---
title: "While the city sleeps, this Joburg mother’s daily grind as a waste picker begins"
description: "Before much of Johannesburg wakes, Ernestine Mohloboli is on the streets, pulling her trolley from one collection point to another. Moving through the city’s buildings, streets and bins, she searches for bottles, plastic and other recyclable materials that provide her with an income."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "IN PICTURES"
authors:
  - name: "Felix Dlangamandla"
    url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/felix-dlangamandla/"
  - name: "Reitumetse Pilane"
    url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reitumetse-pilane/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2026-08-21-while-the-city-sleeps-this-joburg-mother-s-daily-grind-as-a-waste-picker-begins/"
published: "2026-08-21T12:27:09"
updated: "2026-08-21T13:50:15"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 861
---

# While the city sleeps, this Joburg mother’s daily grind as a waste picker begins

> Before much of Johannesburg wakes, Ernestine Mohloboli is on the streets, pulling her trolley from one collection point to another. Moving through the city’s buildings, streets and bins, she searches for bottles, plastic and other recyclable materials that provide her with an income.

By Felix Dlangamandla and Reitumetse Pilane · Published 21 August 2026, 14:27 SAST · Updated 21 August 2026, 15:50 SAST

## Key points
- Ernestine Mohloboli rises before dawn in Johannesburg, pulling a trolley through streets to collect bottles, plastic and other recyclables for a living.
- Her morning is methodical and gruelling – gloves and mask on, she moves between collection points, loads bags and sorts her haul in a basement sorting area.
- She ends the run on Harrison Street, selling what others discard; the work is low paid, precarious and built on relentless resilience.
- Informal recycling is essential to the City’s waste stream and a stark example of survival in a sprawling metropolis.

## Content

Ernestine Mohloboli wakes around 4 am.

She layers up against the Joburg winter cold, then she puts on a pair of gloves, a protective mask and clothing lined with reflective material.

The reflective material will keep her visible in the dark, for her working day starts long before the sun rises.

Finally Mohloboli gathers her primary work tool – her trolley.

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/VAG9tWHusxuHa-gLASYd4hPr8kI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9760_835289.jpg)

*Ernestine Mohloboli smiles as she leaves her home in the early morning to begin her day collecting recyclable materials in Johannesburg on 5 August 2026. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/ROtpWSdtTl44nFwzusTRYl-1QVc=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9812_655583.jpg)

*Mohloboli walks through the streets of Johannesburg in the early morning, pulling her trolley as she begins her day. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/TBMYzVI9EFps0P9LP1EoVHeeZJo=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9913_257071.jpg)

*Mohloboli dons a pair of gloves and a protective mask before looking for recyclables in bins. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/eH6sgS2nMoKgiWIX4HZBZyVqDDI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9855_849622.jpg)

*Mohloboli’s work requires hauling bins out of flats before she can go through them. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/R9scdRWdaNobD_n3UIYQnrZ-yQ4=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9885_884996.jpg)

*‘I do this work because I love it. I know that when I go out to work, I will not go home with nothing,’ says Mohloboli. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/hQvi2TpZgBrJGbBOxMSUzkvSBjw=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9933_772167.jpg)

*Dawn is breaking, and Joburg’s streets slowly come to life as Mohloboli goes about her work. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/r5CigQqPixJS13s-HTKmoSAjey0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9924_454028.jpg)

*Molhobotji reaches deep into bins in search of the everyday items Johannesburgers throw away. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/RrqkynJgKJidNtPOD40hVSg92yI=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9921_348761.jpg)

*As her day progresses, Mohloboli finds bounty in the bins, and her bags are no longer empty. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/kVyOQfI_ov_X0JbaWspamp0buhA=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9927_429474.jpg)

*Wearing a protective mask, Mohloboli searches through the bins. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/V7ta2hCWiaPBvK8rrXUJAifTSBQ=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9966_179887.jpg)

*With her bags filled, Mohloboli heads to the depot in Harrison Street. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/Y_tGVxJvAr1WZRxoi2hIiY-Ne3I=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9973_759778.jpg)

*She closes the bins before setting off. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/cx4z_WHLFXJri1w4WRMOs3pbs-c=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_9977_366750.jpg)

*Mohloboli smiles on her way to Harrison street, where she will drop off what she has collected. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/_Z5LUObuP9gdnZt6ijP3CGpX-EY=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_0005_670759.jpg)

*Mohloboli pulls her trolley through the streets of Johannesburg. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

Mohloboli is one of Johannesburg’s informal workers who collect, sort and sell recyclable materials like plastic, glass, cardboard and metal.

Her typical day will start with a 3km walk from Bertrams to Commissioner Street.

By the time the sun is peeking above the horizon Mohloboli is deep in her work. Her hands reach into bins in search of the everyday items that Johannesburgers have thrown away.

There are thousands of reclaimers – like Mohloboli they work Joburg’s streets and landfills pulling heavy trolleys through neighbourhoods, racing municipal truck refuse collectors.

Reclaimers play a big role in keeping the city clean and reducing landfill waste, saving the municipal entity Pikitup large sums of money.

There was a time when Mohloboli did not collect recyclable waste.

### Job loss

She made African-inspired art, working mostly at a market in Rosebank. When she lost her job in 2013, her friend and housemate, who was already a recycler, helped her get into the trade.

From Commissioner Street, she works her way roughly 2km further, through Harrison and Jeppe streets, hauling out bins from local flats and going through each one by one.

When her bags are full on her trolley, Mohloboli will head to the depot on Harrison Street. By now Joburg is awake and she shares the city streets with the early morning traffic.

With her collecting for the morning over, she heads to the sorting area in the basement of the depot, where she sorts through the recyclables she has collected.

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/B5Z4cS9UNkwrt1QYOxdgxjDhpSg=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_0026_915763.jpg)

*Mohloboli walks down into the basement of the sorting area with her collected recyclable materials. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/U3H_6-YLGzNaniE8vN4oEhCA1-M=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_0040_180799.jpg)

*Mohloboli sorts through the recyclable materials she has collected. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

Mohloboli is the sole provider for her two children, aged 16 and 18.

“I know that when I go out to work, I will not go home with nothing… When I look at my trolley and see a big haul, I feel happy because I know I have made money.”

On a good day, Mohloboli makes roughly R500, an amount she says she is satisfied with.

According to[The Outlier’s 2024 research](https://wasteroadmap.co.za/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/38-UJ_Final-Conference_WasteCon-Schoeman-Ramutanda.pdf), most reclaimers earn between R300 and R600 per week, although some earn higher amounts, peaking at about R7,000. Such earnings are rare.

Mohloboli’s experience is set against broader challenges faced by reclaimers, who earn a small fraction of SA’s billion-dollar waste industry and are often disregarded, underappreciated and rarely recognised for their work. Many also face numerous health and safety risks, including exposure to potentially hazardous materials, injuries and the threat of violence on the streets of the city.

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/ranc81lGfbx9C29x8TjEhEgxPr0=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_0063_402483.jpg)

*A truck reverses to collect recyclable materials as Mohloboli walks past while making her morning rounds. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*

Despite working in the early hours, Mohloboli says she does not encounter the danger often associated with the city’s streets.

“I don’t have problems with robbers or people who want to harm me. I walk knowing that I am going to be safe and that I am going to work.”

There is a sense of pride in her work that allows her, as a mother, to provide for her family.

“My life seems okay because I’m able to get food to eat and I’m able to pay rent as usual.” **DM**

![Felix-Waste recycler](https://cdn.dailymaverick.co.za/i/ts-qyomCDMqHulhklQNkH29Eais=/200x100/smart/filters:strip_exif\(\)/file/attachments/orphans/WFD_0047_838703.jpg)

*On a good day, Mohloboli will make R500, and she says it is work she loves doing. (Photo: Felix Dlangamandla)*