Transforming Cities Globally: Essential Public and Environmental Health Services Provided by Informal Sector Workers

Gutberlet, Jutta

doi:10.1016/j.oneear.2020.08.018

“…The informal waste and recovery sector is an integral part of municipal solid waste management systems across the world, especially in cities in the Global South, where they are often the only source of waste collection, recycling and reuse (UN-Habitat and NIVA, 2022). They provide different environmental services, increasing the urban quality and liveability of cities worldwide (Gutberlet, 2008(Gutberlet, , 2016(Gutberlet, , 2020(Gutberlet, , 2021. Their work helps prevent urban water logging, flooding and the spread of vector-borne diseases associated with solid waste accumulation (Krystosik et al, 2020).…”

Section: Independent Waste Pickersmentioning

confidence: 99%

Global Plastic Pollution and Informal Waste Pickers

Gutberlet¹

2023

Camb. prisms Plast.

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Increasingly plastic pollution is being recognized as a critical environmental and human health threat of unprecedented scale and complexity. While trends in plastic production and consumption are still on the rise, the negative effects of uncollected, mismanaged, dumped or incinerated plastic waste are causing profound impacts on the environment, oceans, climate and food chains compromising the quality of life for humans and other living beings, with expected cumulative negative effects for the near future. Particularly populations in the Global South, where new markets for plastic consumer goods have rapidly emerged over the past 30 years, while waste management, in general, has remained precarious, underfunded or inexistent, directly experience the burdens of plastic pollution. The emerging environmental problems are particularly visible in these regions and so are also possible solutions and alternatives. Approximately 20 million informal workers already recover plastic waste from the garbage in the Global South, usually working under precarious, risky and poorly paid conditions. The literature claims that they represent a workforce that if recognized, integrated and valued and under decent work conditions and fair remuneration could potentially increase significantly the capturing of plastic waste and reduce the amount of fugitive plastics. This review paper applies an anthropogenic global environmental change theory lens to discuss the key challenges in managing plastic waste and global plastic pollution, uncovering major causes, impacts from dispersion and leakage of plastics into soil, water and air, recognizing the relational and geographic perspectives of plastic waste. A concerted effort is required to coordinating policies and technological solutions in order to strengthening, fund and recognize the waste picker sector as a key protagonist in addressing this waste issue.

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“…They sort through municipal dumps and roam urban streets extracting reusable, repairable and recyclable materials from discards. Their work builds functioning value chains for recyclables, generating income for themselves and materials for other markets, metabolizing post-consumer waste and providing the only opportunity for recycling in many cities (Dias, 2016;Gutberlet, 2020). They have irreplaceable knowledge crucial to maximizing the value in waste.…”

Section: Suggested Background Readingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Rethinking sustainable development practice: from intervention to reparation

Anantharaman,

Tucker

2023

Teaching Environmental Justice

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“…They sort through municipal dumps and roam urban streets extracting reusable, repairable and recyclable materials from discards. Their work builds functioning value chains for recyclables, generating income for themselves and materials for other markets, metabolizing post-consumer waste and providing the only opportunity for recycling in many cities (Dias, 2016;Gutberlet, 2020). They have irreplaceable knowledge crucial to maximizing the value in waste.…”

Section: Suggested Background Readingsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Teaching Environmental Justice

2023

0

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Transforming Cities Globally: Essential Public and Environmental Health Services Provided by Informal Sector Workers

Cited by 8 publications

References 5 publications

Global Plastic Pollution and Informal Waste Pickers

Global Plastic Pollution and Informal Waste Pickers

Rethinking sustainable development practice: from intervention to reparation

Teaching Environmental Justice

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