Recycling contributions of dumpsite waste pickers in Bantar Gebang, Indonesia

Researchers and donors consider informal recyclers as an important part of improving waste management in developing countries. This study investigates data relating to the recycling rate of waste pickers in Bantar Gebang, Republic of Indonesia. The study estimates the net weight of soft plastic and hard plastic recycling achieved by these waste pickers. Data were obtained from qualitative and quantitative field surveys conducted over a total of 808 days, from February 2010 to January 2018. Based on 78 households with a total of 156 individuals, the average monthly weight of collected recyclables was 126.7 kg per household. The average monthly weight of collected recyclables on an individual basis varied between 81.0 and 63.3 kg, depending on the number of informal recyclers in the household. The estimated total weight of collected recyclables was 3617.6 tons per month. Bosses sold these collected recyclables to different recycling factories depending on the expected profit. It was estimated that the activities of the waste pickers produced at least 725.4 tons of recycled pellets of soft plastic and 280.8 tons of recycled pellets and flakes of hard plastic. The informal recycling rate for all waste and non-organic waste on the site was 1.6% and 9.3%, respectively.