Building a circular plastics economy with informal waste pickers: Recyclate quality, business model, and societal impacts

Gall, Markus; Wiener, Melanie; Oliveira, Cintia Chagas de; Lang, Reinhold W.; Hansen, Erik G.

doi:10.1016/j.resconrec.2020.104685

Cited by 117 publications

(96 citation statements)

References 43 publications

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“…This empirical evidence demonstrates the effectiveness of such pedagogical work of waste pickers, which needs to be recognized, not only in regulatory texts, but also by providing them with practical fiscal and legal tools, such as the official OPDS certificate that Reciclando Sueños issues to Limpex, or the invoices Cooperpires provides to ABHIPEC on a monthly basis. To include cooperatives in the circular economy is not only a matter of willingness, it also implies in the recognition of their techno-cognitive skills that shape their role as specialized waste management service providers (Carenzo 2011;Carenzo & Schmuckler 2018;Gall 2020).…”

Section: Waste Pickers Within Waste Governance For the Circular Economentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Waste pickers in the global South are already at the heart of the CE (Gall 2020;Schröder et al 2019). Waste pickers might not speak the same technical or academic language, but they understand the concept of retrieving materials from the waste stream to redirecting them into the recycling economy, minimizing resource losses, and gaining greater circularity.…”

Section: Final Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Waste Pickers at the Heart of the Circular Economy: A Perspective of Inclusive Recycling from the Global South

Gutberlet

Carenzo

2020

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Introduction This article focuses on waste picker cooperatives and their contribution to circular economy. Worldwide waste pickers reclaim a wide array of different materials from household waste; ranging from paper and cardboard, plastics, metals, glass, and wood to sometimes more specific materials such as cooking oil, fluorescent lamps, batteries, and electric or electronic waste (Wilson et al. 2006). The amounts recovered are significant, although quantified data is not always available for all types of materials and for every city. There are no formal selective waste collection programs in most cities in the global South, and there is growing evidence about the fact that it is the informal sector that retrieves most of the recyclable materials (Chokhandre, Singh &

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Section: Waste Pickers Within Waste Governance For the Circular Economentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Final Considerationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Waste Pickers at the Heart of the Circular Economy: A Perspective of Inclusive Recycling from the Global South

Gutberlet

Carenzo

2020

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“…Although recycling is the final stage of the value generation chain of the CE, whose production process is established not to generate waste, its role is extremely important at the end of the cycle, since it enables the transformation of waste into raw material [44]. According to Gall et al [25], despite the fact that recycling is not the only element of the CE, it has a major function in the pursuit of sustainable development, as it allows to confront the multiple challenges that permeate the economic, environmental and social spheres.…”

Section: A Brief Account Of the Role Of Recycling Cooperatives In The Cementioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this context, it is essential to consider the inclusion of catadores in an adapted CE structure. According to Gall et al [25], it is important to have CE business models that are adjusted to regional specificities and also socially inclusive, combining a human-centered and technology-oriented approach. It should be noted that in most developing countries the informal recycling sector has a fundamental role in the implementation of the CE, as it reintroduces the MSWRP into the production chain.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Integration of Recycling Cooperatives in the Formal Management of Municipal Solid Waste as a Strategy for the Circular Economy—The Case of Londrina, Brazil

Miranda

Fidelis

Fidelis³

et al. 2020

Sustainability

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In many developing countries, the informal recycling sector is responsible for reducing the amount of waste in landfills and supplying the needs of recycling industries. In the context of municipal solid waste (MSW) management, considering that developing countries aim to implement circular economy (CE) actions, it is essential to ensure the inclusion of waste pickers (catadores) in an adapted CE structure. This study analyzes the integration of recycling cooperatives in the formal management of municipal solid waste with recyclable potential (MSWRP) of a medium-sized municipality in Brazil, with the objective of ascertaining the contributions of cooperatives in an adapted CE structure and, at the same time, identifying a cooperative that can be used as a benchmarking option for other cooperatives, especially in relation to their organizational and operational practices. The results indicate that from this integration, cooperatives have legal responsibility in the management of MSWRP, resulting in the professionalization of its members and increasing their productivity. The results also revealed that the implementation of the CE in developing countries is, in a sense, conditioned to the performance of the informal sector in the recycling chain and, in addition, that the inclusion of cooperatives in the formal sector of MSWRP management can improve the rates of a municipality.

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“…Concerns are growing over the efficient management of the waste generated in industrial processes [5][6][7][8][9]. The Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EU of the European Union established measures to mitigate the environmental impact of waste generated by human activity through its management, recycling, reuse and whenever possible, through its recovery, establishing 2020 as the target for the achievement of those objectives [10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Design and Characterization of Gypsum Mortars Dosed with Polyurethane Foam Waste PFW

et al. 2020

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The properties and the behaviour of plaster mortars designed with Polyurethane Foam Waste (PFW) are studied in this investigation. A characterization of the mixtures is completed, in accordance with the technical specifications of European Norms. The incorporation of polyurethane waste foam can yield porous and lighter mortars, with better resistance to water-vapour permeability, although with weaker mechanical strength and higher levels of absorbency. Nevertheless, suitable mechanical strengths were achieved, resulting in a new material that is compliant with the requirements of the construction industry. The use of PFW in the the manufacture of gypsum mortars for construction reduces the consumption of natural resources and, at the same time, recovers an industrial waste that is otherwise difficult to recycle.

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Building a circular plastics economy with informal waste pickers: Recyclate quality, business model, and societal impacts

Cited by 117 publications

References 43 publications

Waste Pickers at the Heart of the Circular Economy: A Perspective of Inclusive Recycling from the Global South

Waste Pickers at the Heart of the Circular Economy: A Perspective of Inclusive Recycling from the Global South

The Integration of Recycling Cooperatives in the Formal Management of Municipal Solid Waste as a Strategy for the Circular Economy—The Case of Londrina, Brazil

Design and Characterization of Gypsum Mortars Dosed with Polyurethane Foam Waste PFW

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