Socio-economic Analysis of Sanitation Workers in Municipal Solid Waste Collection in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

Abstract

This study investigates the perceptions and lived experiences of sanitation workers in relation to solid waste and their service in waste management. The socio-economic status of these workers is the core of the analysis. The data were collected from sanitation workers and other relevant stakeholders in a wereda (district) of the Bole sub-city in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. Fieldwork was conducted over the course of nine months, from August to September 2017, from February to March 2018, and from June to October 2018. Semistructured interviews, focus group discussions and direct observations were used with a total of 48 respondents, including sanitation workers who work for a solid waste collection shared enterprise in the area. Sanitation workers perceive the mixed solid waste they collect as having great economic value, regardless of its recyclability. Their work benefits themselves and many others in socially, economically and environmentally sustainable ways, and it contributes to the circular economy. However, for these workers, the interlinked social and occupational challenges rooted in the community and institutions are a source of struggle. This affects their self-esteem, dignity, their rights in a practical sense, and the waste collection service in the area.