WSEAS Transactions on Environment and Development
Print ISSN: 1790-5079, E-ISSN: 2224-3496
Volume 17, 2021
Scavenging for Survival and Its Health Implications. The Nexus between Unemployment and Ill-health
Authors: , , , ,
Abstract: According to a popular adage, when the going gets tough, the tough gets going. With unemployment
on the constant increase in South Africa, people are becoming more relentless in seeking means to earn a living.
Waste picking has become, for example, an option for individuals in responding to the economic challenge in
order to provide for themselves and families. By odd, the researchers refer to foraging in bins for items that
have been discarded by others, which may be sold for cash. Although this practice offers an opportunity for
self-employment, there is also a concern that those who deal in waste may be exposing themselves and perhaps
their families to social stigma and health problems. This article looks at both the challenges of waste picking
(more specifically health) and the desperate state of unemployment in South Africa. In doing that, we aim to
address three central questions: (1) why are people waste picking? (2) Is waste picking a sustainable venture?
and (3) what are the challenges in waste picking? To obtain deeper insights into the themes captured in the
aforementioned research questions; face to face interviews were conducted with participants. Empirically, four
central factors push participants into waste picking ventures: unemployment, retrenchment, unemployability,
and the need for augmented income. Also, we found that although waste pickers continue the practice to sustain
themselves and their families, waste picking does not sufficiently offer sustainable income, improved
livelihoods nor reduced dependency on public social and health systems. There is a need to enhance the
capacity of the South African public health system to adequately cater for those who regularly need its services
and as this study has shown, the continuous practice of waste picking is synonymous with ill health and
pressure on public health systems. We flag directions for future research.
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Keywords: Bin Scavenging, Health Risks, Survival Ventures, Push Factors, Sustainable Income, Waste
Management, South Africa
Pages: 1-18
DOI: 10.37394/232015.2021.17.1