Abstract
This study investigates the effects of social networks on the performance indicators of Filipino waste pickers (i.e. daily income, daily amounts, and unit pricing of recyclables), which characterize their waste collection/sorting/selling activities. Primary survey data was collected from 279 waste pickers in the Philippines. After conducting statistical analyses of this data, two important results emerged. First, there is a correlation between network centrality and the unit prices of recyclables, suggesting that waste pickers with higher network centrality tend to collect recyclables with a lower value. This could be interpreted to mean that waste pickers with more links to others are less likely to aim at collecting high unit-price recyclables. Secondly, there is a significant difference in the performance indicators among some of the sub-groups. This could mean that waste pickers who have similar attributes build strong relationships among themselves and their performance indicators tend to be similar to each other. In addition, there is a possibility that “Emergent Properties,” or the development of strong relationships, will result in increased performance indicators within certain groups. Our findings simultaneously contribute to the achievement of more efficient waste management and the improvement of livelihoods for the community of waste pickers.
