ArticleThe International journal on drug policy2018
Informal recycling, income generation and risk: Health and social harms among people who use drugs.
Article in The International journal on drug policy, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 14 papers.
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Who cites it
14 citing papers in PubMed.
- Gender differences in the association between housing status and violence among people who report exposure to benzodiazepines.The International journal on drug policy · 2026Article
- Payday Loan Use Among People With Lived and Living Experience of Substance Use.Drug and alcohol review · 2026Article
- THE GENDER SEGREGATION OF PRECARIOUS WORK CONTEXTS AMONG PEOPLE WHO USE DRUGS.International journal of mental health and addiction · 2026Article
- The association between benzodiazepine proliferation in the unregulated drug supply and experiences of violence: A gender-based analysis.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2026Article
- Patterns of Socioeconomic Marginalization among People Who Use Drugs: A Gender-Stratified Repeated Measures Latent Class Analysis.Journal of urban health : bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine · 2024Article
- Socioeconomic marginalization and risk of overdose in a community-recruited cohort of people who use drugs: A longitudinal analysis.The International journal on drug policy · 2023Observational
- Experiences of violence during the COVID-19 pandemic among people who use drugs in a Canadian setting: a gender-based cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2023Article
- Cohort Profile: The Assessing Economic Transitions (ASSET) Study-A Community-Based Mixed-Methods Study of Economic Engagement among Inner-City Residents.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Crystal methamphetamine use subgroups and associated addiction care access and overdose risk in a Canadian urban setting.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2022Article
- A paradox of need: Gaps in access to dental care among people who use drugs in Canada's publicly funded healthcare system.Health & social care in the community · 2021Article
- Material security as a measure of poverty: a validation study with people who use drugs.Social indicators research · 2021Article
- Income generation and the patterning of substance use: A gender-based analysis.Drug and alcohol dependence · 2021Article
- Drug-related harm coinciding with income assistance payments: results from a community-based cohort of people who use drugs.Addiction (Abingdon, England) · 2021Observational
- Employment Cessation, Long Term Labour Market Engagement and HIV Infection Risk Among People Who Inject Drugs in an Urban Canadian Setting.AIDS and behavior · 2019Article
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundInformal recycling refers to the street-based collection of discarded materials for reuse, resale, or return to a recycling facility for money. While qualitative research has explored experiences and perceptions of informal recycling, little is known about the scope and exposures associated with informal recycling among people who use drugs (PWUD).
methodsUsing data from two prospective longitudinal cohorts of PWUD, we examined the prevalence of informal recycling and its association with social, structural and health risks, including criminal justice system involvement.
resultsBetween June 2010 and May 2015, of 1664 participants, 557 (33.5%) reported engaging in informal recycling during the study period. In multivariable generalised estimating equations (GEE) analyses, informal recycling was positively associated with injection drug use (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 1.43, 95% Confidence Interval (CI) 1.21-1.68), public injection (AOR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.09-1.49), methamphetamine use (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.05-1.72), difficulty finding harm reduction equipment (AOR = 1.16, 95% CI 1.02-1.32), and police interactions (AOR = 1.35, 95% CI 1.18-1.55). Sub-analyses revealed PWUD engaged in informal recycling were more likely to be told to move on, ticketed, stopped for jaywalking, and directed to services by police.
conclusionsThese findings suggest informal recycling as a situated practice for PWUD, with potential indications for higher-risk drug use, experiencing greater surveillance, and difficulty accessing health and addiction treatment services. This research highlights the significance of the broader risk environment and the need for health-promoting policies for socioeconomically marginalised PWUD engaged in informal recycling.
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