Abstract: Submission #32

Abstract Waste collecting has evolved into a lucrative industry for the unemployed throughout the world. Women make a living and provide for their children by working in the informal economy, primarily by collecting and selling waste. In order to explore the livelihoods of female scrap collectors in the rural Eastern Cape of South Africa, this qualitative study used a multiple case study design. From the many case studies used as research sites in the Eastern Cape, participants were recruited using a convenience sampling. The results showed that the covid had a terrible impact on the women participating in the scrap-collecting endeavor. Their livelihoods had been destroyed, and the viability of the labour they do is moot. In order to develop policy that addresses social inclusion of scrap collectors in the formal systems of waste collecting structures and to provide safety nets for women, the recommendations emphasise the necessity of multi-institutional collaborations.