Identifying the prospects of decent job creation along the value chain of plastic recycling

ABSTRACT

This study examined the barriers and challenges for decent job creation along the value chain of plastic recycling that street waste pickers (SWPs) face in the urban regions of Cape Town with a mixed method research design. The findings from the descriptive case study’s primary survey data indicated that the informal recycling economy in these regions has little to no barriers of entry. Initiatives to absorb individuals into this economy could potentially help decrease the unemployment level of unskilled and lowly educated people. On average, SWPs earn about R155 for a day’s waste and R632 for a week’s waste. The econometric results revealed that SWPs from the coloured population group who do not have access to trolleys yield statistically significantly lower earnings. Assisting SWPs through the provision of trolleys and protective gear could potentially be an advantage to sustain their income and create decent employment opportunities for SWPs.

KEYWORDS:

• Value chain
• plastic recycling
• informal economy
• job creation

JEL:

• Codes: J01
• J46

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 As pointed out by one of the reviewers, SWPs are a very vulnerable, poor and unemployed population. From a socio-economic point of view, this may leave them exposed to possible exploitation through collusion or price fixing.

2 This amount was derived by using the average daily income of SWPs (R154.72) and dividing it by nine hours of a working day (excluding lunch hour) as stipulated in the Basic Conditions of Employment Act 1997.

Additional information

Funding

The authors acknowledge funding support from the National Reseach Foundation (NRF) through Professor Catherina Schenck, Department of Social Work, University of the Western Cape.