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DR. EARTH® GARDENING GUIDE DR. EARTH® GARDENING GUIDE
The Contribution of Scavenging
Central to the recycling efforts in China and other emerging
countries such as India and Brazil – as well as countries in the
West – is the use of scavengers or waste pickers. Worldwide,
millions of scavengers or waste pickers form the basis of this
supply chain.
Scavengers from many developing countries are realizing
the benefits of the strong demand for recyclables – translating
into higher prices paid for these materials and higher incomes,
giving this sector a real means of escaping poverty.
Waste-picking constitutes a common income-generating
activity for low-income individuals in developing countries. It
has been estimated that in African, Asian and Latin American
cities, about 1% of the urban population (15 million people)
survive by scavenging. They recover materials to sell for reuse or
recycling, as well as for their own consumption.
Despite the lack of reliable data at the national level, various
studies have highlighted the economic importance of
scavenging activities. In Mumbai, India, the economic impact of
scavenging has been estimated at nearly $1 billion U.S. dollars
per year in the recovery of materials and the manufacture
of products from them. The global economic impact of
scavenging is likely to be of several billion U.S. dollars annually.
A New Industry is on the Horizon
A growing number of experiences in Africa, Asia and Latin
America demonstrate that formalization of scavenging can
promote grassroots development, empowerment and poverty
reduction while protecting the environment and improving
industrial competitiveness. The most common models are:
Scavenger Cooperatives – By getting organized, waste
pickers become empowered. They can strengthen their
bargaining position with industry and government, become
participants in the development process and overcome poverty
through grassroots development. Working together, they can
gain stability, higher incomes and legalization of their activities.
They can enter into contracts with industry or into grant
agreements with donors. In South America alone, there are
about 1,000 scavenger cooperatives.
Micro-Enterprises – Scavengers can also create their own
micro-enterprises to perform waste collection, recycling and
various manufacturing activities that use waste as raw materials.
There are thousands of them in the developing world.
Public-Private Partnerships (PPP’s) – PPP’s can combine
the energy, creativity and low operating costs of scavengers
in the waste management sector. Public-Private Partnerships
for collecting waste and recyclables can be beneficial to waste
picker groups as well as to society at large. In partnerships
in several Colombian cities, the municipality provides
infrastructure and equipment, while waste pickers provide
labor. In Bogota, a partnership has been formed to operate a
recycling plant, managed by the Bogota Association of Waste
Pickers, to which the municipality takes recyclables separated
at source.
Contributions to the Health of the Planet
As this new alliance of scavengers and waste pickers
continues to grow, the benefits they contribute to the health
of our planet are immeasurable.
In addition to its impact on the reduction of household
poverty, scavenging renders many environmental benefits.
Recycling has a lower environmental impact compared to the
use of virgin resources and extends the life of disposal facilities,
which save municipalities’ money. Recycling can result in a
more competitive economy and a cleaner environment and
can contribute to a more sustainable development.
Scavenging activities can reduce emissions of greenhouse
gases by recycling inorganic and organic materials. The
recycling of inorganic materials by scavengers saves energy.
Power generation is one of the largest sources of greenhouse
gases. Assuming that everything else remains the same,
recycling reduces the emissions of greenhouse gases. When
organic waste –mostly food leftovers, kitchen waste and garden
waste – is sent to open dumps and landfills, it gets buried
under layers of waste. Eventually, all oxygen is consumed and
organic matter decomposes in anaerobic conditions. Anaerobic
decomposition generates methane, a greenhouse gas that is
20 times more potent than CO
2
in trapping the sun’s heat.
Garbage dumps and landfills generate about 11% of
anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. Diverting
organic waste from dumps and landfills can prevent the
generation of methane and reduce greenhouse emissions.
More Work to be Done
Global recycling chains can benefit millions of low-income
and vulnerable individuals world-wide, as well as contributing
to a more competitive economy and environmental protection
in the fight against climate change.
But there are several important issues that need to be
addressed. Scavengers face multiple hazards and problems.
Due to their daily contact with garbage, scavengers are usually
associated with dirt, disease, squalor and perceived as a
nuisance – a symbol of backwardness – and even as criminals.
They survive in a hostile physical and social environment.
Recent migrants, children, women, the unemployed and the
elderly account for most of the scavenger population. They also
face serious risks to their health that result in high morbidity
rates and shorter life expectancy than the rest of society. But
a growing number of experiences demonstrate that once
scavengers are organized and public policy supports them,
these problems can be greatly diminished or eliminated.
Further, the existence of middlemen allows the possibility
of exploitation and/or political control of scavengers. Because
industry demands large volumes of materials that are processed –
sorted, baled, crushed or granulated – it does not buy directly
from individual waste pickers. Instead, middlemen purchase
recyclables recovered by waste pickers, then sell the materials
– after some sorting, cleaning and processing – to scrap dealers
who, in turn, sell to industry. In such circumstances, middlemen
often earn large profits, while waste pickers are paid much
too little to escape poverty. This exploitation accounts for
scavengers’ low incomes.
Unfortunately, scavenging is currently ignored by most
multilateral, bilateral, and international non-governmental
agencies that work in international development and
environmental protection. Scavenger Cooperatives, Micro-
Enterprises, and Public-Private partnerships can be successful
models that formalize and incorporate scavengers into
domestic and global supply chains. But external support is
necessary in order to unlock the development potential of
scavenging and to recognize its contribution in the climate
change challenge.
When scavengers are supported, it can constitute a perfect
example of sustainable development: jobs are created, poverty
is reduced, industry is supplied with inexpensive raw materials,
natural resources are conserved and the environment can be
protected.
REUSE, REDUCE
RECYCLE
Recycling may be a hot topic in the United States but if you think the U.S. is leading
the charge, you are mistaken. Recycling programs thrive in places like Europe, Asia,
South America, and Australia. In fact, the United States ranks 7th, recycling 31.5% of
its waste, while Switzerland leads the charge with 52% of its waste getting recycled.
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