TRADE AND RECYCLING OF INORGANIC SOLID WASTE IN HYDERABAD 145
rickshaws together, others cadge a ride from the municipal waste collection crews, and
others walk.
Both groups of pickers sell through ‘tied’ and ‘untied’ methods to their retail traders
Untied selling allows them to sell to any trader they like, whereas tied selling means
they have access to a sizeable loan (up to Rs 5,000) but are required to sell to the retail
traders providing this loan^7. In both groups, the vast majority remains untied to any
one trader. However, more than 20 percent of the dump pickers make use of loans
from traders, compared to only 10 percent among street pickers Within both groups,
some are able to take loans through the connections in the rural areas where they came
from, a preferred option.
The waste collected by both groups of waste pickers includes paper, plastic, polythene
bags, metal scrap, pads, broken glass, and bottles^8. The amount of materials in the
slack season is between 70-75 percent of the amounts collected in the peak season.
Fuel wood and bottles (and some clothing and household items collected) are reused
by the pickers themselves. Dumpsite pickers collect similar types of waste as street
pickers in larger amounts. The largest quantity consists of paper, followed by poly-
thene, plastic, and metal scrap^9. For most materials affected by rain, the amounts come
down to 60 percent of the peak season.
Average incomes for pickers vary between the two groups of pickers Street pickers
earn an average of Rs 274 per week, when they work in a ‘tied’ relation with a trader,
and Rs 247 when they sell on the open market. In the slack season, they earn an
average 68 percent of their earnings in the peak season. Untied pickers earn 73 percent
of their peak wages, and tied pickers 63 percent. This suggests that for street pickers,
working for a variety of buyers actually increases income; tied pickers have a lower
income, but some access to loans to help them through the slack season (Table 7.4).
Dump pickers earn an average of Rs 391 when they work in a ‘tied’ relation with a
trader, and Rs 388 when they sell on the open market. In the slack season, tied dump
pickers earn about 68 percent of the peak season income, whereas untied pickers earn
only 60 percent. This suggests that for dump pickers, having a fixed relation with a
- Pickers indicate that they can take out loans up to Rs 1,000 without being tied to any retail trader.
- The quantity of waste collected by street pickers came to 24 kg paper, 25 kg plastic, 8 kg polythene, 19
kg metal scrap, 14 kg pads, 21 bottles and 2 kg broken glass in a week during peak season. But it came
down to 17 kg, 18 kg, 6 kg, 14 kg, 10 kg, 4 kg, 15 (no) and 2 kg respectively in the slack season. - The average weekly quantity of waste collected comes to 49 kg paper, 22 kg plastic, 35 kg polythene,
21 kg metal scrap, 15 kg pads, 20 kg broken glass, 2 bottles and 3 kg of other materials during peak
season, but it comes to 29 kg, 13 kg, 20 kg, 13 kg, 9 kg, 12 kg, 1 (no) and 2 kg respectively in a week
in the slack season.