A REPORT ON WASTE PICKERS OF NEPAL
Waste pickers are part of the informal workforce involved in managing recyclable waste and diverting it away from landfills. Though waste pickers are sometimes integrated into formal employment with access to contracts and social protections, they may still retain the title of waste picker, which highlights the incremental nature of formalization. Despite waste pickers’ importance to waste recovery in Nepal, they lack legislative recognition and are not integrated into planning processes. To gain an in-depth understanding of waste pickers in the present context, a qualitative study was conducted with waste pickers and their organizations in 14 districts, which included major cities. The study explores the socio-economic characteristics of these workers and the contribution that their organizations make toward improving their livelihoods. Interviews were conducted at waste pickers’ workplaces, including organizations’ offices, municipal offices, landfills, scrap dealers, and scrap centers. Convenience sampling was preferred in the research/study, which consisted of all genders, ages, and types of waste pickers, including the affiliated (those employed by an institution) and the unaffiliated (not associated with any institution). The respondents were verbally informed about the objectives of the study before the interview, and their consent for audio recording and photographs was taken.
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