192 ANNE M. KARANJA, MOSES M. IKIARA, THEO C. DAVIES
Assessment of the socio-economic, public health and environmental dimensions of
this requires recognition of the wider social, economic and political milieu in which
the chain is based. Issues related to sustainable development with regard to these
actors are constrained not only by the actors’ positions in the chain and nature of activ-
ities but also by the wider social, economic and political environment in which these
activities are embedded and, more importantly, by their non-inclusion in waste
management policies.
Environmental and health issues
Waste pickers live and dwell in dilapidated surroundings without many of the basic
facilities for basic hygiene. Their working conditions are equally deplorable, without
use of any safety equipment or attire. The exposure to contaminants is highly preva-
lent. Most of the actors in this part of the chain complain of numerous health problems
attributable in their judgement to involvement in waste work. An overwhelming 89
percent of the waste pickers reported frequent affliction from ailments they considered
to be resulting from handling waste. The most frequently named included headaches
and stomach and diarrhoea problems, cuts and bruises, respiratory and skin ailments,
as well as pains and aches in the body. Although epidemiological studies have not
been conducted to establish a relationship between waste work and disease, these
seem inevitable given the nature and conditions of work and habitation. These
diseases may result from walking long distances in unfavourable weather conditions,
consuming waste food from dumps or coming into contact with corrosive and inju-
rious materials as well as disease causing vectors, thriving in the waste.
Although waste pickers cause littering in the streets and surrounding areas, the
removal of waste materials from the waste stream that would otherwise end up in
disposal sites contributes to environmental benefits of waste management. Due to the
absence of data it is not possible to quantify the amount of waste diverted from the
municipal waste stream by the activities of these actors
Owing to the negative attitude, frivolity and disregard with which these activities are
viewed by the authorities and the public, it is not possible to compute the volume of
waste diverted from the municipal waste stream. Regarding the Dandora dump, not
only is the total population living in and off the dump not known but also that of dump
waste picker(s) is largely based on estimates by NGOs and CBOs involved. The Catholic
Priest Father Alex of Mukuru recycling project and the NCC dumpsite office put the
total population as varying from 500 to 2,000. Moreover, not all those found at the dump
are engaged in waste picking. NCC officers working in the disposal-fee collection
office, who interact fairly closely with pickers, acknowledge that the dump is a popular
hide-out for many of the city’s criminals.