This research seeks to explore the ethical implications of design interventions that support urban dwellers’ participation in informal waste collection and recycling in Sydney, Australia. Informal waste collection is one activity that contributes to what is known as the informal economy which exists predominately in developing nations such as Brazil, India and China but has also been identified in developed nations such as Australia. Informal waste collection provides the opportunity to address the challenges of the increasing economic disparities between privileged and disadvantaged communities and the acceleration of climate change. Countering stereotypical perceptions of individuals who experience entrenched disadvantage and poverty as lazy, dangerous and lacking autonomy, this research proposes to explore existing approaches in the informal economy that support the transition to climate conscious practices and inform public pedagogy surrounding novel responses to economic marginalisation. Within the framework of equality, defined by Jacques Rancière (1999) as a fundamental precursor to effective political action, the research aims to contribute to new understandings of the ethical dimensions of formal and informal cooperation through co- and participatory design in the 21st century.