Question NW3858 to the Minister of Environmental Affairs
04 December 2017 - NW3858
Steenkamp, Ms J to ask the Minister of Environmental Affairs
(a) What is the total number of waste pickers in the country, and (b) why is there such a vast difference in the figures presented by her and those presented by a certain person (name and details furnished) in this regard?
Reply:
a) The Department of Environmental Affairs’ study for the determination of the extent and role of waste picking in South Africa concluded that there are about 62 000 waste pickers in the country.
b) Non-government organisations, and other organisations operating in the informal sector, have suggested, in some forums, that this could be much higher. We are in the process of validating this information.
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