As South Africa marks Nelson Mandela Day on 18 July under the theme “It’s still in our hands to combat poverty and inequity,” the Institute of Waste Management of Southern Africa (IWMSA) is calling for greater recognition of a workforce that lives out this message every single day: the country’s informal waste reclaimers.

An estimated 90,000 to 100,000 waste reclaimers operate across South Africa, recovering recyclable materials from streets, landfills and waste facilities. Their work diverts significant volumes of recyclable material away from landfill each year, materials that would otherwise consume already-scarce airspace at the country’s landfill sites. In doing so, reclaimers perform an essential public service, often without formal recognition, fair compensation, or basic protections.

“Nelson Mandela reminded us that it is in our hands to build a better world, especially for the poor and marginalised,” says Mervin Olivier, former chairperson of the Eastern Cape branch of IWMSA.

“Waste reclaimers are a powerful, living example of that principle. Every day, often before sunrise, they are out doing the hands-on work of building a circular economy, long before that term became fashionable. This Mandela Day is an opportunity to ask what more we, as an industry and a country, can do to recognise and support them.”

A call for integration, not charity

The IWMSA is using Mandela Day to renew its call for the formal integration of reclaimers into South Africa’s waste management systems, including:

• Fair, transparent pricing at buy-back centres and material recovery facilities (MRFs) with options to exchange for money, food or other incentives
• Access to protective equipment and basic health and safety support
• Formal recognition within municipal Integrated Waste Management Plans
• Inclusion in Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) scheme design and implementation, so those doing the collection work share more equitably in the value they help create.

“Poverty and waste are deeply intertwined in South Africa,” adds Olivier. “You cannot talk seriously about the waste hierarchy, or about circular economy ambitions, without talking about the people who assist in making recycling and recovery possible. Dignity and sustainability have to go hand in hand.”

Beyond one day

While Mandela Day encourages South Africans to dedicate sixty seven minutes to service, the IWMSA is encouraging its members, branches and partner organisations to consider longer-term, practical ways to support waste reclaimers this July, from supporting local buy-back initiatives to backing municipal reclaimer-integration projects already under way in parts of the country.

“Mandela’s legacy was never about a single day of good deeds, it was about the sustained, unglamorous, everyday work of lifting others up. That is exactly what our reclaimers do, and it’s precisely what our industry should be doing for them in return,” concludes Olivier.