Briefing: Social facets of solid waste: insights from the global south

Most commonly municipal solid waste is being treated from an engineering and technological perspective only and is either perceived as a nuisance or a commodity, while the social facets permeating waste issues are less prominent in this debate. Conceptualising waste as being worthless and yet also a coveted resource reveals a central contradiction affecting waste, which surfaces in solid waste management decision making. The complexity of current waste problems requires an integrated, multifaceted and interdisciplinary approach that is aware of the social side of materials. Production, consumption and lifestyle habits generate waste, which is part of the current, global environmental crisis. Reduction and recovery of recyclable materials address the serious ecological ‘overshoot’ concern of this crisis. Informal but organised recycling in Brazil is discussed as an innovative form of an inclusive resource recovery and environmental awareness strategy. Public policies need to safeguard the social dimension in addition to the ecological and economic aspects in waste management.