Turning Livelihoods to Rubbish? Policy Brief

Abstract

In the context of high unemployment and growing volumes of waste volumes, more and more people and institutions are looking to waste management as a way to create jobs and improve the environment. This is quite a shift from how waste is typically thought about – dirty, unsafe, and out of sight/out of mind.

Political actors in South Africa are encouraging the transformation of waste management into a sector that can provide employment, employment opportunities, and income. But although many types of waste are valuable, turning waste management into a profitable industry is difficult. Most waste doesn’t actually have economic value, and profit margins from recycling are tight. Additionally they are subject to changing global prices and fluctuations.