Waste management in rural areas poses a major challenge to local governments in developing countries. Municipalities face limited budgets and obstacles with the collection of waste, as well as a lack of proper equipment, infrastructure, and treatment centres. These obstacles lead to further problems, such as littering and illegal dumping, contributing to the knowledge base regarding remote and rural towns in South Africa. This study aims to assess the waste management practices and challenges of households in a Municipality in the Northern Cape, South Africa. The study investigates the household waste management practices, identifies the challenges experienced by households regarding their waste management, and explores their willingness to participate in a separation-at-source program. A cross-sectional research design was used along with a mixed methods research methodology. A sample of 160 interviews was completed over the period 16 to 20 September 2019. Descriptive statistics and a thematic analysis were used in the data analysis. The results indicate that municipalities, and households, will have to collaboratively search for solutions towards effective waste management in rural areas. Financial constraints also necessitate the investigation of alternative ways of managing household waste through cooperation with surrounding towns.

Landfill and street waste pickers in South Africa are responsible for collecting substantial volumes of recyclable material, saving municipalities millions and contributing to a generally healthier and cleaner environment. Yet waste pickers continue to operate on the fringes of the economy and are exposed to many risks, particularly health risks which have a direct impact on the sustainability of their livelihoods. This article, using a mixed-methods approach, explores the health risks to which waste pickers working on nine different landfills in the country are exposed. The socio-ecological framework was used to analyse and present the results. A key finding was that waste picking, by its very nature, lends itself to innumerable health risks, but that these can be lessened through concerted and collaborative efforts on the part of landfill operators, local authorities and other stakeholders. Integrating the ‘self-employed’ waste pickers into the formal waste management system should be comprehensive in order to limit health risks. Waste pickers will never have a risk-free environment, but facilitative policies and supportive institutions can collaboratively help to mitigate these risks and create a more sustainable and dignified working environment towards sustaining their livelihoods.

Effective management of waste and the promotion and management of recycling activities are necessary for sustainable and liveable cities. A key but unrecognised element in promoting recycling is the efforts of waste pickers who make a living from recycling mainline recyclables. This article aims to describe the approaches used on 10 landfills in South Africa to manage waste pickers’ access to recyclables and their daily activities on the landfills. A multiple case study design and cross-case analysis were used in this study. The sustainable livelihoods framework (SLF) was used to analyse and explain the data. The results showed that waste management policies and practices directly influence the waste pickers’ access to recyclable waste and their livelihoods. Finally, some inclusionary and exclusionary practices are highlighted that could guide inclusive, participatory and co-productive practices for waste pickers in South Africa towards increased recognition, access, dignity and income.

Waste picking is an important survival strategy of many people throughout the developing world. South Africa has a sizeable waste picker population who ply their trade on municipal landfill sites as well as on the streets of cities and towns. This study lifts the lid on this neglected area of research by analysing and comparing landfill and street waste pickers side by side in a socio-economic context. Samples of waste pickers were drawn from the three main municipalities of Mangaung, Matjhabeng and Metsimaholo in the Free State province of South Africa and a questionnaire-based survey was conducted. Among the findings was that waste picking offers a financial lifeline when, due to inadequate schooling and grinding poverty, individuals would be hard pressed to find employment in the formal economy. The study lays an important foundation for further comparative and qualitative research into this important segment of South Africa’s informal economy.

This paper investigates the entrepreneurial opportunities and value-adding activities of buy-back centres in the recycling industry. Using Porter’s firm-level value chain framework as theoretical framework for this analysis, a concurrent mixed method design was used to collect information from 67 buy-back centres across South Africa by means of face-to-face interviews, accompanied with a questionnaire with open-ended and close-ended questions. Buy-back centres’ competitive advantage is that they have the facilities to add value to the recyclables according to the recycling industry’s standards and specifications. To be viable, they need to attract large and sustainable volumes of recyclables, which often poses a challenge. Increased volumes of recyclables can translate into more jobs and income earning opportunities at all hierarchical levels in the recycling industry. A recycling model that increases the volumes of recyclables recovered by buy-back centres through informal sector activities is proposed. Such a model should facilitate changing citizen behaviour and implementation of, among others, responsible separation at source programmes to increase the volumes of cleaner recyclables. Increased supplies of recyclables should, however, be accompanied by an increase in the demand for products made from recyclables, to absorb the increased supply.

The purpose of this study was to investigate and describe the nutritional status, dietary intake and dietary diversity of waste pickers in South Africa, a socioeconomically vulnerable group who makes a significant contribution to planetary health through salvaging recyclable material from dumpsites. Participants were weighed and measured to calculate body mass index (BMI). Dietary intake was recorded using a standardised multipass 24 h recall. Individual dietary diversity scores were derived from the dietary recall data. Data were collected from nine purposefully selected landfill sites located in six rural towns and three cities in four of the nine provinces in South Africa, providing nutritional status information on 386 participants and dietary intake on 358 participants after data cleaning and coding. The mean BMI of the study sample was 23.22 kg/m². Underweight was more prevalent among males (22.52%) whilst 56.1% of the females were overweight or obese. The average individual dietary diversity score was 2.46, with 50% scoring 2 or less. Dietary intake patterns were characterised as monotonous, starch-based and lacking vegetables and fruits. The nutritional status, dietary intake and dietary diversity of waste pickers reflect their precarious economic status, highlighting the need for health, social and economic policies to improve access and affordability of nutritious food.