PhD thesis inspires film about South Africa’s waste pickers

Siyabonga, a waste picker in Johannesburg, at a screening for the film Reclaiming Now. A PhD thesis about waste pickers in South Africa has led to a new film exploring their lives which is being screened at UCL Laws on Wednesday 8 March. Waste pickers are informal workers who collect and sell recyclables for a living. In South Africa, an estimated 90,000 waste pickers collect 80-90% of everything that is recycled, playing a vital role in protecting the country's environment, yet they are often stigmatised, face legal problems and are vulnerable to crime. The new documentary, entitled Reclaiming Now , portrays waste pickers in Johannesburg as they struggle to make a living, sorting through hazardous waste in skips, tips and on the street. Dr Allison Lindner, an interdisciplinary scholar and Lecturer at UCL Laws, interviewed waste pickers in South Africa as part of her PhD thesis investigating how legal ideas shaped the lives of vulnerable workers. She worked with directors Premilla Murcott and Tricia Hlongwa to translate her thesis findings into a widely accessible medium that could reach a large number of people.