The Independent Uganda: You get the Truth we Pay the Price
Kampala, Uganda | THE INDEPENDENT | A new report by the International Labor Organization shows that the waste sector in urban cities can create significant employment for urban dwellers.
The report however says the waste management and recycling industry industry faces numerous challenges, including high rates of informality, low wages, and long working hours.
The report was released just after Kampala suffered a major garbage disaster at Kitezi leading to the death of the waste collectors locally known as kawenja or scavengers.
Despite the derogatory references to the waste collectors at the landfill, from the ILO report, some African countries like Tanzania, Rwanda, Ghana, Lesotho, and Kenya among others categorized waste collection among industries creating jobs for their urban dwellers.
During the debate about the Kitezi disaster, an MP suggested the waste collectors should have been chased away for safety reasons. However, it turns out that waste management and recycling can be turned into an economic fortune including creating jobs if formalized.
This could be a lesson for the Kampala Capital City Authority, cities, municipalities, and town councils faced with garbage collection challenges.
As global populations and economies grow, so does waste generation, and the proportion of waste being recycled. For example, in the European Union, the recycling rate (excluding major mineral wastes) rose from 42 per cent in 2010 to 46 per cent in 2020.
The recycling industry’s recent growth has been driven by increased public awareness, rising industrial demand for recycled materials, and strong public policy and corporate commitments.
Recycling has long been a means of recuperating value from what would otherwise be waste, providing livelihoods for many poor, especially in developing countries with limited opportunities for decent life and work.
The waste management and recycling industry includes businesses and organizations that collect, process, and recycle materials such as glass, plastic, paper, metal, and electronics.
As one of the world’s first green industries, it reduces greenhouse gas emissions, conserves energy, and protects natural resources while also creating jobs and supporting local economies. In this blog, we explore the main characteristics of employment in the waste management and recycling industry.
A small but growing workforce
Employment in the waste and recycling industry is estimated at 6.9 million, representing 0.2 per cent of total global employment, although this is an underestimation due to data limitations (see the methodology box). Employment in the industry has increased in 55 out of 71 countries with at least two data points in the period 2014 to 2023.
Also notable is that, while contributing to environmental sustainability, workers in the waste management and recycling industry often face significant health hazards. These include exposure to toxic chemicals, biological agents, and physical risks from handling hazardous materials and operating heavy machinery.
These risks are compounded in developing countries, where occupational safety and health (OSH) regulations are often weaker or poorly enforced, leaving workers more vulnerable to injuries, respiratory issues, and long-term health conditions.
This stark contrast between the industry’s role in promoting a green economy and the unsafe conditions many workers endure highlights the need for stronger OSH protections, particularly in regions where regulatory frameworks are less robust.
Regional disparities
Globally, approximately 85 workers are employed in the waste and recycling industry per 100’000 people. Europe and Central Asia has the highest rate, with 174 workers per 100,000 people, while Africa has the lowest, with less than 30 workers per 100,000 people.
Employment in this industry tends to be higher in more developed regions, where recycling practices are more widespread. This trend is driven by higher recycling rates and increased demand for recycled materials, both of which are more common in regions such as Europe and Central Asia and the Americas. Recycling employment may be much higher in many low-income countries, but this type of work might not be well captured in the data.
A male-dominated industry
The waste management and recycling industry is male-dominated, with women comprising only 22.7 percent of the workforce.
Interestingly, while Africa has lower overall employment rates, women make up a relatively higher proportion of the workforce in this industry compared to other regions, with women constituting 29.5 per cent of the workforce in this industry.
This may be linked to limited employment opportunities for women and lack of social protection, compelling them to take on even undesirable or low-paid jobs in recycling that often involve poor working conditions, including exposure to health hazards.
Higher rates of informality
A large share of workers in the waste management and recycling industry in developing countries are in informal employment, often without basic social protection or employment benefits.
In half of the 49 developing countries with available data, workers in the industry are more likely to be in informal employment compared to those in other industries.
Going the extra hour
On average, workers in the waste management and recycling industry work longer hours than those in other industries.
The average weekly working hours in the industry range from 23 to 57 hours across countries, exceeding the maximum of 50 hours per week observed in other industries.
This extended working time not only limits workers’ ability to engage in other activities, such as personal development, household responsibilities, family time, leisure and recreation, but can also adversely affect workers health and safety, increasing the risk of injuries.
In 18 out of 53 countries with available data, about a third of workers in the waste management and recycling industry work more than 48 hours per week, which is the threshold used to defined excessive working hours.
In most of these countries, the rate of excessive working hours is higher than in other industries. In India and Rwanda, for example, over 70 per cent of those employed in the industry work excessive hours. The high proportion of employed persons working excessive hours points to a decent work deficit in the industry.
Lower levels of education
The level of educational attainment of workers in the waste management and recycling industry is significantly lower compared to other industries, with a very high proportion of workers having only a basic or less than basic education.
This may reflect the fact that for some, recycling is the only industry where they can find jobs because of their socio-economic situation, due to discrimination, lack of legal right to work, etc.
Conversely, workers in this industry are less likely to have advanced level of education. In 65 out of 66 countries with available data, the proportion of people employed with an advanced level of education is lower in this industry than in other industries.
The (unweighted) average percentage of workers with advanced education across all economic activities is 24.8 per cent, while in the waste management and recycling industry, it is significantly lower, at 9.5 per cent.
Given their educational profile, it is essential to ensure that employees in the industry have better access to education and training programmes to address skills gaps and promote qualifications and skills recognition, including basic literacy and numeracy where needed. Lower wages
Wage data available from 29 countries indicate that the average hourly earnings of employees in the waste management and recycling industry are typically much lower than those in other industries.
In half of these 29 countries, earnings received by employees in the waste management and recycling industry are between 36 and 75 per cent lower than the average earnings of all employees.
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