How informal waste workers can drive change

From the newsletter

Waste pickers in Gambia and South Africa are the focus of a new $300,000 partnership between UK-based circularity NGO WasteAid and global technology firm Veralto. The initiative aims to boost incomes, improve social conditions and reduce plastic pollution by empowering local communities to take charge of waste management.

• The partnership highlights a crucial shift in the circular economy narrative, where informal waste workers are no longer seen as peripheral actors but as key drivers of change. 

• The emphasis on informal workers aligns with broader sustainable development trends, where community-led solutions are recognised as essential for long-term environmental and social impact.

More details

• The initiative, under WasteAid’s First Step Resource Management Programme, aims to expand waste management operations in The Gambia and South Africa. In The Gambia, the focus will be on the capital, Banjul and surrounding areas while in South Africa, the support will target regions grappling with severe waste management challenges.

• To achieve this, WasteAid plans to equip informal waste workers with essential waste management skills and provide training in recycling entrepreneurship, fostering self-employment. Additionally, the initiative will advocate for increased investment in waste management by engaging with policymakers.

• “We will empower local communities to reclaim value from waste, reduce environmental degradation and improve public health outcomes,” Ceris Turner-Bailes, CEO of WasteAid.

• Across Africa, informal waste workers form the unacknowledged backbone of urban waste management. In cities from Lagos to Accra and Nairobi, it’s estimated that 80–90% of waste is collected, sorted and recycled by informal workers—often with no government pay, legal recognition, or social protections. These workers are the first line of defense against plastic pollution, clogged drainage systems, overflowing landfills and urban health crises.

• Alice Eze, Chief Operating Officer at Climate Action Africa refers to these workers as “invisible climate champions,” on LinkedIn, underscoring their essential role in keeping cities functional and waste under control. Yet their contributions are routinely overlooked. Instead of being integrated into official systems, informal workers are marginalised—underpaid, stigmatised and excluded from policymaking.

• This neglect is especially evident in circular economy investments. Funding and donor support often favor centralised, capital-intensive solutions such as waste-to-energy plants, large-scale materials recovery facilities (MRFs) and foreign-led recycling firms. Meanwhile, the informal sector continues to absorb the environmental and economic risks—without infrastructure, income stability, or safety nets.

• In Accra, for example, while 99% of formal waste services are outsourced, the informal sector manages 51% of all waste collected. This stark contrast highlights the deep reliance on informal workers, yet they remain marginalised—often excluded from decision-making processes and denied recognition for their critical role. The $300,000 WasteAid–Veralto initiative represents a necessary shift towards recognising these workers and integrating them into formal systems

• This is why initiatives like the $300,000 WasteAid–Veralto partnership matter. But real economic empowerment means systemic integration: equipping workers with basic tools and protective gear, providing training in value-added recycling or green entrepreneurship and formalising their roles through cooperatives or small businesses. Most importantly, it means including them in city-level planning and waste policy processes.

• There is growing evidence that such integration works. In Ghana, for instance, waste picker organisations have gained recognition through policy briefs that advocate for the inclusion of informal waste workers in waste management strategies. By forming cooperatives, these workers can gain access to resources and formal contracts, ultimately empowering them and improving waste management systems on a larger scale. 

Our take

• For Africa’s circular economy to thrive, informal waste workers must be recognised as central economic actors, not peripheral labor. Initiatives like the WasteAid–Veralto partnership should set a precedent, catalysing a continent-wide shift where the informal sector is nurtured as a foundational pillar of sustainability, rather than merely tolerated.

• Empowering informal waste workers is not just a social imperative but an economic strategy that can drive sustainable growth, create green jobs, enhance efficiency in waste management and boost resilience in local economies.

• When informal workers are empowered economically, waste systems don’t just become more inclusive—they also become more efficient, scalable and resilient to shocks like pandemics, economic downturns and climate disruptions.