Environmental and Socioeconomic Impacts of Urban Waste Recycling as Part of Circular Economy. The Case of Cuenca (Ecuador)

Damián Burneo,Rocio Yñiguez,José M. Cansino

doi:10.3390/su12083406

Abstract

Urban mining by recyclers represents a positive environmental impact as well as being part of the waste management chain. This paper analyzes the contribution of waste pickers in the city of Cuenca in Ecuador and the conditions of their activity. This research has a two-fold objective. First, it calculates the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions resulting from the substitution of virgin raw material in the production process by using recycled urban waste. The second objective is to conduct a socioeconomic analysis of the workers involved in the urban waste sector. Cuenca (Ecuador) is the main city used for this case study, thanks to the accessibility of a rich database built from the survey conducted by the NGO Alliance for Development. The information contained in this survey facilitates the identification of potential consumers of the waste industry. This study uses Clean Development Mechanism methodology. Finally, this work proposes a theoretical model for solid waste management, applied to the city, following the principles of the circular economy.

Highlights

According to the literature, circular economy (CE) encompasses three main activities: the reduction of the use of virgin raw materials, the reuse of already processed materials, and the recycling of waste [1]
Based on the results and discussion, this paper proposes a model for solid waste management following the principles of CE
The calculation of the emissions avoided from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) methodology is supported by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) [22,23,24]

Summary

Introduction

Circular economy (CE) encompasses three main activities: the reduction of the use of virgin raw materials, the reuse of already processed materials, and the recycling of waste [1]. This definition is known as the 3R concept. Some researchers include the redesign of products as a fourth CE activity; its use is limited [2]. This paper adopts the CE concept based on the 3R principles, understood as an alternative to linear economy at a micro and macro level [3]. CE impacts on the environment, labor relations, and the profitability of certain industries

Methods

Results

Conclusion