Reclaiming Livelihoods – Mooi River Waste ReclaimingCreating formal groups of waste pickers for collecting and recycling waste



Reclaiming Livelihoods is an initiative of former informal waste pickers. Before founding the initiative, waste pickers worked as individuals in the town of Mooi River. With the assistance of the NGO groundWork, the waste pickers of Mooi River organised themselves into a formal group and now work together. The local municipality (Mpofana Municipality) supports the initiative and has granted permission for recycling waste on the landfill. This enables the Reclaiming Livelihoods’ waste pickers to collect recyclables such as cardboard, plastic, glass and paper directly on the landfill. The recyclables are then compressed and sold to larger recycling companies.
Partners
Groundwork, Friends of the Earth assisted in formalising the waste pickers and provide protective clothing.
Mpofana Municipality grants permission to reclaim recycling materials on-site.
Central Waste Paper a recycling company, subsidises technical equipment and buys the recyclables.