Labour, Waste and the Circular Economy in Bangkok

The report examines the informal waste economy in Bangkok, highlighting that while waste pickers are essential for reducing plastic leakage and supporting the circular economy, they face precarious conditions, including incomes below the minimum wage, health hazards, and social discrimination. Based on surveys of 34 workers, it identifies specific vulnerabilities for women, migrants, and the elderly, and recommends source-segregation legislation and market incentives for low-value plastics to improve livelihoods.

• Informal waste pickers in Bangkok provide a significant financial subsidy to municipal waste collection, estimated at 500 million THB or $15.8 million USD annually.
• Waste pickers earn incomes below the legal minimum; those working primarily in waste picking earn an average of 8,092 THB per month (approximately 269.7 THB daily), which is less than the Bangkok minimum daily wage of 331 THB.
• The waste economy exhibits clear gender disparities, with women earning lower average monthly incomes than men in both primary and supplementary waste-picking roles, partly due to constraints in transport and working hours.
• Waste pickers face significant occupational health risks, including kidney issues from chemical waste and respiratory problems, yet 50% of surveyed workers do not use any protective equipment.
• Market dynamics discourage the collection of low-value plastics, such as straws or bags, because they are light and offer low prices, necessitating government incentives to prevent these materials from leaking into the environment.
• Waste pickers experience social marginalization, including harassment from police, accusations of theft, and being denied entry to condominiums by security guards.
• The Covid-19 pandemic led to decreased earnings for many waste pickers, attributed to a perceived decrease in available plastics or an increase in competition from people laid off during the pandemic.

APA

Archer, D., & Adelina, C. (2021). Labour, Waste and the Circular Economy in Bangkok. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/210719a-mckay-caparas-2106i.pdf

Chicago

Archer, Diane, and Charrlotte Adelina. Labour, Waste and the Circular Economy in Bangkok. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/210719a-mckay-caparas-2106i.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Archer |first1=Diane |last2=Adelina |first2=Charrlotte |title=Labour, Waste and the Circular Economy in Bangkok |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=July 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/210719a-mckay-caparas-2106i.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{archer2021labour, author = {Archer, Diane and Adelina, Charrlotte}, title = {{Labour, Waste and the Circular Economy in Bangkok}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = jul, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/210719a-mckay-caparas-2106i.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }