Member organisation the PRO Alliance, mass-based democratic organisation the African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) and registered waste pickers organisation the South African Waste Pickers Association (SAWPA) have announced a collaboration that aims to integrate tens of thousands of waste pickers into the formal recycling economy.

Facilitated and partially funded by the Fair Circularity Initiative (FCI) to fast-track waste picker integration in South Africa, the Waste Picker Integration Project will support producer responsibility organisations (PROs) in overcoming critical systemic challenges.

South Africa generates millions of tonnes of packaging waste yearly, with a considerable amount of this recovered by reclaimers who form the backbone of the country’s recycling system, yet remain excluded from the benefits outlined in the country’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) policy, the organisations point out.

Many registered reclaimers lack access to buy-back centres (BBCs) with compliant systems, while others working at equipped sites remain unregistered on the national waste picker registration system, SAWPRS, they add.

The Waste Picker Integration Project aims to address these challenges, build trust between waste picker organisations and PROs and advance meaningful integration.

The PRO Alliance, the ARO, the SAWPA and other key stakeholders worked together on the redevelopment of the SAWPRS and created digital tracking and payment systems capable of accommodating large-scale registration and transaction recording.

Two pilots have since demonstrated the success of this approach and, with this new investment, the project aims to support BBCs to achieve compliance and establish a model for equitable EPR implementation at a larger scale.

Phase 1 will take place this year and enable 10 000 waste pickers to receive the service fee through access to payments systems and registration on the SAWPRS.

The collaboration’s ultimate aim is to reach more than 82 000 waste pickers over subsequent phases.

“This collaboration marks an important step forward in EPR implementation in South Africa. For too long, systemic barriers have limited the ability of the sector to fully recognise and compensate reclaimers for the essential role they play in the circular economy.

“Through coordinated action across PRO Alliance and its member organisations, and in collaboration with the ARO, the SAWPA and the FCI, we are helping to address these challenges in a practical and structured way,” says PRO Alliance executive director Makgabo van Niekerk.

“We are proud to be part of this project that will finally deliver tangible benefits to tens of thousands of reclaimers across South Africa. For years, our members have been the invisible infrastructure of recycling, contributing their labour while being excluded from formal recognition and fair compensation. This project will see every reclaimer receiving the recognition and payment they deserve,” ARO spokesperson Luyanda Hlatshwayo says.

“By connecting reclaimers to compliant buy-back centres, digital payment systems and national registration, we are advancing the sustainable development goals in a tangible, measurable way. An equitable circular economy is now becoming a reality for waste pickers across South Africa, SAWPA spokesperson Maditlhare Koena says.

“After extensive stakeholder engagement, this initiative represents a coordinated response to longstanding challenges. We are undertaking this at a scale that should see a significant proportion of South Africa's reclaimers registered and receiving service fees.

“This will establish a world-leading model for waste picker integration into EPR systems and demonstrate to the international community what equitable circularity looks like in practice,” says FCI spokesperson Richard Gower.