India, Sept. 2 -- Long before the national capital wakes up, thousands of informal waste workers are already on the streets, collecting waste from homes, sorting it by hand and feeding materials back into the recycling chain.

For years, much of this work went unnoticed. But for some workers, a first bank account, regular savings, insurance and access to government schemes are slowly changing not just their financial security, but also how they see their work and themselves.

"Earlier, I spent every penny I earned on our immediate needs. But now, I can save and manage household expenses, including food and my children's education," said 48-year-old Joginder Kewat, a waste worker in Delhi.

Kewat is among more than 42,000 waste workers ass...