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Globally, more than 60% of all workers work in the informal economy (ILO 2020). One sector, waste pickers, comprise 1–2% of workers in low- and middle-income countries, yet their vulnerabilities and contributions to the circular economy are poorly understood. The COVID-19 pandemic presents a valuable opportunity to evaluate the socio-economic precarity of waste pickers, the essentiality of their contributions to sustainability efforts, and the fragility of circular economy infrastructures. This study, designed by WIEGO (Women in the Informal Economy: Globalizing and Organizing), aimed to assess the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated lockdowns on waste pickers globally. Additionally, the study surveyed occupational health challenges faced by waste pickers and responses by local governments and non-governmental organizations. Between June and July 2020, local research teams surveyed 499 waste pickers in 9 cities in 8 countries. The study findings highlight 1) that the pandemic exacerbated the already precarious economic condition of waste pickers; 2) high worker risk to occupational exposures and lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), which resulted in varied PPE usage, and 3) the uneven and limited distribution of economic assistance and aid by non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and local governments in support of waste pickers as essential workers. We propose several recommendations to address persistent inequities in the informal recycling sector to create a more inclusive and just circular economy.

The forgotten essential workers in the circular economy? Waste picker precarity and resilience amidst the COVID-19 pandemic