Gender and Waste Nexus: Experiences from Bhutan, Mongolia and Nepal

Greener Way employs about 20 truck drivers and 19 waste pickers to segregate waste at the transport station or landfill. The drivers are all men, while the pickers are evenly divided (nine men and 10 women). A representative of the company’s management reported that these waste pickers earned around US$ 150 per month, but women at the landfill reported that they only received around US$ 95 per month. Drivers earn more at around US$ 240 per month. “There are only men in collection because women cannot handle emptying the heavy dustbins.” – Rinzin Dorji, Greener Way. At the landfill, the operator was a man and there were another eight pickers working on the site (three men and five women), in addition to those employed by Greener Way. Competition between the Greener Way waste pickers and thoseworking independentlycreates friction in the resulting picker hierarchy. This is not surprising as the independent pickers earned considerably more than the women employed by GreenerWay (one couple earned about US$ 314 per month between the two of them, while another female picker claimed she earned US$ 230–280 per month) and had a lot more freedom. As a result, the independent pickers are required to wait until the Greener Way pickers have finished before they can begin work. Usually, the independent pickers opt to work on the slopes of the landfill where it is more dangerous. None of the waste pickers regarded the work on the landfill as unhealthy. Some reported that they get headaches that pass, but none of the women discussed or seemed aware of the dangers and health implications of working on the landfill. Administration Among office staff there is more gender parity in the public sector, but in the private sector there are still more men than women. Office staff in CSOs and public benefit organizations are mostly female. The few women that do make it into top positions could play an important role in promoting women as good leaders, as could the media. Although the waste sector provides opportunities for women and men to start small-scale businesses, innovative solutions are still needed. In Bhutan, entrepreneurs are mostly male, though female entrepreneurs represent 46 per cent of the service sector in hotels and restaurants (Dorji 2018). Loans and other informal credit appear to be the biggest obstacles to women-owned enterprises (Dorji 2018). Given that women contribute less to the labour force, it would be beneficial to promote women entrepreneurship since it could increase their participation in the formal economy. This could be at all levels of the waste hierarchy and at all enterprise sizes.

Bhutan

Currently, no entrepreneurship training course targets women only. The Bhutan Association of Women Entrepreneurs (BAOWE) helps women set up small businesses, mainly to sell their farmed goods. Most board members of CSOs and private sector organizations are men. Women are reportedly more likely to decline this responsibility because of commitments at work and home. However, one interviewee reported that despite one woman’s refusal to be an official board member, she still provided informal feedback which was better and more abundant than some of the actual board members. There is a widespread view that board members need to be senior in age because they are more strategic thinkers. However, young women and men may be more innovative thinkers and could therefore be valuable board members despite having fewer years of experience. This is especially important in the waste sector where innovative solutions are needed. Recycling and scrap dealers Several companies use or recycle waste, such as plastics (for constructing roads) and paper primarily, though some recyclables are sold to scrap dealers and repair shops. Only some of these dealers and shops are registered, but all typically employ several people on an informal basis, including family members. Owners often buy recyclables from households that store their waste at home for collection by scrap dealers from social entrepreneurs or auctions, who then drive truckloads of valuable waste to India at least twice a month. The incomes of the workers and the owners are unknown. The head of the Waste Management Division, National Environment Commission Secretariat and his four staff members. Photo by WWF Bhutan.

Gender and waste nexus

71