Estimation of Economic Value of Recyclables Collected by Waste Pickers and Collectors and Suggestions for Their Mangement in Beijing

摘要

Waste pickers and collectors in the cities play a key role on the collection of recyclables both in China and other countries on the globe. What they do not only protects the environment but also decreases the social costs and the depletion of resources. This paper is a case study of the contributions on resources of waste pickers and collectors in Beijing, estimating their economic value. Firstly, it defines waste pickers and collectors, usually unskilled rural people coming to the cities. Secondly, the paper establishes a theoretical model on economic value of recyclables recycled by them in Beijing, based on the model of the amount of the domestic waste generated and of the recyclables collected by waste pickers and collectors in Beijing; Thirdly, it evaluates the total economic value of the recyclables, based on the field investigation and inquiry survey of the purchasing station of recycling recyclables in Daxing Distrcit, Fengtai District, Haidian District, etc., Beijing, knowing about the price and the proportion of every constituent of waste they bought, in 2007 with the theoretical model. Finally, the paper provides some feasible suggestions on managing waste pickers to accelerate the development of circular economy in Beijing, increasing economic efficiency really.