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61,005 resultsShowing papers similar to From Waste Pickers to Producers: An Inclusive Circular Economy Solution through Development of Cooperatives in Waste Management
ClearGlobal Plastic Pollution and Informal Waste Pickers
This review examines how plastic pollution disproportionately affects communities in the Global South, where plastic consumption has risen sharply while waste management infrastructure remains underfunded or nonexistent. The study highlights the role of approximately 20 million informal waste workers who already recover and recycle significant quantities of plastic but often work under hazardous conditions without recognition or support. Evidence indicates that integrating these informal workers into formal waste management systems could be an effective strategy for reducing plastic pollution while improving livelihoods.
Socio-Economic Contributions of Informal Waste Pickers to Urban Waste Management
This study examines the socio-economic contributions of informal waste pickers to urban waste management systems, finding they prevent significant recyclable materials from reaching landfills, reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and sustain livelihoods for millions of urban poor. The authors argue for formalization pathways that integrate waste pickers into municipal systems while preserving their economic autonomy.
Transdisciplinary research in industrial ecology a practice with recycling cooperatives of Belo Horizonte for the development of household solid waste management in Latin America countries
This transdisciplinary study engaged recycling cooperatives in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to develop better household solid waste management approaches for Latin American cities. It addresses plastic waste as part of broader solid waste management challenges in the Global South.
Towards sustainability through the circular economy of plastic packaging waste management in Rayong Province, Thailand
Researchers analyzed plastic packaging waste recycling in Rayong Province, Thailand using actor-network theory, finding that informal collectors contribute 11.3–64.1% of recycled material and that the circular economy depends critically on their economic viability alongside household-level sorting capacity and effective policy enforcement.
Complex waste management in Myanmar: role of the actors, relationships, and social capital
Researchers examined the waste management system in Myanmar, analyzing how both formal and informal sectors contribute to waste collection and recycling efforts. They found that informal waste pickers play a critical but underrecognized role in the recycling chain, and that social capital and relationships between actors significantly influence system effectiveness. The study highlights the need for inclusive policies that integrate informal workers into formal waste management frameworks.
The Analyzing of Social Economic Impacted By Optimalization Of Recycling Waste As Supported For Circular Economy On Community-Based Tourism In Pasaran Island
Researchers investigated how waste recycling initiatives on Pasaran Island, Indonesia, created alternative livelihoods — particularly for women — finding that optimizing organic and plastic waste management generated approximately 50% profit margins and contributed to improved social and environmental conditions.
Turning waste into opportunity: Advancing circular and equitable waste management
This chapter examines global waste management challenges, reviewing circular economy frameworks, equity considerations, and the environmental and social consequences of inadequate waste handling, with emphasis on plastic waste and its downstream microplastic effects.
Removing barriers to plastic waste valorisation in Africa: Towards policies for value creation and capture in business ecosystems
This review examines the barriers preventing plastic waste valorisation in Africa and analyses why policy interventions have not yet led to substantial value creation and capture within low-income country business ecosystems. The authors propose policy frameworks targeted at stimulating circular economy approaches to plastic waste that account for the specific economic and institutional contexts of African markets.
Informal recycling sector contribution to plastic pollution mitigation: A systematic scoping review and quantitative analysis of prevalence and productivity
This systematic review quantifies the role of informal waste pickers in reducing plastic pollution worldwide. The findings highlight that these workers prevent significant amounts of plastic from entering the environment, making their contributions essential to global efforts to reduce the microplastic contamination that ultimately affects human health.
Leveraging ICT in Karachi’s Solid Waste Management System by Involving Waste Pickers, Recyclers, and Community—An Integrated Approach
This study proposes integrating informal waste pickers and recyclers into Karachi's formal solid waste management system using information and communication technology (ICT). Better waste collection infrastructure, including for plastic waste, could reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in rivers and eventually the ocean.
Plastic Waste Upcycling: A Sustainable Solution for Waste Management, Product Development, and Circular Economy
This review examined plastic waste upcycling as a sustainable alternative to conventional recycling, covering methods that transform plastic waste into value-added products and support circular economy goals while addressing environmental pollution.
Digitally enabled business models for a circular plastic economy in Africa
Researchers explored how digital technologies are enabling circular economy business models for plastic waste management across African retailing and distribution systems. Drawing on focus group discussions and interviews with frontline organizations, the study examined the impact of digital innovations on plastic waste collection, sorting, and recycling. The findings highlight how digital tools can complement ecological goals by creating economic incentives for managing plastic waste in developing economies.
Approaches for a Circular Economy in European Union and Its Effects in Third Countries: Promoting a Values-based Dialogue Between the EU and Latin America?
This study examines the tension between the European Union's circular economy strategies and its practice of exporting plastic waste to third countries, arguing through qualitative bibliographical research that the EU must align its external plastic waste policies with its founding values in order to serve as a credible leader in global plastics treaty negotiations.
Safely recovering value from plastic waste in the Global South: Opportunities and challenges for circular economy and plastic pollution mitigation
This paper examines the challenges and opportunities for recovering value from plastic waste in the Global South through recycling and chemical conversion processes, highlighting significant risks to human health if inadequate environmental safeguards are in place. Plastic waste infrastructure expansion in developing countries must prioritize worker and community safety alongside pollution reduction goals.
Plastic Pollution, Waste Management Issues, and Circular Economy Opportunities in Rural Communities
This review examines how rural communities around the world are both contributors to and victims of plastic pollution, with agricultural plastic waste being a major source of microplastics in farmland. Poor waste management in rural areas, especially in low- and middle-income countries, leads to plastic contamination of soil, water, and the food supply. The authors argue that involving rural communities in circular economy solutions is essential for reducing plastic pollution and protecting public health.
Modelo circular para el desarrollo sostenible en PYMES recicladoras de plásticos: una revisión sistemática
This review synthesizes 23 studies on circular economy models for sustainable development in plastic-recycling SMEs, identifying four key categories of challenges, responsibilities, strategies, and innovation opportunities through a systematic PRISMA-guided bibliometric analysis of literature from 2017 to 2024.
Solid waste management in the context of the waste hierarchy and circular economy frameworks: An international critical review
This review evaluates global solid waste management practices through the lens of the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle) and circular economy principles. The authors found that while high-income countries have advanced waste systems, low- and middle-income nations face major challenges including inadequate infrastructure and plastic pollution. The study highlights how poorly managed plastic waste contributes to environmental contamination, including the generation of microplastics.
Informal waste pickers in guayaquil: Recycling rates, environmental benefits, main barriers, and troubles
Researchers studied the role of informal waste pickers in Guayaquil, Ecuador, and found they contribute significantly to recycling efforts that formal waste management systems miss. By calculating the carbon footprint avoided through their recycling activities, the study quantified substantial environmental benefits. The findings highlight that integrating informal recyclers into official waste systems could improve both recycling rates and environmental outcomes in developing cities.
Incorporating Health Impacts into the Circular Economy: A Comprehensive Assessment of Worker and Consumer Safety in the Plastic Production and Recycling Industries
This study assessed the health impacts on workers and consumers across circular economy strategies for plastics, finding that while recycling reduces environmental burden, it also introduces occupational and exposure risks that must be incorporated into circular economy assessments.
Designing Business Solutions for Plastic Waste Management to Enhance Circular Transitions in Kenya
Researchers applied a Circular Economic Value methodology to Kenya's plastic waste management system and found a low circularity score of 32.72%, reflecting significant linear deficiencies in the country's material flows. The study proposed a holistic Business Model Canvas solution to improve sustainability, arguing that developing nations should focus on managing surplus material flows rather than reducing consumption.
An Integrated Analysis of Plastic Packaging Value Chain: Identifying Barriers and Enablers for a Circular Economy
Researchers analyzed the full plastic packaging value chain to identify barriers and enablers for transitioning to a circular economy, tracing the evolution of circular economy concepts and quantifying the environmental impacts associated with exponential plastic waste growth. The study provides an integrated framework mapping opportunities for intervention across production, use, collection, and recycling stages.
Plastics’ circular economy for the Galapagos Islands? Exploring plastics governance with implications for social and ocean equity in a UNESCO World Heritage Site
Researchers explored the feasibility of implementing a plastics circular economy in the Galapagos Islands, a UNESCO World Heritage Site facing significant marine plastic pollution. They examined the governance structures needed to address plastic waste while balancing conservation goals with the needs of local communities. The study highlights how remote island communities in the global South face unique challenges in managing plastic pollution equitably.
Reconciling Waste Management and Ecological Economics
Researchers examined how the concept of the "circular economy" — designing products and systems to minimize waste — fits within ecological economics, which emphasizes physical limits like energy and material flows. The chapter argues that effective waste management policies, such as landfill taxes, extended producer responsibility, and deposit-refund schemes, must align environmental costs with economic incentives to achieve meaningful sustainability gains.
Examining Latin America’s Transition to a Circular Economy for Plastics
This policy analysis found that Latin American countries are generating increasing amounts of plastic waste while their waste management and recycling infrastructure remains inadequate, though the region is beginning to adopt circular economy strategies through national roadmaps and legislation. The study is relevant to microplastic pollution because poor waste management is a primary driver of plastic breakdown into microplastics in rivers and coastal waters.