Informal work in a circular economy: waste collection, insecurity and COVID19

Abstract

The circular economy is principally concerned with flows of materials, intending to capture and reuse value within material flows. Here, I examine how a more circular use of materials intersects with key social outcomes, paying attention to Sustainable Development Goal 8, which demands decent work for all. There is already a serious dearth of decent work worldwide, especially in lower income countries where low unemployment rates reflect the vital need to make a living in a context of minimal welfare. While the work done to get by is often considered to be economically unproductive, this paper highlights how how informal waste pickers underpin the recycling loop of the circular economy in many settings. Focusing on informal waste pickers in South Africa, I demonstrate their economic vulnerability as COVID19 containment measures left many without work, income or food. The mismatch between the essential labour performed by informal waste collectors and their poor working conditions leads me to argue for the inclusion of labour as a pillar of circular economy thinking.