How Digital Platforms Are Transforming Plastic Waste Work for Southeast Asian Women

The ADB brief highlights how digital technology can empower women and informal workers in plastic waste management in Indonesia and Viet Nam. It emphasizes that inclusive, user-friendly platforms tailored to women’s needs are key to driving sustainable recycling practices.

A recent brief by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), developed with partners such as DT Global, the Bintari Foundation, Grac, Siklus, VECA, mGreen, and others, explores how digital technology is reshaping plastic waste management in Indonesia and Vietnam, two countries grappling with serious plastic pollution. Drawing on field surveys in Cirebon and Tan An, along with interviews with informal waste workers and consultations with platform developers, the study underscores one critical insight: women are at the heart of household and informal waste management, yet they remain underrepresented in policy and platform design. The research highlights how digital innovations, if designed inclusively, can serve not only as tools for efficiency but as instruments for empowerment, particularly for the women who drive recycling efforts on the ground.

Women Hold the Keys to Household Recycling

In both Cirebon and Tan An, women are the primary decision-makers in household waste management. They choose what to buy, how to dispose of it, and whether to separate recyclables, often balancing these tasks with caregiving responsibilities and jobs outside the home. Despite their critical role, their participation in formal recycling programs remains low due to poor infrastructure, unclear guidance, and time constraints. In Cirebon, only about 25% of households separate their waste regularly, while in Tan An, that figure stands at 63%, largely thanks to a pilot initiative supported by WWF. These statistics suggest a clear opportunity: if women’s needs and behaviors are integrated into waste policies and digital tools, participation could surge, especially in lower-income communities where economic incentives are a strong motivator.

Informal Waste Work: Women’s Invisible Labor

Beyond their roles at home, women also dominate the informal waste sector, though their work often goes unnoticed and unsupported. Indonesia has approximately 4.2 million informal waste collectors, and Vietnam has around 3 million, many of them women. In Ho Chi Minh City, for instance, it’s estimated that up to 90% of waste pickers are women. These workers face health risks, stigma, and systemic inequality. Female waste collectors in Cirebon earn just $12 a week, barely a third of what men make, due to smaller hauls, lack of access to transport, and unfair broker systems. Brokers often buy PET plastic for just $0.04–$0.09 per kilogram, then resell it for six to nine times that price. Female collectors also struggle with access to health care, social protection, and financial services, making their livelihoods highly vulnerable to shocks.

Digital Tools Are Changing the Game

Digital waste platforms are emerging as powerful solutions to these challenges, especially in Indonesia, where the ecosystem is more advanced. Apps like Siklus, Duitin, Griya Luhu, and Waste4Change allow households to schedule pickups, track recycling contributions, and earn rewards, while also connecting waste collectors to buyers directly, cutting out exploitative middlemen. In Vietnam, platforms such as VECA, mGreen, and Grac are gaining traction, though they face barriers due to limited consumer awareness and funding. Importantly, most users of these platforms are women aged 25–45, from middle-income, tech-savvy households. They value features like flexible scheduling, transparent pricing, and multiple payment methods, whether cash, e-wallets, or point-based rewards. Organizations like mGreen and Duitin offer creative incentives, including utility payment options, grocery vouchers, and even community trips, which help build a sense of pride and engagement.

Bridging the Digital Divide for Female Waste Pickers

Yet, digital inclusion is far from universal. Older women in the informal sector often lack smartphones, data plans, or the confidence to use apps. Many prefer voice calls, basic phones, or simple messaging to arrange pickups. Some platforms, like Grac and Uncle Fire, maintain hybrid communication models to include these users. In Vietnam, female collectors frequently use pushcarts or bicycles because they can’t afford motorbikes or don’t have safe storage space. They also cite concerns about carrying smartphones during work. Organizations are responding: mGreen lets illiterate women work in teams with a literate group member managing app tasks, while Griya Luhu and VECA offer bookkeeping tools tailored to older users, replacing manual ledgers with intuitive digital records. Still, significant barriers remain, from a lack of training and transport to the absence of social benefits. Plastic Bank stands out in offering insurance, grocery vouchers, and blockchain-based transparency to its network of 5,000 collectors, nearly half of whom are women.

Inclusive Innovation Starts with Listening to Women

The ADB brief emphasizes that digital solutions must be designed with women’s realities in mind. This includes simplifying interfaces, offering non-digital engagement options, and integrating services like microloans, training, and insurance. It also recommends expanding platform offerings, such as house cleaning or large-item pickups, to create diversified income sources. In Vietnam, some collectors already take on ad hoc cleaning jobs, and they’ve voiced interest in making this a more formal part of their work. Moreover, the lack of sex-disaggregated data hinders targeted innovation. Digital service providers are encouraged to gather and analyze data on age, education, and income to better serve their user base and unlock funding from gender-focused donors.

For Indonesia and Vietnam to make lasting progress in tackling plastic waste, inclusive and community-rooted solutions are essential. Women must not only be recognized as stakeholders but also included as co-designers of the systems and platforms shaping the future of recycling. Digital technology offers an unprecedented opportunity to shift the plastic waste narrative, from one of environmental crisis to one of inclusive, sustainable innovation led by those most affected and most engaged. By putting women at the center of digital waste solutions, Southeast Asia can take a meaningful step toward a cleaner, more equitable circular economy.