TY - JOUR
T1 - A personal profile of some of the informal collectors in central Durban—a case study
AU - McLean, Michelle
N1 - Funding Information:
The author would like to acknowledge the assistance of MrS. Gumede, Department of Sociology, University of Natal, Durban, who conducted the interviews, including the final translation into English. The research was made possible through funding from the Foundation far Research and Development (now National Research Faundatton), and the co-operation of companies such as Mondi Recycling and Don't Waste Services and organisations such as KwaZulu-Natal Waste MinImisation, Reuse and Recycling Forum. Jenny Toms-McDonald, in particular, spent considerable time and effort to secure a location for this pilot buyback centre. Sadly, this buyback centre closed in the middle of 1998 for security reasons (damaged). Mondi Recycling has, however, set up several other centres in the Warwick Triangle area of Durban and in Pinetown, and a businessman is operating similar centres in central Durban and in the Congella area. Although at this stage, the centres are operating as cardboard and paper collection depots only, the volumes collected (in some instances, > 100 tonnes per month) are proving that the centres can be economically viable.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2000, Copyright Taylor & Francis Group, LLC.
PY - 2000/1/1
Y1 - 2000/1/1
N2 - The sustained high levels of unemployment in South Africa have resulted in an increase in the number of individuals entering the informal sector. This study provides a profile of twenty informal collectors who frequented a newly established multi-material buyback centre in the Durban central business district. All but one collector had come to the city in search of employment, with only four being successful in securing formal employment. Eleven collectors had dependants, who generally lived at their permanent home. Seven collectors had begun hawking as a result of having seen or heard about the buyback centre, while one collector had been trading cardboard for 21 years. Most did not understand the concept of ‘recycling’, but admitted that their activities led to a cleaner city. Recognition for this ‘service’ was requested in order to legitimise their activities in the eyes of the community. The income generated was variable. Several factors, including a fluctuating market price, have a considerable impact on the poverty status and vulnerability of these collectors.
AB - The sustained high levels of unemployment in South Africa have resulted in an increase in the number of individuals entering the informal sector. This study provides a profile of twenty informal collectors who frequented a newly established multi-material buyback centre in the Durban central business district. All but one collector had come to the city in search of employment, with only four being successful in securing formal employment. Eleven collectors had dependants, who generally lived at their permanent home. Seven collectors had begun hawking as a result of having seen or heard about the buyback centre, while one collector had been trading cardboard for 21 years. Most did not understand the concept of ‘recycling’, but admitted that their activities led to a cleaner city. Recognition for this ‘service’ was requested in order to legitimise their activities in the eyes of the community. The income generated was variable. Several factors, including a fluctuating market price, have a considerable impact on the poverty status and vulnerability of these collectors.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84964419191&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1080/21528586.2000.10419006
DO - 10.1080/21528586.2000.10419006
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84964419191
SN - 1028-9852
VL - 31
SP - 1
EP - 9
JO - Society in Transition
JF - Society in Transition
IS - 1
ER -
