Johannesburg's Reclaimers Organise 5,500 Strong to Claim Their Share of Recycling

The African Reclaimers Organisation (ARO) is a membership-based, democratic non-profit of informal reclaimers in and around Johannesburg, formed in 2018 after the 2017 Interim Johannesburg Reclaimers Committee fought city contracts that pushed street reclaimers aside for private contractors. Its membership is open to everyone in the trade regardless of nationality, hence 'African'. ARO runs resident-reclaimer recycling partnerships, a COVID-19 relief programme and a campaign against the City of Johannesburg recycling levy, and in 2026 it is pressing for South Africa's extended producer responsibility rules to actually pay reclaimers for the packaging they recover. In July 2026 it was reported as a partner, with the South African Waste Pickers Association and the PRO Alliance, in an effort to register and compensate reclaimers.