AFRICANUS Vol 30 No 2 ISSN 0304-615X - University of South Africa

Figure 5 The effect of a recent cardboard price decrease on the poverty
status of collectors' households (RDP (1995) calculations)
Household poverty levels
Number of collectors with
dependants (n = 19)
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0
9
Poor
Ultra-poor
6
5 5
15c/kg
10c/kg
Price of cardboard
Age may be an important consideration in a competitive market. The average
age of the collectors in this study was 45 years. In another study (October/
November 1998) on the profile of informal collectors visiting a newly established
multimaterial buyback centre in the city centre (McLean 1998: 258), most collectors
were 30±39 years old, and had become informal hawkers because
formal employment had not been forthcoming. These younger individuals would
be able to collect and transport greater quantities of paper and cardboard,
which may have curtailed the collecting activities of older collectors, forcing
them to seek new domains further afield (eg residential areas).
Switching collectable commodities: an option?
Cardboard and paper have been collected by informal hawkers for many years.
It has, however, become apparent that with the increase in individuals resorting
to collection as a means of survival, the market has become extremely competitive.
In 1998, Mondi Recycling paid out R9 million to small business and
hawkers (approximately 5 000 individuals), with the tonnage of wastepaper
from this segment of the market having increased by 190 percent over the past
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