Date: 17 June 2025
Venue: The Station Conference Centre, Durban, South Africa
MetPac-SA was invited to the annual Green Youth Indaba 2025 which took place at The Station Conference Centre in Durban, South Africa. This was a weeklong summit. Its key focus was on advancing sustainability goals in South Africa, job creation in the waste management sector, developing innovative green technologies with initiatives that contribute towards sustainable green economies.
Khosi Mbatha, Project Manager at MetPac-SA, had the honour of meeting two waste pickers and engaged with them. These two waste pickers have written compelling books on the immense trauma of being a waste picker in South Africa. The two authors are currently working as motivational speakers with a mission to inspire and dispel the stigma associated with being a waste picker in South Africa. Their main aim is to motivate other waste pickers to broaden their horizons and strive to become successful entrepreneurs within the waste management sector. Their biggest passion is to be a catalyst for change in motivating the youth to strive and persevere during difficult times.
Upon reflection there is a massive gap for education on separation at source in communities and schools to change societal behaviour and conscientise communities on the priority of separation at source. There is also a great need to train waste pickers on important skills such as business management skills, finance management, budget management skills, and how to access government funding, as most of them battle to access government funding through lack of knowledge.
Trauma counselling remains a top priority for waste pickers. Due to the stigma associated with being a waste picker in societies across SA. Waste pickers suffer enormous anxiety and trauma as society mocks them and dehumanises them for the work that they do. They are often called by harsh names and are continually blamed for crimes which are not related to them due to their physical appearance. Most of them are continuously exposed to germs as they dig for various substrates in the bins. This puts their health at huge risk.
Most waste pickers throughout the country do not have access to water or sanitizers at the very least at Landfills. Their mental health is compromised as they are continually exposed to extremely dire unhealthy and unhygienic environments to clean and sustain the environment. The waste picker integrations which are underway throughout South Africa are key in shifting societal stigma as waste pickers will be formalised and be regarded as part of the working force.
It was further discussed that buyback centres need to play a role in training waste pickers on which substrates to bring to buy back centres and which substrates have the most value.
It was further suggested that the PROs need to identify Services Setas nationally to train waste pickers on various other skills to elevate and open other doors and opportunities for waste pickers.
The PRO Alliance was encouraged to work together to ensure that EPR fees are allocated and paid to waste pickers to ensure a smooth and seamless waste picker integration. There is an urgent need to formalise waste pickers in SA and instil dignity in their thankless jobs.
DFFE stressed the importance of waste picker integrations which are underway across SA. They encouraged all waste pickers to join and be formalised and recognised officially for their incredible work they are doing in sustaining the environment.
