Municipalities in Nepal have recently inherited administrative oversight for waste management, providing a unique opportunity to implement circularity principles. The informal (unregistered, self-employed) waste workers can play an essential role in this transition as they currently hold sole responsibility for the country’s recycling, with the remaining waste being dumped in landfills and open areas. Yet the understanding of their exact conditions, interactions with their networks and hierarchical forces they regularly negotiate within, lacks granularity - building on this will shape a stronger possibility of bringing them into the fold of registered systems. The research aims to generate and contribute knowledge and provide policy recommendations.