Peña: Pushcart Boys

Thursday, February 2, 2012

IN TODAY’S high-tech society, we still see the pushcart boys (and girls) roaming our streets buying everything from bote-dyaryo to garapa. This informal collection system for recyclable materials is still very much at work. In fact, each junkshop has its own network of kariton collectors in addition to their fleet of elf trucks and six wheelers.

One good example of this primitive but efficient network of junkshops and pushcart boys is the Metro Manila Federation of Environment Multi-Purpose Cooperative (MMFEMPC). This group has more than 1,000 eco-aides (modern term for pushcart boys) and more than 500 junkshops scattered all over Metro Manila.

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In existence since 1992 and federated in 1996, MMFEMPC contributes millions of pesos to the underground economy annually. They buy and sell all kinds of scrap like paper, plastics, glass bottles, broken glasses and metals from households, schools and business establishments.

Small-time ambulant traders are well entrenched into the waste collection stream. They cover streets and remote areas which are not accessible to big trucks They go from house to house, office to office buying small quantities. This system is not feasible to big time traders due to very high operational cost.

This collection network can be tapped to boost the Solid Waste Management campaign of the government. However to make this informal system more efficient and effective, there are some things that can be improved:
Pushcart boys lack technical knowledge on the recyclable materials they are trading resulting in loss of earning opportunity and rejection of materials by buyers. Also, they only buy materials they are familiar with. They are unknowledgeable of other saleable stuff, some of which even command higher prices. The simple solution is training.

Pushcart boys lack capital. They usually rely on junkshops for their daily “puhunan”. Meanwhile, junkshops rely on big businessmen (also called consolidators) for capital. The municipality can organize junkshops and eco-aides into cooperatives and give them access to loans. The MMFEMPC is a good model.

Most subdivisions, offices, schools and recycling mills won’t allow individual pushcart boys in their premises. The solution is to organize and train them, provide decent pushcarts, as well as uniforms and IDs. Afterwards endorse them to public and private institutions. Assist them also in looking for markets, preferably direct to the recyclers.
In our efforts to improve our solid waste management system, pushcart boys can surely contribute a lot!