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Training for the Informal Waste Sector
Yunus Environment Hub develops and implements training programs for the informal waste sector to improve working and living conditions and upskill on digital tools and financial knowledge. Programs impact individual waste pickers, scrap shops, and aggregators with a goal to contribute to a Just Transition along the waste value chain.
YEH Training Programs for the informal waste sector include:
- Environment, Health & Safety (EHS) training
- Trainings
EHS training Objectives:
Yunus Environment Hub EHS training programs help strengthen the local informal waste sector through capacity development. We work directly with scrap shop workers, waste collectors and other key stakeholders to deliver customised training adapted to local needs. By raising awareness and providing access to proper safety equipment we aim to help improve working conditions and minimize negative environmental impacts from the informal waste sector. Our overarching objective of these trainings is to support the mid- and long-term behavioural change of operations and processes in the waste management sector to ensure safe and decent work aligned with just transition principles.
Example of EHS Training Activities
- Training sessions on Health & Safety aspects to local waste operation facilities
- Training sessions on Environmental Impact related to daily activities of local waste operations
- Distribution of PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) packs for individual waste collectors
- Distribution of practical EHS tools, equipment & educational posters for scrap shop owners
Participant Benefits
- Enhanced awareness of environmental, health and work safety issues
- Improved working conditions
- Increased understanding of EHS aspects in the local waste economy
- Increased motivation of local waste operators to implement learnings, improve performance and reduce negative environmental impact
Example: 5-month program in Tien Giang Province, Vietnam
- Target Group: 3 local scrap shops; 5 regular workers per shop + 30 individual waste collectors (45 total trained)
Digital Training
Through our Digital training for the informal sector, we help strengthen the local plastic waste collection system in the informal waste sector network. We support testing digital applications in the waste value chain management with key stakeholders, for example introducing and practicing blockchain applications, or mobile waste tracking apps. The training aims to provide insights to promote systematic change, increase data management and transparency, enhance collection rate and can also support to bridge the gaps of EPR implementation and include informal sector workers in EPR schemes.
Participant Benefits
- Practical training on digital literacy skills and applications
- Improved transparency in efforts to reduce plastic pollution
- Incentives for increased collection rates and earnings and opportunities to access a digital trading platform
- Enhanced awareness about the trend of digitalising the waste value chain in the local context
Financial Training
Our Financial Trainings support business efficiency and finance consultations to improve skills and ultimately help improve livelihoods. The training includes consulting sessions on business efficiency, operations and finance improvement suiting respective needs and situations of the participants in the target collection network.
Participant Benefits
- Improved financial skills such as bookkeeping management with practical tools record material flow and expenditure
- Increased professionalism and efficiency in finance related practice
- Enhanced awareness of business performance evaluation and improved trading terms
- Income increment and profit increase
- Market linkages
Example of Digital and Financial Training: RECOVER Project
Activities:
- Target audience: 50 scrap shops/ aggregators/ collection agents, 1,000 individual waste workers
Participants benefits:
- Tailor-made and individualized consulting sessions to improve knowledge on business efficiency, operations and finance improvement
- Improved capacity and infrastructure
- Technical support
- Market linkages in the value chain to enhance collection, recycling, and reduce risks of plastic waste leakages into the environment.
