The Role of Female Scrap Collectors in Da Nang in Waste Management and Policy Implications

Abstract

The study confirms that female scrap collectors in Da Nang play an essential and multidimensional role in the environmental value chain and the circular economy, including: primary waste sorting, resource recovery, reducing pressure on public waste collection systems, and promoting circular economy thinking. They also constitute a highly potential group of grassroots environmental communicators, demonstrating a strong willingness to cooperate with and for the community. However, this social group faces a profound vulnerability paradox, reflected in precarious livelihoods and significant gaps in social protection. The findings indicate the need for systematic and strongly interconnected forms of support across multiple dimensions (preferential loans, vocational training, health insurance support, social insurance support, etc.). To provide the most effective support for this social group, policies should design integrated social protection-livelihood support packages, establish a risk-support fund, and formalise their role as semi-formal workers, thereby contributing to the enhancement of their social status as well as the effectiveness of sustainable urban waste management.