SOCIAL AND ENVIRONMENT · WASTE PICKERS AND RECYCLING
Waste pickers, sometimes called ragpickers, do the first and hardest work of recycling in India’s cities. Programmes that serve them work better when they begin with evidence from the workers themselves.
By ARS Market Research Services, Chennai. For NGOs, waste picker collectives, municipal bodies, recyclers and CSR teams.
Figures in this field are estimates and vary by source, so treat them as direction, not a count. Reports also note that India’s extended producer responsibility (EPR) rules for plastic packaging say little about informal workers, which is why inclusion needs its own evidence.
Why research matters here
Waste pickers are often counted poorly or not at all. Without numbers on who they are, what they earn, what they collect and what they pay for, a municipal contract, an EPR plan or a welfare scheme can miss them or displace them. Careful research gives the worker’s own picture, and gives funders and officials a basis for fair decisions.
7 studies for waste picker and recycling programmes
1. Livelihood and income baseline
Earnings, hours, debt, health, children’s schooling and household assets, so a programme can show what changed.2. Mapping and enumeration
Who works where, in which streets, dumps and markets, with which materials. A fair headcount supports registration and ID cards.3. Material price chain study
Prices paid from picker to small dealer to aggregator to recycler, and where value is lost. Shows where collectives can earn more.4. Household segregation and fee study
Will households separate waste and pay a small user fee for doorstep collection? Test messages and fees before a launch.5. Access to schemes and safety
How many hold ID cards, are on e-Shram, have health cover or protective gear, and what blocks them.6. Producer and recycler sourcing study
Where brands, producer responsibility organisations and recyclers source material today, and whether collectives can supply them. See the CPCB for EPR rules.7. Programme impact assessment
Baseline, midline and endline studies that show donors and municipalities what a programme achieved. See our guide.Doing this respectfully
- Use the words workers prefer and talk to them in their own language.
- Take informed consent. Never photograph or record without permission.
- Pay fairly for the respondent’s time, since an interview costs a working day’s income.
- Keep identities confidential, and report findings, including uncomfortable ones, as they are.
What a good study looks like
| Question | Method | Decision it supports |
|---|---|---|
| How many workers, and what do they earn? | Enumeration and household survey | Registration and welfare design |
| Where is value lost? | Price chain interviews along the route | Collective buying and selling plan |
| Will households cooperate? | Household survey of 300–600 | Collection fee and messaging |
| Did the programme work? | Baseline and endline | Donor report and scale-up |
Planning a programme or a municipal contract?
ARS Market Research Services designs baseline surveys, enumeration, price chain studies and impact assessments for social programmes across India. Our directors personally supervise fieldwork. Tell us your question and we will suggest the right study.
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