Municipal solid waste management with recyclable potential in developing countries: Current scenario and future perspectives.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a complex challenge to be solved worldwide, intensified in developing countries since in addition to economic and environmental aspects there is also the social aspect represented by the collector individual. From an integrative bibliographic review this study longitudinally analyses the socio-productive inclusion of collectors in the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) at an international level. Aiming: (a) to identify relevant articles describing/studies on MSWM with social inclusion of scavengers around the world; (b) to analyse these articles in order to present its main characteristics; (c) to describe municipal solid waste management with recyclable potential (MSWRP) with socio-productive inclusion of collectors; (d) the study provides a more detailed summary of MSWRP management in some developing countries: Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Nigeria and Pakistan; and (e) to provide a framework indicating the future practices and perspectives of MSWRP. As result, this study presents the paradigms and future questions for an effective improvement of WSWM, such as: Professional Training of Scavengers, Cultural Issues, Empowerment of Scavenger, Recycling Cooperatives and Cooperativism, Policy Issues and Recycling Chain, Management Systems and Process Improvement, Quality of Services Provided, Circular Economy and Informal Sector, Health Quality and Safety at Work, Barriers and Solutions for the Inclusion of the Informal Sector, Environmental, Economic and Social Benefits.

An assessment of higher-value recyclable wastes in Mexico City households using a novel waste collector citizen science approach.

The ability to accurately characterize and collect data on household waste generation and composition is essential for promoting recycling and developing city management plans. However, traditional data collection approaches in developing countries are hampered by jurisdictional and budgetary constraints. Here, we explore whether citizen science projects that collaborate with waste collectors can solve this problem and be a viable tool for addressing household waste generation across temporal and geographic boundaries. In this regard, this first study evaluated recyclable household waste generation by engaging waste collectors both door-to-door individuals and trucks as citizen scientists daily in an urbanized colony (5797 inhabitants and 1747 houses) in Mexico City between September and October 2022. To understand their distribution and consumption patterns on a regional basis, we stratified the colony's households into 2 distinct non-overlapping sub zones and one Wednesday market based on waste collectors' routine using a Geographical Information System. Results show that for seven weeks, household waste constitutes up to 12.19 t of recyclables, ranging from 99.5 to 480.8 kg/day, with 35 % cardboard, 23 % PET plastics, 21 % hard plastics, 17 % glass, and 4 % aluminum. The average amount of recyclable waste produced was 54 g/person/day, resulting in an annual recycling generation of 114 t. Statistical analysis revealed that recyclable waste generation varied by day and subzone. Furthermore, informal centers rather than municipal waste disposal facilities are in charge of the final disposition of the collected recyclables, suggesting that a substantial waste proportion may go unaccounted for in the local government's annual MSW report and calling for the implementation of formal recycling sectors. Overall, this study show how effective waste collector engagement in science can be and imply that the proposed citizen science approach is vital for future waste projects and the generation of transparent datasets in developing cities.

Recent evolution of the informal recycling sector in Argentina within the 'popular economy': Measuring its impact through a case study in Tandil (Buenos Aires).

The integration of the informal recycling sector into formal waste management systems is imperative to the implementation of the circular economy in the Global South. In Argentina, after the 2001 crisis, some large cities such as Buenos Aires greatly improved their informal recycling sector integration. In medium-size cities from the rest of the province, this was not the case. However, the formation of a national coalition between different sectors of what is now called the 'popular economy' forced the enactment, in the context of a new crisis, of a Social Emergency Law, which includes a Complementary Social Salary equivalent to half the minimum wage, among its main features. In this paper, we recap these recent changes and we use the InteRa framework in a case study to measure how, along with academic and civil society support actions, they influenced the informal recycling sector integration in an intermediate city of Buenos Aires province. Our results show that the inclusion of the informal recycling sector improved rapidly after the availability of the Complementary Social Salary. Nevertheless, we registered a hard-to-overcome stagnation in some indicators of the InteRa framework, related to the weak engagement of the local municipal government with the informal recycling sector. Importantly, the advent of the Complementary Social Salary was not reflected in any indicator because there is no specific action related to this aspect in the InteRa framework. This may give an insight into future methodology improvement.

Waste management drivers towards a circular economy in the global south - The Colombian case.

Circular Economy (CE) turned into one of the most popular topics worldwide for presenting itself as the solution to problems linked to the traditional "take-make-consume-dispose" system. But, how can CE be addressed as public policies worldwide? While there are ambitious and committed strategies in the European Union and Asia, the path that emerging economies are taking is poorly researched. Therefore, we selected Colombia, a Latin American country which is beginning to implement new public policies that are on par with global concerns. Furthermore, its waste management panorama has been transformed in recent decades due to its legal framework restructuring, differently than others in the region. This article aimed to elucidate which drivers have influenced the waste management policies in Colombia based on its historical context and how these drivers impacted Municipal Waste Management (MWM) systems. Amongst the principal drivers identified, we highlight "financial sustainability" and "inclusive recycling", which have allowed improvements towards a more sustainable waste management in the country. Moreover, it was possible to understand how the current legal framework was structured and its future challenges. This study constitutes a knowledge base for scholars and policymakers from other emerging economies, creating a potential to verify the relationship and antagonisms between waste management drivers and how they affect public policy implementation.

Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and waste characterizations for formal and informal performance indicators in Tandil, Argentina: Decision-making implications.

In cities, the achievement of waste-related legal requirements and the main drivers of Integrated Sustainable Waste Management (ISWM) need adequate indicators and adaptable-to-case tools and strategies. In this work, we combine Material Flow Analysis (MFA) and waste characterizations to develop a mass balance table to design, calculate and analyse indicators related to the formal and informal waste sub-circuits of Tandil, a medium-sized city of the Buenos Aires province (Argentina). Results show that global recovery is very low (2.3% ± 0.16) and mainly driven by the Informal Recovery Sector (IRS). Also, the IRS strategy is more effective, recovering 40% ± 8.0 of its targeted materials from non-household sources. Regarding each material recovery performance, results show significant differences. For paper and board, recovery exceeds 20%. For HDPE, Tetra brik and Ferrous Metals are lower than 1%. In the case of PET and Glass, 9.6 and 9.0% of what is generated in households is recovered, respectively. However, the global recovery rate of each material is different: 2.9% ± 0.4 for PET and 5.5% ± 1.4 for Glass. Our research show that strategies in place are insufficient regarding legislation in force. Even a hypothetically 100% effectiveness in them will account only for 20.9% ± 2.1 of global recovery. Addressing organic waste, therefore, is imperative. Considering the current province law provision of final disposal diversion, accounting for the work of the IRS is key because they recover more waste than the official strategy. Regarding open dumps eradication, we estimate that up to 17% of generated waste is incorrectly final disposed through private skips illegally dumped. A tracking system for skips could avoid this situation.

Expanding worldwide urban solid waste recycling: The Brazilian social technology in waste pickers inclusion.

'If an integrated urban waste management system includes the informal recycling sector (IRS), there is a good chance that more solid waste is recycled' is common sense. However, informal integration brings additional social, environmental, and economic benefits, such as reduction of operational costs and environmental impacts of landfilling. Brazil is a global best practice example in terms of waste picker inclusion, and has received international recognition for its recycling levels. In addition to analysing the results of inclusive recycling approaches, this article evaluates a selection of the best Brazilian inclusive recycling practices and summaries and presents the resulting knowledge. The objective is to identify processes that enable the replication of the inclusion of the informal recycling sector model as part of municipal solid waste management. Qualitative and quantitative data have been collected in 25 Brazilian cities that have contracted waste pickers co-operatives for door-to-door selective collection of recyclables. Field data was collected in action research projects that worked with waste pickers co-operatives between 2006 and 2013. The Brazilian informal recycling sector integration model improves municipal solid waste recycling indicators: it shows an increase in the net tonness recycled, from 140 to 208 t month(-1), at a much lower cost per tonne than conventional selective collection systems. Inclusive systems show costs of US$35 per tonne of recyclables collected, well below the national average of US$195.26. This inclusive model improves the quality of collected material and the efficiency of municipal selective collection. It also diminishes the negative impacts of informal recycling, by reducing child labour, and by improving the conditions of work, occupational health and safety, and uncontrolled pollution. Although treating the Brazilian experience as a blueprint for transfer of experience in every case is unrealistic, the results suggest that this approach to informal sector integration can be considered among the global best practices for informal sector integration. The article closes with recommendations for deploying technology in other urban areas throughout the world.