Resisting disposability
Survivalist entrepreneurs in South Africa's informal recycling sector
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 2640118 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Olivia Loots (0000-0003-3603-6059, Nelson Mandela University, corresponding author), Palisa G Ntsala |
| Year | 2024 |
| Volume | 20 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2024-07-11 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Journal for Transdisciplinary Research in Southern Africa (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1817-4434 • E-ISSN: 2415-2005 |
| Publisher | AOSIS (PUBLISHER • ZA) |
| DOI | 10.4102/td.v20i1.1455 |
| OpenAlex | W4400558442 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 4 |
| References cited | 25 |
Waste is an increasing global environmental issue. South Africa’s informal sector plays a crucial role in diverting recyclables from landfills. Despite their indispensable contributions, informal recyclers form part of a societal group that is marginalised, negatively labelled and deemed ‘disposable’ under neoliberal capitalist structures. This article draws on data from interviews held with 21 participants who work in the informal recycling sector in Gqeberha (formerly Port Elizabeth) in South Africa. It investigates the participants’ own perceptions of their societal role, of which four became prominent, namely: (1) cleaners of the environment, (2) providers for dependents, (3) informal environmental educators and (4) community uplifters. We argue that the participants’ positive self-views can be seen as a powerful counter-narrative that challenges harmful prevailing stereotypes, which allows for a more nuanced perception of their lives and labour. Their positive self-perceptions and resourcefulness should not be interpreted as an endorsement of neoliberal capitalism that compels them to actively combat stigmatisation. Instead, their determination to resist negative stereotypes simultaneously underscores the necessity of confronting stigmatisation in society. Transdisciplinary contribution: The parallel themes of agency and autonomy in both informal recycling and entrepreneurship prompt a reconsideration of the conventional entrepreneurial discourse and its applicability to marginalised communities. We recommend that informal recyclers’ accumulated knowledge, skill set and well-being be acknowledged to ensure their dignity and that their labour is valued
Autonomy · Dignity · Economic growth · Economics · Entrepreneurship · Informal sector · Narrative · Political economy · Political science · Poverty · Precarity · Social science · Sociology · Gender Studies · Innovation and Socioeconomic Development · Law
Resisting Global Toxics
Democracy as a community of life
Waste pickers in informal self-employment
Adaptive Expectations and Subjective Well-being of Landfill Waste Pickers in South Africa’s Free State Province
Does Skill Make Us Human
Place, people and processes in waste theory
Climate Apartheid
Exploring the Potential Health Risks Faced by Waste Pickers on Landfills in South Africa
We live and we do this work”
Accumulation by dispossession and the informal economy - Struggles over knowledge, being and waste at a Soweto garbage dump
Whose Frontier is it Anyway? Reclaimer "Integration" and the Battle Over Johannesburg's Waste-based Commodity Frontier
Necropolitics
| Unique citing works | 4 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2 |
| Citation span | 2024 - 2026 (3) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 4 |