced, in 2016, National Decree 596, which recognizes and remunerates waste picker organizations as official providers of municipal recycling services. Although this decree legitimizes these ‘third sector’ organizations and has important implications for ‘alternative’ models of service delivery, it has had contradictory effects: although it successfully recognizes the important role that waste pickers play in the waste management system, it also introduces barriers that impede the formalization of waste picker organizations. For example, the decree sets unattainable requirements for the recognition of waste picker organizations and does little to mitigate the vulnerability that waste pickers experience in the face of competition from large, private (often multinational) companies. Based on one month of fieldwork conducted in Bogotá from November 10th to December 10th, 2017, this thesis explores these contradictions and suggests that these barriers originate from the conflicting neoliberal and rights-based orientations of the 1991 Constitution.

A widespread phenomenon on dumpsites in the developing world, subsistence waste picking is also a common practice at the city-owned Coastal Park Landfill (CPL) in Muizenberg. Poor unemployed people from the townships of Capricorn, Vrygrond and Hillview, situated at the foot of the tip “skarrel for scrap” every day. The word skarreling is an Afrikaans term meaning to rummage or scrabble, scuttle or scurry. Thus, if one talks of “skarreling for scrap”, it generally refers to poor peo-ple trying to eke out a living by looking for recyclables in the waste that can be put to personal use or turned into money.In the two decades since the transition to democracy, South Africa and the City of Cape Town (CCT) have formulated a number of framework and subordinate policies which express their commitment to sustainable development (SD). SD aims to achieve a balance between its three components, econom-ic, environmental and social sustainability. Thus, SD is not only about increased economic efficiency and stability, while at the same time reducing pollution and handling natural resources more thought-fully; it is also about promoting social equity by reducing poverty and empowering the poor. This study is guided by the assumption that waste pickers in developing countries play an important part in recycling efforts, and that recycling in turn is an integral component of SD, which is the guid-ing principle of South African policy-making. In an ideal scenario – as implicitly promised by the policies on SD – the management of solid waste should pursue the economic and environmental goals of SD by promoting recycling and should be aligned with the goal of creating sustainable livelihoods.However, the reality in the CCT is a different one. Landfill skarreling in the CCT, and particularly at CPL, is accompanied by conflict and a criminalisation of the skarrelaars. The CCT decided to phase out landfill salvaging in 2008, and subsequently has put a lot of effort into keeping skarrelaars away from its landfills. The implications of this decision – job losses for poor people and a potential in-crease in crime – have not been thought through. There is thus a dysfunctional triangular relationship around waste recycling in the CCT, leading to tensions between (1) the City’s commitment to SD; (2) its approach towards recycling (as part of solid waste management) in policy and practice; and (3) the livelihoods of the poor in adjacent townships. In the CCT the goals of SD are undermined by the City’s recycling strategies, with adverse effects for the livelihoods of the people who live off skarrel-ing.There are several causes for this disjuncture between policy and reality. The first has to do with igno-rance on the side of the policymakers. They seem to be badly informed about the extent and nature of skarreling, perhaps assuming that this activity is performed only by a few people who need quick cash for drugs. The second cause can be attributed to the neoliberal macro-policies pursued in South Africa, as well as to the global competition between cities for investment. This neoliberal urbanism leads cities like Cape Town to re-imagine themselves as “world (-class) cities”, in which poor waste pickers are perceived as a disturbing factor. In the CCT, this goes hand in hand with an approach reminiscent of the apartheid mindset, which saw the need to control poor, black (and potentially unru-ly) people.The dissertation therefore focuses on the core themes of sustainable development, (urban) neoliberal-ism, and informality in combination with a case study of the informal waste pickers at the chosen landfill site. Writing from a political studies angle, this study is framed as a policy critique: it argues that the policies around SWM ignore South African realities, and that the SD policies and their im-plementation lack coherence. Moreover, the conflict between the skarrelaars and the CCT at the CPL is rooted in inadequate national and local legislation which does not acknowledge the role of informal waste pickers in SWM and aims at excluding rather than including them. If waste pickers were sup-ported in their recycling efforts in both policy and practice, this would be a win-win situation for the state/city (economic benefits and less crime), the skarrelaars (regular employment and incomes) and the environment (less waste buried on landfills).The case study is primarily designed as a qualitative study, but also includes quantitative elements as it attempts a first quantification of the extent and nature of skarreling at the CPL site, one of only three operating dumpsites in Cape Town. The aim on the one hand is to estimate the contribution of the skarrelaars to waste reduction (and therefore to sustainability) in the City, especially since the waste they collect is not buried on the landfill, thereby prolonging the operational life span of the landfill. The other aim is to assess the role of the skarrelaars as an economic factor in the township, in particular the question of how important the incomes generated from skarreling are for their individu-al livelihoods and for the community as a whole. / Magister Artium - MA

Waste management is a global phenomenon and all nations need to ensure that waste is handled in an environmentally friendly and healthy manner. Municipalities in South Africa generate a lot of solid waste which is disposed of in the landfill site. The life span of these landfill sites is shortened by all waste that gets disposed on site. The only mechanism that can be used to minimize the amount of waste disposed of in the landfill site is waste recycling. At Greater Kokstad Municipality (GKM) there are very few companies that are involved in recycling activities. The rate of unemployment in the area is high and recycling activities would provide employment opportunities. This study is based in Kokstad and emanates from the fact that there are large volumes of waste discharged at the Kokstad landfill site. It seeks to explore the experiences and challenges faced by waste pickers and recycling SMMEs in the GKM. Also to identify reasons that causes waste pickers and SMMEs not to use the opportunity created by large volumes of unused waste to establish self-employment or employment of large numbers of unemployed people. This study used a qualitative research method and a phenomenological research design. The researcher used focus groups and semi-structured one-to-one interviews based on question themes or an interview guide. Data gathered was analyzed using Tesch’s method of data analysis and thematic content analysis. The main findings of the study revealed vital information that can assist in shaping and planning recycling activities within Greater Kokstad Municipality. Findings also highlight the need to create an environment conducive to the implementation of effective recycling initiatives.

O presente trabalho busca, a partir do referencial teórico-metodológico da análise crítica do discurso, examinar as mensagens passadas pela campanha governamental \"Separe o lixo e acerte na lata\". Esta campanha foi realizada pelo Ministério do Meio Ambiente em parceria com o Ministério do Desenvolvimento Social e Combate à Fome, no ano de 2011, no bojo da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos e tem como principal objetivo educar e preparar a população para o descarte correto do lixo doméstico, tendo em vista que a política previa uma alteração na gestão dos resíduos dentro dos municípios até o ano de 2013. O corpus da pesquisa foi composto pelas peças publicitárias da campanha, em um total de dez - entre cartazes, vídeos e sposts de rádio - pelo briefing de comunicação utilizado pela agência publicitária para a elaboração das peças e pelas entrevistas com seis técnicos que estavam na época envolvidos com a campanha. Tendo esse material em mãos, buscamos entendê-la em sua profundidade, partindo do pressuposto de que não há neutralidade nos discursos, sendo todos eles atravessados por interesses e vieses. A análise realizada suscitou discussões interessantes sobre o caráter da educação ambiental praticada pelo governo; sobre o modelo de reciclagem dentro da sociedade capitalista; e também sobre a forma como se abordou a questão dos catadores de material reciclável e suas precárias condições de trabalho dentro da nossa sociedade. / The present work seeks, from the theoretical-methodological framework of the critical analysis of the discourse, to analyze the message passed by the government campaign \"Separate the trash and hit the can\". This campaign was carried out by the Ministry of the Environment in partnership with the Ministry of Social Development and Fight Against Hunger in 2011, within the framework of the National Solid Waste Policy and its main objective is to educate and prepare the population for the correct disposal of household waste, considering that the policy foresees a change in waste management within the municipalities until the year 2013. The corpus of the research was composed by the advertising pieces of the campaign, in a total of ten - among posters, videos and sposts of radio - by the communication briefing used by the advertising agency to prepare the pieces and by the interviews with six technicians who were involved in the campaign at the time. With this material in hand, we seek to understand the campaign in its depth, starting from the assumption that there is no neutrality in the speeches, all of them being crossed by interests and biases. The analysis made interesting discussions about the nature of environmental education practiced by the government; about the model of recycling within capitalist society; and also about how the issue of waste pickers and their precarious working conditions within our society was addressed.

No Brasil, a gestão e destinação de resíduos sólidos são problemáticas e podem ter grandes melhoras com o cumprimento das diretrizes da Política Nacional de Resíduos Sólidos (PNRS). Esta Política aponta para os princípios da Gestão Integrada de Resíduos (GIR), que indica diversificação no tratamento e disposição final como última alternativa. Uma ferramenta importante na GIR é a reciclagem, que no Brasil se estruturou com base no trabalho do catador, fragilizado na Cadeia Produtiva de reciclagem, não possuindo profissionalização equiparada com os outros membros. Verificada a situação de responsabilidade delegada aos catadores no futuro da Gestão de Resíduos sólidos e sua condição atual, no contexto de uma associação de catadores, constatou-se que os agentes se consideram em posição desigual dentro da Cadeia, e apresentam a necessidade de melhorar a comercialização e percebe-se esta Cadeia de Reciclagem comprometida neste ponto. Isto se verificou porque a estrutura da associação era limitada em vários aspectos. A PNRS atribui grande importância aos catadores, que aqui não dariam conta de coletar os resíduos, isto pela necessária melhora da gestão. Há também o fato de que alguns materiais não são de interesse do catador, considerados inviáveis. A reciclagem de certos materiais não ocorrerá naturalmente, sendo necessário algum tipo de intervenção. / In Brazil, management and solid waste disposal are problematic and can have major improvements to compliance with the guidelines of the Brazilian National Policy (PNRS), that points to the principles of the Integrated Waste Management (GIR), which indicates waste treatment and disposal diversification and final disposal as the last alternative. An important tool in the GIR is recycling, which in Brazil is structured based on the work of the waste picker, weakened actor within the Recycling Production Chain, which has no professional capability as the other members. Verifying the situation regarding the responsible delegated to the waste pickers in the future of the solid waste management, and its current condition, in a waste pickers association, It was found that the collectors consider themselves in an unequal position within the chain, and have need of commercial relations improvement. Upon the lack of equivalent professionalism of the waste picker with the other levels, it is clear that the recycling chain is committed at this point. This occurred because the structure of the association was limited in several respects. The PNRS assigns great importance to the collector, that here were not going to collect all the waste, because there is necessary improved in management. There is also the fact that there are some materials that they do not work for its non-viability. It was found that the recycling of certain materials will not occur naturally, requiring some type of intervention.

Submitted by Jean Medeiros (jeanletras@uepb.edu.br) on 2016-08-10T13:13:04Z No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Bárbara Daniele dos Santos.pdf: 2578198 bytes, checksum: a8b1e4f7cc098164a2017e2fcb631461 (MD5) / Made available in DSpace on 2016-08-10T13:13:04Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 PDF - Bárbara Daniele dos Santos.pdf: 2578198 bytes, checksum: a8b1e4f7cc098164a2017e2fcb631461 (MD5) Previous issue date: 2016-02-29 / Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq / The waste pickers perform an important public utility service in the current context of the cities, working in waste pickers which, when discarded, would occupy more space in landfills and dumps. The Law 12.305/10 recognizes, appreciates and clarifies the importance of active participation of the category with the government regarding the management of solid waste. However, the reality experienced by these professionals is characterized as unhealthy due to poor infrastructure and lack of technologies to develop their activities, favoring a danger scenario a nd exposure to occupational hazards and damage to health. This work aimed to evaluate, develop and implement technological and infrastructure alternatives to reduce occupational hazards in the professional practice of waste pickers linked to ARENSA, Campina Grande-PB. The participant survey was conducted from October 2014 to December 2015 with 16 waste pickers associated with ARENSA (Waste Pickers Association of Community Nossa Senhora Aparecida) operating in Campina Grande-PB. It found the frequency and severity of physical risks (exposure to sunlight and temperature changes), chemical (dust, smoke) biological (exposure to microorganisms and macrovetores), ergonomic (intense physical effort, lifting and manual transport weight; requirement of poor posture, prolonged use of voice, conflict and stress) and accidents (fires; sharps; landslides bags of pedestrian accidents and falls). To reduce the source of the danger and minimize risks to improving the working environment were developed three social technologi es: a collapsible cart for collection of solid waste with dimensions 100x120x150cm, dry weight 55 kg; a trolley platform for transport bags and bales during screening for packaging measuring 100x120x480cm and support for 350 kg; a dimension in sorting table 200x100x100cm and 20 cm depth. The technologies were developed with the participation of workers and observing the dynamics of work and ergonomic parameters in order to reduce the physical effort of the group. One can gauge the effectiveness in mitigating the ergonomic and accidents with lifting and carrying weight reduction, lower demand for improper posture and aggravating diseases physical health of the worker. To reduce accidents by trampling have changed the uniforms with reflective fabric application (NBR 15292/2013), peaked at other positive impacts, such as professional development. Besides the acquisition of personal protective equipment (boots, gloves, rain gear, protective cap and Arabic glasses) enabled the worker protection with regard to exposure to physical, chemical, biological. So the alternatives applied favored the reduction of occupational hazards, contributing to the implementation of activities and the appreciation of the profession waste pickers. / Os catadores de materiais recicláveis realizam um serviço de utilidade pública muito importante no contexto atual das cidades, atuando na coleta de materiais que ao serem descartados indevidamente, ocupariam maior espaço em aterros sanitários e lixões. A Lei 12.305/10, reconhece, valoriza e esclarece a importância da participação ativa da categoria junto ao poder público e à sociedade no tocante à gestão dos resíduos sólidos, contudo, a realidade vivenciada por estes profissionais caracteriza-se como insalubre, devido à precária infraestrutura e ausência de tecnologias para desenvolver as suas atividades, culminando num cenário de perigo e exposição a riscos ocupacionais e danos à saúde. Este trabalho teve como principal objetivo avaliar, desenvolver e implantar alternativas tecnológicas e de infraestrutura para reduzir riscos ocupacionais no exercício profissional de catadores de materiais recicláveis vinculados à ARENSA, Campina Grande-PB. A pesquisa participante foi efetivada de outubro de 2014 a dezembro de 2015 com 16 catadores de materiais recicláveis associados à ARENSA (Associação de Catadores de Materiais Recicláveis da Comunidade Nossa Senhora Aparecida) atuantes em Campina Grande-PB. Constatou-se a frequência e gravidade de riscos físicos (exposição à radiação solar e mudanças de temperatura), químicos (poeira; fumo), biológicos (exposição a microrganismos e macrovetores), ergonômicos (esforço físico intenso, levantamento e transporte manual de peso; exigência de postura inadequada; uso prolongado de voz; conflitos e stress) e de acidente (incêndios; perfuro-cortantes; desmoronamentos de bags, atropelamentos e quedas). Com intuito de reduzir o perigo e minimizar os riscos para melhoria do ambiente de trabalho foram desenvolvidas três tecnologias sociais: um carrinho desmontável para coleta de resíduos sólidos com dimensões 100x120x150 cm e peso seco 55 kg; um carrinho plataforma para transporte de bags e fardos da triagem ao acondicionamento, medindo 100x120x480 cm e suporte para 350 kg; uma mesa de triagem em dimensões 200x100x100 cm e 20 cm de profundidade. As tecnologias foram confeccionadas com a participação dos trabalhadores e observando-se a dinâmica do trabalho e os parâmetros da ergonomia como a redução do esforço físico manual. Pode-se aferir a eficiência na mitigação dos riscos ergonômicos e de acidente com redução de levantamento e transporte de peso, menor exigência de postura incorreta e de agravantes à saúde física do trabalhador. Para redução dos riscos de acidente por atropelamento, foram modificados os fardamentos com aplicação de tecido reflexivo (ABNT NBR 15292/2013), proporcionando outros impactos positivos, como a valorização profissional. Ademais a aquisição de equipamentos de proteção individual (botas, luvas, capa de chuva, óculos protetor e boné árabe) propiciou a proteção do trabalhador no que se refere à exposição de riscos de ordem física, química, biológica e ergonômico. Portanto, as alternativas aplicadas foram positivas à redução dos riscos ocupacionais, favorecendo a execução das atividades e a valorização profissional dos catadores de materiais recicláveis.