Informal Waste Sector's Hierarchy

The informal waste sector in Kathmandu Valley is highly organized, yet not homogenous, and plays a critical role in recycling. It is structured in a hierarchy, with waste pickers at the bottom and recycling industries at the top.

The hierarchy of actors within the informal waste sector is as follows:

• Waste Pickers (Scavengers, Rag Pickers, Salvagers, Reclaimers): These individuals form the foundation of the informal recycling sector and are at the lowermost level. They segregate and clean recyclables from various sources such as transfer stations, open land, landfill sites, riverbanks, and scrap centers. They are primarily interested in non-organic materials like metals, plastics, and paper. This group is often composed of poor and marginalized social groups, including rural-urban migrants, who rely on waste picking for income generation and survival. Estimates suggest around 15,000 informal waste workers in Kathmandu Valley, recovering 25-30% of recyclables.
• Itinerant Waste Buyers (IWBs): Also known as "Feriya" or "Kabadiwala" in Nepal, these individuals purchase specific dry recyclables (e.g., paper, plastic, metal, glass, bottles) directly from households and commercial establishments through door-to-door collection. Their collected items are generally of better quality and market value than those picked from dumps. IWBs are found to be of Indian origin or from the Terai region of Nepal. They sell their collected recyclables to small, medium, or large-scale scrap dealers.
• Small and Medium Scale Scrap Dealers ("Kawad"): These dealers buy recyclables from informal waste pickers and itinerant waste buyers. They further segregate and store the materials before selling them to larger dealers.
• Large Scale Scrap/Junk Dealers (Wholesalers): These dealers handle and sell cleaned recyclables to recycling and manufacturing industries. They are higher up in the recycling chain and often deal with large transactions, though billing processes can be deplorable, leading to potential tax evasions.
• Middlemen: These actors facilitate the transportation of recyclables, often illegally, from Nepal to recycling industries in India.
• Recycling and Manufacturing Industries (in Nepal and India): At the top of the hierarchy, these industries transform the recyclables into end-products. Recyclables are primarily processed in Nepal, or exported to India if Nepal lacks the capacity or specific recycling facilities (e.g., for all types of glass).

Despite their crucial role in waste recovery and significant economic and environmental contributions, informal waste workers face marginalization, poor working conditions without proper safety measures, and societal stigma. Their activities are largely unrecognized in official statistics and policies.