What is it about?
The book explores the multiple narratives and interdisciplinary nature of waste studies. It discusses specifically the numerous forms in which the informal waste picker sector contributes to urban sustainability and community resilience. Waste is discussed through the lens of governance, pointing towards inclusive waste management. Community-based research was conducted in Brazil, co-generating knowledge on social and economic livelihoods aspects of waste pickers, including their occupational health. The book also goes in details on recycling the organic fraction of household waste and further discusses the contribution of the waste picker recycling to climate change mitigation. In sum, I ask questions such as: how do we define waste and our relation to it; who is involved in dealing with waste; and what power interactions become manifest over issues of accessing and dealing with waste?
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Photo by Michael Jin on Unsplash
Why is it important?
Solid waste is a major urban challenge worldwide and decisions over which technologies or methods to apply can have beneficial or detrimental immediate and longterm consequences, locally and globally. Inappropriate management of solid waste leads to damaging environmental impacts, particularly visible in the megacities of the Global South.
Perspectives
This publication brings together many years of research, particularly in Brazil and Canada; with the aim to contribute to sparkling alternative and innovative ways of addressing our waste problem, and at the same time acknowledging local practices. The book is of interest to students and policy makers working in international development and waste management.
Dr. Jutta Gutberlet
UVic
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Urban Recycling Cooperatives, May 2016, Taylor & Francis,
DOI: 10.4324/9781315686523.
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