1st Edition

Urban Recycling Cooperatives Building resilient communities

By Jutta Gutberlet Copyright 2016
    188 Pages
    by Routledge

    188 Pages 23 B/W Illustrations
    by Routledge

    Solid waste is a major urban challenge worldwide and decisions over which technologies or methods to apply can have beneficial or detrimental long-term consequences. Inappropriate management of solid waste can lead to damaging environmental impacts, particularly in the megacities of the Global South.



    Urban Recycling Cooperatives explores the multiple narratives and interdisciplinary nature of waste studies, drawing attention to the pressing social, economic and environmental challenges related to waste management. The book asks 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 managing waste? In recent years informal cooperatives have emerged, devoted to recycling household and business waste before reclassifying it and redirecting it to the authorities. Hence, these workers are able to reclaim significant amounts of natural resources and thus contribute to the saving of resources and lessened waste management expenditures.



    With particular reference to the Brazilian megalopolis of São Paulo, this book describes this paradigm shift in the general understanding of waste as unwanted discard towards the recognition of waste as a resource that must be recovered for reuse or recycling. It would be of interest to students and policy makers working in international development and waste management.

    Table of Contents





    Chapter 1: Waste governance: an introduction



    Chapter 2: Situated theoretical framework for waste governance



    Chapter 3: Participatory community-based research: theory and praxis



    Chapter 4: From hazardous informal recycling to decent working conditions



    Chapter 5: The social aspects of waste



    Chapter 6: Health and risk factors for informal waste pickers



    Chapter 7: Recycling the organic fraction of household waste



    Chapter 8: Contributions to climate change mitigation: Environmental benefits from the work of waste pickers



    Chapter 9: Different ways of managing waste: from neoliberal to cooperative approaches



    Chapter 10: Final outlook: a world without waste



    References



    Biography

    Jutta Gutberlet is Associate Professor in the Geography Department at the University of Victoria, Canada.