TRADE AND RECYCLING OF INORGANIC SOLID WASTE IN HYDERABAD 141
and less than 5 percent from pickers For larger units, government offices are also an
important source (15 percent). Among wholesalers purchasing bottles, retail traders
are the main source for small units (85 percent), going down to 65 percent among
larger units. The latter also purchase 27 percent from itinerant buyers The figures
indicate that itinerant buyers are a more important source of secondary materials than
usually acknowledged, confirming earlier studies by Furedy (1992) on this type of
trader. It also makes clear that waste pickers have little direct access to wholesalers in
selling waste, with amounts of waste ranging between 1-3 percent of materials sold to
wholesalers
7.4. RETAIL TRADERS
Retail traders in Hyderabad are largely from ‘backward’ castes (71 percent). Another
24 percent are from ‘other caste’ backgrounds. This suggests that the lower in the
value chain, the lower the social background in the Hindu caste hierarchy. Their
education levels are lower than those of wholesalers: 55 percent have a secondary
education, and only a small number have a tertiary education. The vast majority are
men: only 4 percent women retailers were found. The traders already had some
business experience before starting these units, and form part of a larger family and
caste community network of people working in this sector. This provides them with
financial and moral support.
Units of retail traders were started in the late 1980s and 1990s. More than half were
started after 1995 (32 out of 55). They are mainly located in their own residential
premises (rented). They operate with a license from the MCH, but are nevertheless
often harassed by the premise owners They do not invest capital in buying premises
or transportation, but hire this when necessary. They also do not hire outside wage
labor, but utilize unpaid family labor of female and male members in order to reduce
costs. The units do manage to expand their activities and the number of people
working there over time.
Retail traders mainly carry out sorting and cleaning, and stock the waste into sufficient
quantities before selling it. Their main mode of transportation to sell the waste is by
car or rickshaw. They sell the waste to wholesale traders but transportation costs are
paid by retail traders themselves.
Retail traders purchase a combination of paper, bottles, plastic, broken glass, metal
scrap, aluminum, copper and other wastes, and do not specialize in one type of mate-
rial. 64 percent buy all the waste fractions covered in the study. Another 25 percent
buy three out of four types of materials. Only 11 percent specialize to a greater extent.
Traders purchase from a variety of sources as well: street and dumpsite pickers, itin-
erant buyers, government offices and households. The availability of waste materials