Sustainability of Municipal Solid Waste Management Systems in Bolivian Cities: Challenges, Opportunities, Responses, and Implications for Transition Pathways

Abstract

AbstractMany cities in the Global South have experienced rapid urbanisation during the past decades that has added further pressure to their (often) rudimentary Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) systems. This has reduced the ability of many local governments and other related actors to cope with these changes, further catalysing negative social, environmental, and economic impacts from such underperforming infrastructure systems. By focusing on Bolivian cities, this study identifies the most relevant challenges, opportunities, and responses related to the sustainability of MSWM systems in urban settings of the Global South. To achieve this, we populate the different dimensions and sub-dimensions of the Integrated and Sustainable Solid Waste Management Framework (ISWM) with qualitative information elicited from semi-structured interviews with the main stakeholders involved in MSWM systems in the largest Bolivian cities. The results suggest that despite the different perceptions and interests of the interviewed stakeholders, some commonalities exist, particularly in their shared (a) concern over the potential health and environmental impacts of the current MSWM systems and (b) sense of urgency for a paradigm change, particularly towards more inclusive and holistic/integrated approaches for MSWM systems. We discuss how these aspects might intersect with future transition pathways and their ramifications for different stakeholder groups.KeywordsIntegrated solid waste managementCircular economyInclusivitySustainability transitionsInformal sectorLatin AmericaWaste recyclingWaste disposalMaterial recoveryPublic healthLivelihoodsEnvironment