Briefing: Waste management sustainability in low-income countries Available to Purchase

The drivers and motivation to improve solid waste management systems in low-income countries are diverse. These may be environmental, social, political or related to income generation, depending on the stakeholders, their stakes and their relationships. To sustain solid waste systems, these different motivations need to be understood and incorporated into the planning for new systems. Often the proposed solution to an increasing waste problem is large-scale technology and its financial and technical sustainability will depend on the cost and the capacity to operate and maintain in the given context. Nevertheless waste collection and recycling provide a livelihood for millions of people in low-income countries. Therefore, they need to be considered as an integral part of the existing systems. Future planning activities must therefore include economic and social sustainability, in addition to the user’s acceptance and need to build carefully on existing strengths and knowledge of the informal systems.