Working Conditions and Career Aspirations of Waste Pickers in Lagos State

In many cities of third world countries, managing waste represents a beehive of activities of human scavengers searching for re-usable or recyclable items that are either consumed or sold to generate funds for personal and family upkeep since alternative decent employment are not available for them in the formal employment sector. Many of these waste pickers are young, work without the necessary health and safety apparatus, exposing them to injury and various health hazards. This study therefore investigated the situation and career aspirations of waste pickers in Lagos state, Nigeria. Using the questionnaire approach, structured, semi-structured and open-ended questions were asked and SPSS package was used to descriptively analyze the data collected and interpreted. The result showed that 98% of the self-employed waste pickers are conscious of their personal safety. Sadly, 82% of those employed by entrepreneurs are not provided with safety kits. About 68% of the waste pickers earn above ₦2, 500 ($8.2) per day of work and while 55.6% are engaged in waste picking to raise funds for their dream businesses, 37.9%, 0.81% and 4.03% desire to be self-employed, secure formal job and further their education respectively. This study recommends that the Nigerian government should organize sensitization programs that aim at creating awareness about waste picking as a decent job and the potentials that it has in the actualization of future career aspiration of myriads of unemployed youths in Nigeria. Also, protective gear as clothing, gloves and boots should be given to waste pickers to better their working conditions.