The Edge Malaysia
Author: Tan Zhai Yun
As companies and countries raise their targets for plastic recycling, a group of people who are crucial in the value chain are often forgotten: the informal waste workers. Their role is especially vital in countries that do not have a robust waste collection and recycling infrastructure and where much recyclable waste still ends up in bins and landfills. The Circulate Initiative launched the Responsible Sourcing Initiative earlier this year to improve the livelihoods of these informal waste workers and address human rights issues in the recycling supply chain.