Informal Waste Entrepreneurship: A Case Study of Roma Municipal Waste Collection in Hungary

Roma communities are commonly associated with working in the informal economy. This study focuses on entrepreneurial practices of Roma individuals dealing in informal municipal waste collection in Hungary with enquiry set against a background of environmental sustainability embodied in the ‘circular economy’. Entrepreneurial ecosystem theory is subsequently drawn upon to guide an ethnographic research approach. Findings are thematically derived to create a foundation for integration of Roma entrepreneurial practices with circular economy oriented official waste collection policies. Outcomes primarily indicate existence of a market based transactional supply chain for informally collected waste material. Moreover, Roma informal entrepreneurship is opportunity oriented, driven by social capital formation and is serendipitously beneficial to society. Paradoxes also arise in conflicting purposes of formal and informal waste collection practices. The prime theoretical implication is that efforts to formalize Roma entrepreneurial activities should be considered against sustainable socio-economic benefits.