About this episode

Aphiwe shares her experience as a waste picker in South Africa, highlighting the challenges and importance of recycling in her community.

Aphiwe's grandmother taught her to flatten cardboard boxes when she was just a kid, selling the tiny "baby bundles" and saving the money in a piggy bank. Now 19, Aphiwe wears her grandmother's old work clothes and does the job alone — supporting her entire family. Waste pickers like Aphiwe recover 80% of South Africa's recycled plastic and paper, yet earn poverty wages in an industry that depends on them but won't protect them. Shownotes Support the work of Radio Workshop by donating today. S...

People in this episode

Guest: Aphiwe

Topics covered

• waste management
• recycling
• poverty
• family support
• South Africa

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