Not wasting waste: improving the livelihoods of poor urban waste pickers

Sifting through and recycling used glass, metals and plastics is the only way for many urban inhabitants in low income countries to earn a living. In most cases they do not recycle all the waste and leave low value waste (LVW) unutilised. Conventional waste to energy (WtE) technologies are not well adapted to informal waste management systems (WMS) or the highly organic waste input typically found in developing countries. Greater attention needs to be paid to mechanisms for converting LVW into energy, as this will benefit the urban poor.

A project coordinated by the Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG) worked with partners in Cuba, Kenya, Nepal, Senegal and Sri Lanka to develop and test locally-relevant WtE technologies. Kenya and Cuba were selected for detailed case studies and the implementation of interventions.

The accumulation of waste in urban areas presents major logistical problems for municipalities. Solid wastes in most developing countries are too low in calorific value, have too much organic material and are subject too much seasonal variation in moisture content to permit conversion to energy by incineration.

There are also significant health-related costs. Settlements are often found alongside waste dumps. Lacking other livelihood options many earn a living from waste picking. Disease-carrying agents, uncontrolled leachate production (which pollutes groundwater), smoke and dust add to the considerable health risks. Waste workers generally have a low level of awareness of health and safety.

The report notes that:

• There are a wide range of stakeholders in any WMS – from local authorities and private companies to householders and waste pickers.
• The informal sector – waste pickers, door-to-door collectors and waste dealers – are responsible for clearing up to a quarter of urban waste.
• A large number of WtE interventions – typically including anaerobic digesters and incineration plants – have been unsustainable due to inappropriate technology, neglect of socio-cultural and livelihood considerations, lack of transparency and corruption.
• Biodegradable organic material – the lowest value waste – is often not utilised and is unattractive to the poor and the informal sector.
• Simple WtE technologies used by the poor – such as burning paper and cardboard, briquetting charcoal dust by mixing it with mud and shaping it with their hands - are appropriate for promotion.
• Small-scale biogas production in rural areas is well-established: by 1993 over five million rural households in China and India were using biogas digesters to produce methane for fuel for domestic lighting and cooking.

Energy access and waste management can be significantly improved if consideration is given to the entire waste management system, particularly to the role of the poor both as energy consumers and as dependents upon waste for livelihood activities.

ITDG argues that:

• It is necessary to consider the holistic picture before working further on any particular waste-to-energy option.
• There is enormous potential for energy production from biomass throughout the world.
• Many crops grown in rural areas of the developing world are suitable for making bio fuel – including coconut, cotton seed, groundnut, palm, rapeseed and soy bean.
• More must be done to realise the energy potential of organic waste.

In many countries liberalisation is leading to privatisation of solid waste management services, sometimes with the involvement of international companies. When municipal planners choose new WtE options they must ensure they are fully integrated within present systems and enhance the livelihoods of currently employed waste workers.

Source(s):
‘Urban waste management for small scale energy production’ by Smail Khennas, Liz Bates and Susan Taylor, Intermediate Technology Development Group, April 2003 Full document.

Funded by: DFID (IUDD R7882)

id21 Research Highlight: 10 June 2004

Further Information:
Dr Liz Bates
Intermediate Technology Development Group
The Schumacher Centre for Technology & Development
Bourton Hall
Bourton-on-Dunsmore
Rugby
CV23 9QZ
UK

Tel: 44 (0) 1926 634400
Fax: 44 (0) 1926 634401
Contact the contributor: lizb@itdg.org.uk

Intermediate Technology Development Group (ITDG), UK

Dr Smail Khennas
CILSS-PREDAS 03 BP 7049, Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso

Contact the contributor: smail.khennas@cilss.bf

Other related links:
'Poor pickings: the dangers of waste collection in developing countries'

'WASTE WISE: rehabilitation of street children through an urban solid waste management project in South-India'

Waste Picker Development Center

Infrastructure Connect