E[co]work

Humanising the informal sector

The informal sector is often described and defined in terms of the size or the volume of material it handles, or the unsound environmental practices it uses. We feel it is important to understand the sector beyond this data, and to recognise the people, families and communities who engage in e-waste dismantling. These communities have grown organically through scrap trades well before any legislation for e-waste processing was put in place. Workers developed their own mechanisms, skills and established a network to collect and dismantle e-waste to extract value from it, in exchange for a livelihood.

Navigating social and political externalities

Our engagement with the e-waste dismantling community in Delhi began in November 2019, at a time of rising political unrest in India largely due to protests against the amendment of the Citizenship Act. The e-waste recycling community was socially, politically and economically affected by the uncertainty and instability in the law and order situation. Especially as one of the areas most affected by these protests and ensuing riots was North East Delhi, resulting in shutting of shops and establishments for many days at a stretch due to security concerns. During this challenging phase for the community, the conversations and engagements evolved beyond discussions around their livelihood to also include conversations on their safety and wellbeing.

COVID-19 Pandemic

Until late March 2020, most of our gatherings, conversations and interactions with the community were in-person and often took place in the dismantling units within the neighbourhoods of Mustafabad and Seelampur over tea and snacks. When the nationwide COVID lockdown began, in-person interactions came to a halt. With no physical interaction with people and the neighbourhood, we resorted to bi-weekly video conference calls with our Community Representatives to understand how they are coping with this situation. Virtual engagements proved to be challenging for all stakeholders and impacted the project schedule. But after a gap of nearly 10 months, towards the end of 2020, we were able to pick up pace and are taking necessary precautions to resume our in-person interactions with the community.

Co-creating solutions

While introducing the idea of E[co]work to the dismantlers, it was key to design this concept with them and base it on what they truly value in their place of work. We hosted our first design workshop ‘Design Charcha’ (charcha meaning discussion in Hindi) in March 2020. The intent was to share various avenues that the community can take in order to run their business, while the sector begins to shift from being informal to formal. We also conducted an activity to reimagine how their space of work could function.

The venue of the workshop added to this experience because it was one of the potential spaces where the concept of E[co]work could be envisioned. With tapes and chalk as tools, the dismantlers present at the workshop divided themselves in groups of 3 and 4 and started visualising it. The insights from the workshop brought attention to things that they care about, such as the prayer room, rest rooms, security cameras and open gardens among others.

Conceptualising the E[co]work space

Based on the insights we received through our observations, engagements and conversations, we conceptualised an E[co]work space that encourages healthier and safer practices while also providing efficient ways of dismantling for interested e-waste micro-businesses. This includes open spaces, light and ventilation, tools, machines and more. We are currently in the process of sharing the concept visuals with the community to get their feedback to see if the design follows their vision.