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"The bad job brings the good one": photovoice study with female and male waste workers in Rwanda

dc.contributor.authorSurchat, M.
dc.contributor.authorIrakoze, M.
dc.contributor.authorKantengwa, S.
dc.contributor.authorKonlambigue, M.
dc.contributor.authorSpath, L.
dc.contributor.authorWilde, B.
dc.contributor.authorSix, J.
dc.contributor.authorKrutli, P.
dc.contributor.authorStauffacher, M.
dc.date.accessioned2024-10-03T08:29:48Z
dc.date.available2024-10-03T08:29:48Z
dc.date.issued2024
dc.identifier.citationSurchat, M., Irakoze, M., Kantengwa, S., Konlambigue, M., Späth, L., Wilde, B., ... & Stauffacher, M. (2024). “The bad job brings the good one”: photovoice study with female and male waste workers in Rwanda. Local Environment, 29(5), 565-592.
dc.identifier.issn1354-9839
dc.identifier.urihttps://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12478/8566
dc.description.abstractWithin the circular economy framework in Africa, sustainable waste management can contribute to improving the environment and creating green jobs. However, recycling activities are mostly carried out by informal workers, who are often forgotten in discussions about the circular economy. To ensure the development of a socially just circular economy, their voices must be heard and their needs accounted for. This study took place in Rwanda, a circular economy leader in Africa, and explored the experiences of workers engaged in biowaste recycling, with a particular focus on the distinctions between the experiences of female and male workers. We used photovoice as a methodology, allowing waste workers to visually report on the benefits and drawbacks of being involved in biowaste recycling. Seventeen waste recyclers took pictures representing different working experiences, which was followed by individual in-depth interviews to elicit the meaning behind each picture. Data analysis consisted of a reflexive thematic content analysis of interview transcripts and a participatory data analysis with the workers. The results show that the workers valued their jobs for their social relations at work, being responsible for a task, being productive, and generating savings. Workers negatively highlighted the health risks associated with waste sorting, difficult working conditions, and low salaries. We found gendered differences in workers’ marital status and access to paid work opportunities. Although working in waste recycling encompasses occupational risks, this photovoice study highlights that access to work improves workers’ relative well-being and that this type of circular economy can help create meaningful jobs.
dc.description.sponsorshipDirektion für Entwicklung und Zusammenarbeit
dc.description.sponsorshipSwiss Development and Cooperation Agency
dc.format.extent565-592
dc.language.isoen
dc.subjectCircular Economy
dc.subjectGender
dc.subjectRecycling
dc.subjectWaste Management
dc.title"The bad job brings the good one": photovoice study with female and male waste workers in Rwanda
dc.typeJournal Article
cg.contributor.affiliationUSYS TdLab and ETH Zürich
cg.contributor.affiliationIndependent Researcher, Kigali
cg.contributor.affiliationInternational Institute of Tropical Agriculture
cg.contributor.affiliationETH Zürich
cg.coverage.regionAfrica
cg.coverage.regionEast Africa
cg.coverage.countryRwanda
cg.coverage.hubCentral Africa Hub
cg.researchthemeNatural Resource Management
cg.identifier.bibtexciteidSURCHAT:2024
cg.isijournalISI Journal
cg.authorship.typesCGIAR and developing country institute
cg.iitasubjectBaseline Survey
cg.iitasubjectGender
cg.iitasubjectLivelihoods
cg.journalLocal Environment
cg.notesOpen Access Article
cg.accessibilitystatusOpen Access
cg.reviewstatusPeer Review
cg.usagerightslicenseCreative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 0.0)
cg.targetaudienceScientists
cg.identifier.doihttps://doi.org/10.1080/13549839.2023.2287052
cg.futureupdate.requiredNo
cg.identifier.issue5
cg.identifier.volume29


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