Challenges confronting waste pickers in Indonesia: An on-field analysis

Abstract

This article presents the informal recycling sector’s (IRS) social, economic driving factors in five cities in Indonesia and their contribution to waste management in the cities. An on-field analysis was conducted by random and incidental sampling method of questionnaire administration followed by observation. Among the respondents ( n = 178), 79% of individuals were waste pickers, 15% were small-scale waste collectors, and 6% were medium-scale waste collectors. The majority of the waste pickers sampled are male (79%). The amount of waste collected by individual waste pickers is 43.87 kg person−1 day−1, a corresponding recycling rate of approximately 12%, and an average monthly income of US$91.7. Gender differences are apparent as the male waste pickers generated higher incomes than those earned by their female counterparts (US$128.3 for men and US$69.7 for women) even as their average work hours are similar to that of the men (7.8 and 7.6 hours day−1, respectively). Economic motives are the respondents’ primary driving factors as moving to large cities accompanied by their family members. The study concluded that the IRS plays substantial contribution to waste management; further integrating them into the waste management system via IRS association, additional investment, formulation of law and policies and efforts by municipalities can give various benefits for involved stakeholders, the community and the environment. The results can serve as a significant reference for improving the solid waste recycling system and informal sector management in Indonesian cities and other developing countries.

Urban informal economy and vulnerabilities of domestic waste-pickers: A case of Chandigarh, India

“…10,700 (US$ 154.22), which is considerably higher than that of women workers (INR 10,090/US$ 145.43 per month) even though both, on average, serve an almost equal number of households. Such differences in the income levels of men and women waste-pickers have also been reported by Kristanto et al (2022) in the case of Indonesia. Furthermore, the average number of working hours and per-house service charges are also higher among men workers (7.60 hours and INR 72.57/US$ 1.05 respectively) as compared to that of women workers (7.13 hours and INR 68.67/US$ 0.99, respectively).…”

“…10,700 (US$ 154.22), which is considerably higher than that of women workers (INR 10,090/US$ 145.43 per month) even though both, on average, serve an almost equal number of households. Such differences in the income levels of men and women waste-pickers have also been reported by Kristanto et al (2022) Source: Authors' calculations based on primary data. * Per-house service charges (in Rs.…”

Potensi dan Tantangan Pemulung Menuju Ekonomi Sirkular di Kota Jambi

“…Pemulung TPS ini tidak mengumpulkan sampah di TPA. Ciri karakteristik pemulung berdasarkan hasil penelitian diatas sejalan dengan karakteristik umum pemulung pada penelitian-penelitian sebelumnya bahwa pemulung merupakan pekerja kurang memiliki keterampilan dikarenakan rendahnya tingkat pendidikan yang ditempuh, dan pendapatan yang rendah di negara berkembang (Kristanto et al, 2022;Morais et al, 2022;Steuer et al, 2018)…”

“…Merujuk pada penelitian-penelitian sebelumnya, konsep ekonomi sirkular melalui integrasi sektor informal memiliki potensi dalam mewujudkan pengelolaan sfampah perkotaan yang berkelanjutan dan menawarkan solusi bagi pemulung serta sektor informal lainnya untuk mendapatkan hak secara hukum, perlindungan sosial, pendidikan, upah yang adil serta kondisi kerja yang aman (Barford & Ahmad, 2021;da Silva et al, 2019;Morais et al, 2022). Namun pada implementasinya, formalisasi menemui banyak tantangan, berbeda-beda diberbagai negara dan banyak yang belum berhasil memberikan manfaat bagi sektor informal (Kristanto et al, 2022;Morais et al, 2022). Hal ini disebabkan belum adanya kemauan dari pengambil kebijakan untuk menerapkan sistem pengelolaan sampah dalam kerangka kerja pengelolaan sampah yang komprehensif dengan melibatkan sektor informal (David et al, 2020;Yousafzai et al, 2020;Ziaei et al, 2019).…”

Assessment of waste management practices and waste banks in urban areas of Indonesia: A case study of East Jakarta and Depok City

“…The informal recycling sector plays a crucial role in waste management. This sector, composed of individuals, groups, or businesses, typically oversees the majority of collection [8].…”