Waste Picker Organizations and Their Contribution to the Circular Economy: Two Case Studies from a Global South Perspective
The discussion on the circular economy (CE) has attracted a rising interest within global policy and business as a way of increasing the sustainability of production and consumption. Yet the literature mostly portrays a Global North perspective. There is a diverse spectrum of community-based organiz...
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MDPI AG
2017-09-01
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/6/4/52 |
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| author | Jutta Gutberlet Sebastián Carenzo Jaan-Henrik Kain Adalberto Mantovani Martiniano de Azevedo |
| author_facet | Jutta Gutberlet Sebastián Carenzo Jaan-Henrik Kain Adalberto Mantovani Martiniano de Azevedo |
| author_sort | Jutta Gutberlet |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The discussion on the circular economy (CE) has attracted a rising interest within global policy and business as a way of increasing the sustainability of production and consumption. Yet the literature mostly portrays a Global North perspective. There is a diverse spectrum of community-based organizations playing important roles in resource recovery and transformation, particularly, but not only, in Global South countries, providing innovative examples for grassroots involvement in waste management and in the CE. This article proposes to add a Southern lens, situated in the context of waste picker organizations, to the concept of CE. The discursive framework in this article couples ecological economy (EE) with social/solidarity economy (SSE), focusing not only on environmental sustainability but also on social, economic, political and cultural dimensions involved in production, consumption and discard. We acknowledge that grassroots movements contribute to policy making and improve urban waste management systems. The paper outlines two empirical studies (Argentina, Brazil) that illustrate how waste picker organizations perform selective waste collection services, engage with municipalities and industries, and practice the CE. The research reveals that social and political facets need to be added to the debate about the CE, linking environmental management and policy with community development and recognizing waste pickers as protagonists in the CE. Our findings emphasize a need for a change of persisting inequalities in public policy by recognizing the importance of popular waste management praxis and knowledge, ultimately redefining the CE. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:00:12Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-7a442921d1d14aa6975c7ffb69491da0 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2079-9276 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-10T07:00:12Z |
| publishDate | 2017-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Resources |
| spelling | doaj.art-7a442921d1d14aa6975c7ffb69491da02022-12-22T01:58:21ZengMDPI AGResources2079-92762017-09-01645210.3390/resources6040052resources6040052Waste Picker Organizations and Their Contribution to the Circular Economy: Two Case Studies from a Global South PerspectiveJutta Gutberlet0Sebastián Carenzo1Jaan-Henrik Kain2Adalberto Mantovani Martiniano de Azevedo3Department of Geography, University of Victoria, P.O. BOX 3060, STN CSC, Victoria, BC V8W 3R4, CanadaCONICET, Instituto de Estudios sobre la Ciencia y la Tecnología, Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, Buenos Aires, B1876XD Bernal, ArgentinaDeptartment of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Chalmers University of Technology, Division of Urban Design and Planning, SE-412 96 Gothenburg, SwedenCenter of Engineering, Universidade Federal do ABC (UFABC), Modelling and Applied Social Sciences, Av. dos Estados, 5001—Bangú, Santo André, SP 09210-580, BrazilThe discussion on the circular economy (CE) has attracted a rising interest within global policy and business as a way of increasing the sustainability of production and consumption. Yet the literature mostly portrays a Global North perspective. There is a diverse spectrum of community-based organizations playing important roles in resource recovery and transformation, particularly, but not only, in Global South countries, providing innovative examples for grassroots involvement in waste management and in the CE. This article proposes to add a Southern lens, situated in the context of waste picker organizations, to the concept of CE. The discursive framework in this article couples ecological economy (EE) with social/solidarity economy (SSE), focusing not only on environmental sustainability but also on social, economic, political and cultural dimensions involved in production, consumption and discard. We acknowledge that grassroots movements contribute to policy making and improve urban waste management systems. The paper outlines two empirical studies (Argentina, Brazil) that illustrate how waste picker organizations perform selective waste collection services, engage with municipalities and industries, and practice the CE. The research reveals that social and political facets need to be added to the debate about the CE, linking environmental management and policy with community development and recognizing waste pickers as protagonists in the CE. Our findings emphasize a need for a change of persisting inequalities in public policy by recognizing the importance of popular waste management praxis and knowledge, ultimately redefining the CE.https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/6/4/52circular economyGlobal Southwaste pickersreverse logisticssolidarity economy |
| spellingShingle | Jutta Gutberlet Sebastián Carenzo Jaan-Henrik Kain Adalberto Mantovani Martiniano de Azevedo Waste Picker Organizations and Their Contribution to the Circular Economy: Two Case Studies from a Global South Perspective Resources circular economy Global South waste pickers reverse logistics solidarity economy |
| title | Waste Picker Organizations and Their Contribution to the Circular Economy: Two Case Studies from a Global South Perspective |
| title_full | Waste Picker Organizations and Their Contribution to the Circular Economy: Two Case Studies from a Global South Perspective |
| title_fullStr | Waste Picker Organizations and Their Contribution to the Circular Economy: Two Case Studies from a Global South Perspective |
| title_full_unstemmed | Waste Picker Organizations and Their Contribution to the Circular Economy: Two Case Studies from a Global South Perspective |
| title_short | Waste Picker Organizations and Their Contribution to the Circular Economy: Two Case Studies from a Global South Perspective |
| title_sort | waste picker organizations and their contribution to the circular economy two case studies from a global south perspective |
| topic | circular economy Global South waste pickers reverse logistics solidarity economy |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2079-9276/6/4/52 |
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