The socio-economic differences between landfill and street waste pickers in the Free State province of South Africa

Figures & data

Figure 1 Highest grades in school completed by landfill and street waste pickers.

Source: Survey data (2012).

Table 1. Reasons for waste pickers leaving school early or not attending school.

Thematic analysis of reasons for leaving school	Landfill waste pickers		Street waste pickers
	Total	%	Total	%
Theme 1: Financial difficulties
Money/financial problems	168.0	46.3	15.0	35.0
One or both parents died, no money for school	41.0	11.3	9.0	21.0
Poverty	20.0	5.5
Failed Grade 12 and did not have money to go back			1.0	2.3
Had to go and work (have to support grandmother)	18.0	5.0
Parents did not work	1.0	0.3
Total	248.0	68.3	25.0	58.3
Theme 2: School and context related
Worked on farm – did not go to school	16.0	4.4	1.0	2.3
School stopped at Grade 8	1.0	0.3
No school/school closed	10.0	2.8
School too far (lived in rural area)	8.0	2.2
Failed Grade 12			1.0	2.3
Total	35.0	9.6	2.0	4.6
Theme 3: Family related
Had to herd cattle for father			1.0	2.3
Had a child to support			1.0	2.3
Domestic problems	17.0	4.7	8.0	18.6
Parents did not want me to go to school, took me out	15.0	4.1
Parents became too old or sick to support me	7.0	1.9
Got married, pregnant	21.0	5.8
No food			1.0	2.3
No one to care for me			2.0	4.7
Went to stay with my uncle, had to change school, did not go back			1.0	2.3
Total	60.0	16.5	14.0	32.6
Theme 4: Behavioural issues
Parents moved from farm to farm	5.0	1.4
Just left school	4.0	1.1
Ran away from home			1.0	2.3
Grew up in a flat and not accepted in community	1.0	0.3
Did not need to go to school	1.0	0.3
Total	11.0	3.0	1.0	2.3
Theme 5: Health related
Health problems/too sick to attend school	4.0	1.1
Mental disability	1.0	0.3
Total	5.0	1.4
Theme 6: Age related
I became too old for school	3.0	0.8
Theme 7: Other reasons
Still in school			1.0	2.3
Farmer did not allow me to go to school	1.0	0.3
Total	1.0	0.3	1.0	2.3
Grand total	363.0	100.0	43.0	100.0

Source: Survey data (2012).

Table 2. Mean, minimum and maximum income earned by the street and landfill waste pickers.

Income earning period	ƒ	%	Income (South African Rand, ZAR)^a
			Mean	Minimum	Maximum
Street waste pickers
Day	35	85.4	58.30	10	250
Week	6	14.6	215.80	140	350
Total	41	100
Landfill waste pickers
Day	204	50.6	404.23	6	3 000
Week	91	22.6	435.42	20	2 000
Two weeks	45	11.2	459.33	60	1 700
Three weeks	4	1.0	771.25	175	2 500
Month	46	11.4	763.80	20	3 000
Two months	11	2.7	916.36	150	2 200
Three months	2	0.5	1 475.00	950	2 000
Total	403	100

Source: Survey data (2012).

Notes: ^aThe US$/ZAR exchange rate was 1US$/ZAR10.8750 on 19 February 2014 (Reuters, 2014).

Figure 2. Average income earned by street and landfill waste pickers according to gender.

Source: Survey data (2012). Notes: LWP = landfill waste picker, SWP = street waste picker.

Table 3. Number of responses in terms if additional sources of income for waste pickers.

Source of income	Own additional income		Other family members’ income
	LWPs (ƒ)	SWPs (ƒ)	LWPs (ƒ)	SWPs (ƒ)
Another job	7	2	22	2
Child support grant	97	5	5
Disability grant	10	2	17	1
Old age grant	14	3
Pension from a previous job	6	1
Other grant (not mentioned above)	1
Financial assistance from relatives or friends?	1	1

Source: Survey data (2012).

Figure 3. Number of people who depend on a waste picker’s income.

Source: Survey data (2012).

Figure 4. Number of years working as landfill waste pickers.

Source: Survey data (2012).

Figure 5. Number of years working as street waste pickers.

Source: Survey data (2012).

Reuters, 2014. Rand steady ahead of CPI data. http://www.fin24.com/Markets/Currencies/Rand-steady-ahead-of-CPI-data-20140219 Accessed 19 February 2014.

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