Abstract: Recycling is a booming business in South Africa. Both formal and informal waste recyclers contribute to the fiscus. There is more government attention on formal waste recyclers than on informal waste recyclers, as waste management legislation focuses on formal recycling and overlooks informal waste recyclers. More than 70 000 informal waste recyclers contribute to the economy by providing formal waste management companies with refuse. Informal waste recyclers often work long hours and haul heavy loads because they lack transportation. Their meagre remuneration differs as the weighing instruments of formal waste recyclers vary. This study was conducted to analyse the plight of informal waste recyclers and influence policy as well as practice. However, studies on the treatment of informal waste recyclers are limited, and so are the empirical and theoretical gaps that are underexplored. A qualitative study and purposive sampling were conducted in this research. Interviews were conducted according to an interview schedule. Informal waste recyclers must contend with human rights violations and economic injustice because South African labour laws do not adequately protect them. Unlike the employees of formal waste managers who join employer organisations, they do not have a trade union and have no formal recourse. The scales used to weigh the refuse they have collected and determine their remuneration are not standardised across the industry. The informal waste recyclers’ human rights are violated. The government should enact a policy to protect them as a vulnerable section of the community