Urban Waste Management System Research Articles

A comprehensive study on criteria of sustainable urban waste management system: using content analysis

The present study was developed to comprehensively analyze experts' views and content of documents focusing on goals and criteria of sustainable waste management system in Tehran, Iran. To this end, the suitable goals for sustainable waste management system in Tehran city were adopted from domestic, national and international documents. For this purpose, 27 national and international documents and 2 domestic documents related to waste management were selected and analyzed by using content analysis according to Gall, 1994. Further, in order to formulate goals in case of bottlenecks and challenges of waste management in Tehran, the focus group technique was used based on Stewart and Shamdasani, 2014. At this stage, 24 key experts in the field of waste management were interviewed in the form of 4 focus groups. Data collection were performed via audio recording and word-for-word implementation of conversations, taking notes and writing field notes. The data collection continued until reaching theoretical saturation. Next, content analysis and coding methods were used to analyze the data. Finally, the goals of waste management were divided into five general categories including: institutional (with emphasis on the integration and inclusion of the key elements of the urban waste management system), technical and infrastructural (with emphasis on the optimization of existing processes in the use of urban waste management technologies), environmental (with emphasis on minimizing the adverse health and environmental effects of the urban waste management system, economic (with emphasis on the economic and financial sustainability of the urban waste management system), and cultural-social (with emphasis on attracting the maximum participation of citizens and service recipients). The results clearly showed that sustainable waste management measures in Tehran should follow these five components in order to reduce the problems caused by unrealistic waste management and make sustainable use of basic, natural, financial and human resources.

Assessing the externalities of a waste management system via life cycle costing: The case study of the Emilia-Romagna Region (Italy).

Effective and efficient urban waste management systems (WMSs) are a cornerstone for a sustainable society. Life cycle costing (LCC) provides a useful framework for the joint analysis of economic and environmental impacts of a WMS, by considering both financial and external costs. The present study applies the methodology of societal LCC to the WMS of the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna to provide a case study on how the available information on waste flows and budget costs of a real WMS can be used to obtain an estimate of the total cost of waste management, including externalities. The results evidence that the main source of negative externality in the analyzed WMS is the transportation of waste, with only a minor role of external burdens due to incinerators and landfills. However, the positive externality resulting from recycling more than compensates those impacts, leading to a net external benefit associated to the WMS. The contribution of both uncertain unit external costs and environmental benefits imputable to recycled materials to the overall uncertainty of the result is systematically investigated by parametric uncertainty analysis. The most critical parameters in determining the sensitivity of the result are the monetary values attributed to primary energy consumption and CO2 emissions, together with assumptions on energy savings related to recycling. Eventually, it is shown how the developed LCC model can be used as decision-support tool to preliminarily investigate the implications of alternative management options on the financial and external costs of the WMS.

Improving the Performance of Urban Waste Management Systems in the Context of a Closed-Loop Supply Chain

The saving of non-renewable energies, as well as the reduction of emissions into the environment, are two crucial objectives of industrial production. The recovery of post-consumer products associated with the use of end-of-life products is part of a context of optimization of these objectives. This recovery maximizes the use of resources from end-of-life products in a circular logic while recording the environmental footprint. This study considers a recycling strategy adapted to the need and urgency to reduce greenhouse gas emissions caused by global warming. The proposed model aims to optimize the profits of the circular manufacturing strategies while minimizing operational costs (collection, sorting, recycling), transport, GHG emissions and recycling. In this paper, a compromise between the gains of CM and the costs associated with it was studied. The robustness of the designed model was tested using a case study based on real-world scenarios. A sensitivity analysis was carried out to study the impact of the emission cost on the overall objective, considering the two options currently offered to industries. The obtained results support companies to take the ecological aspect into account and integrate sustainable development into their strategic axes for their logistics supply chains.

EVOLUTION OF THE URBAN WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM IN THE EMILIA-ROMAGNA REGION

This multidisciplinary study aims to analyse how the urban waste management system has changed in the Italian region of Emilia-Romagna, during the decade in which a single regional regulatory unit, the Emilia-Romagna Territorial Agency for Water and Waste Services (ATERSIR), was established and became operational, and the waste management planning was centralized at regional level. Particularly, the following changes have been analysed: i) the methods of municipal waste management (WM), considering waste generation, separate waste collection and waste treatment; ii) the costs of WM service, with a focus on cost of treatment and disposal of unsorted waste; and iii) the urban solid WM policies, in terms of levels of governance, territorial planning and implementation of policies on the regional territory. The period within which the analysis was carried out covers the years from 2008 to 2018, comparing two time frames, before and after ATERSIR establishment. Data at municipal level were gathered and analysed. The results of the technical, economical and institutional assessment show that relevant benefits occurred, such as a constant improvement of environmental performances, the optimisation of the waste flows to plants, a higher level of uniformity of WM cost among Municipalities and a better quality of data collected from waste providers for the technical and economic regulation of the sector. Potential improvements are identified, whilst the institutional reform is positively evaluated in all the analysed aspects.

The circular economy potential of urban organic waste streams in low- and middle-income countries

There is growing recognition of the potential environmental and socio-economic benefits of applying a circular approach to urban organic waste management through resource recovery. Decisions around planning and implementing circular urban waste systems require estimates of the quantity of resources available in waste streams and their potential market value. However, studies assessing circular economy potential have so-far been conducted mostly in high-income countries, yet cities in low- and middle-income countries have different challenges when developing a circular economy. This paper addresses this gap by estimating the resource recovery potential of organic waste streams in the context of low- and middle-income countries, illustrated with the case of Kampala, Uganda. A simplified material flow analysis approach is used to track the transformation of waste streams, namely faecal sludge, sewage sludge and organic solid waste into the resource recovery products biogas, solid fuel, black soldier fly larvae and compost. Findings indicate that even at current rates of waste collection, the three waste streams combined could annually yield 135,000 tonnes of solid fuel or 39.6 million Nm3 of biogas or 15,000 tonnes of black soldier fly larvae or 108,000 tonnes of compost and revenues from the products could range from 5.1 million USD from compost to 47 million USD from biogas. The results demonstrate how complex information describing urban waste can be presented to facilitate decision making and planning by stakeholders. By highlighting different resource recovery opportunities, application of this approach could provide an incentive for more sustainable urban sanitation and waste management systems.

Scientific and theoretical justification of solid household waste accumulation in Zhytomyr Region

Practical experience of solid domestic waste (MSW) management in Ukraine and developed countries is analyzed. Theoretical volumes of MSW accumulation taking into account statistical factors are studied. The generalized method of MSW accumulation volumes allows forecasting their formation from the factors and evaluating the morphological composition of MSW in the region. The system for optimizing community waste management at the collection and disposal stage with the quality of the optimality criterion has been proposed. The degree of recycling and the costs of collecting and transporting waste should be taken as a criterion for optimising the urban waste management system at the collection and disposal stage. The quality analysis of the waste management system in the Zhytomyr region made it possible to identify the main problems in municipal waste management and the main reasons for their occurrence. The survey shows that the main problem in the area of waste management is the low efficiency of the existing management system, accompanied by the introduction of outdated and inefficient management methods with the lack of effective interaction of all participants in the waste management process and, above all, the lack of public involvement in solving the problem. The authors concluded that at the present time Zhytomyr city and Zhytomyr Region faced the following problems in the area of solid waste management: the number of spontaneous landfills has increased; the number of modern waste collection bins is insufficient and there are no bins for separate waste collection; the quality of solid waste collection services is inadequate; there is no recycling plant in Zhytomyr; large amount of household waste in the city landfill and absence of monitoring of its impact on the environment.

English

The survey was conducted to assess urban dairy production and waste management system in Oromia Special Zone around Finfinnee, Ethiopia. The three study towns (Burayu, Sululta and Sebeta) were purposively selected due to the high potential for commercial dairy production. A total of 90 commercial dairy producers 30 from each town who at least own 10 dairy cows were randomly selected. The farmers interviewed individually using the survey questionnaire. The collected data were analyzed and the study revealed that 47.8 and 52.2% of the interviewed were female and male respectively. Next to daily laborers, household wives shared larger responsibility for feeding (21.1%), milking (28.9%) and cleaning (13.3%). The genetic composition of dairy cows in the study areas ranges from 50% exotic gene inheritances to pure (100%) exotic Holstein Friesian. Accordingly, 50, 62.5, ≥75% and pure Holstein Friesian cows account for about 24.4, 38.9, 24.4 and 11% of the herd, respectively. The major sources of feed were both formulated feed and feed that mixed at home (55.6%) and tap water (74. 4%). The average age at first calving, calving interval and days open was 2.26±.05years 20.8 ± 0.05 months and 161.76±34.80 days respectively. The major waste in the farm is manure (73.3%) and followed by feed left over (14.45%) and dust (12. 25%). High price feed, shortage of land, unavailability of dairy cow/heifer in time, feed quality, unavailability of feed in nearby area, diseases and lack of access to credit, shortage of water and inadequate training were among the major constraint of dairy production that need urgent intervention to utilize the untapped resources in the area. Key words: Dairy cattle, urban, production, milk, waste.

Sustainability assessment of phosphorus in the waste management system of Bangladesh using substance flow analysis

Quantification of multi-year phosphorus flow through the waste sector of developing countries is essential for formulating effective policies towards sustainable global management of the phosphorus resource to ensure food and water security. However, such quantification is often difficult in developing countries due to data limitation. This study, first of its kind, develops a novel approach of training several machine learning regression models to fill the data gap for analyzing multi-year (2000–2018) phosphorus flow in both the urban and rural waste management systems of Bangladesh (a typical developing country in South Asia) using the substance flow analysis. The analysis indicates that average annual total phosphorus inflow in its waste sector was 103.3 kt over the study period, of which almost 70% remained there as an increase in stock. The country lost 31.6 kt (30.59% of total inflow) of phosphorus annually as waste discharge to its numerous rivers and water bodies, which may account for scattered instances of algal blooms and eutrophication throughout the country. On average only 0.12 kt phosphorus was recovered annually from the solid waste stream and reused as compost and livestock feed. There were significant annual losses from both the urban and rural wastewater subsystems, on average at 13.67 kt and 12.15 kt respectively. A high annual inflow of 60.1 kt was observed for the rural wastewater subsystem, which retained most of it as an increase in stock of 47.95 kt. On the other hand, inflow into the urban wastewater system was 25.57 kt of which 53% was lost as outflow to rivers. In a global comparison of phosphorus substitutability indices (calculated based on recycling efficiency), Bangladesh displays the lowest (0.12%) score among several developed and developing countries despite of having a handsome inflow to waste sector. The methods developed for quantifying multi-year phosphorus flow in a data deficient condition and specific policy recommendations provided in this study could be utilized for sustainable management of phosphorus in similar developing countries.

Internet of things-based urban waste management system for smart cities using a Cuckoo Search Algorithm

Waste management is one of the crucial issues in the creation of smart cities. Because of population growth, keeping urban areas clean is a challenge. The Internet of things (IoT) has played a vital role in urban computing because it facilitates the collection, integration, and processing of various types of information. Thus, the aim of this research is to develop an Internet of Things-Based Urban Waste Management System. IoT devices hav been used to monitor human activity and to support waste management. Information about a city was collected and processed in a cuckoo search-optimized long short-term recurrent neural network. The network facilitated the analysis of the waste type, truck size, and waste source. This information alerted the waste management centers so that the appropriate actions could be taken. The efficiency of this IoT-based waste management process was evaluated through an experimental analysis. The system was found to ensure that the bins were processed on a priority basis with minimum error (0.16) and maximum accuracy (98.4%) in the minimum amount of time (15 min).

An Integrated Solution to Urban and Sea Waste Management Systems: Using Axiomatic Design to Discuss Urban Development Risks

The problems of preserving the natural environment of the Arctic Ocean and cleaning the Great Pacific Garbage Patch can be used to enrich business activities in the Primorsky Territory of the Russian Federation and the Eastern Sector of the Arctic. In this regard, the infrastructure of the ports of the Northern Sea Route could be seen as a new vector of development, not only taking into account the requirements for eliminating accidents and emergencies from shipwreck and oil spills, but also providing adequate infra-structure for waste treatment. This would connect the underused existing waste management infrastructure with the cleaning of parts of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. The unstable composition of garbage from the Pacific Ocean and the waters of the Northern Sea Route require a consistent multi-level system of water and waste treatment centers using not only ships and ports, but also offshore structure. The article discusses a framework for design solutions for the urban development of the Vladivostok Commercial Sea Port and approaches to maximize the use of waste management facilities in Russky Island, using Axiomatic Design.

Understanding room-temperature magnetic properties of anthropogenic ashes from municipal solid waste incineration to assess potential impacts and resources

Environmental magnetic studies are widely used to trace sources of anthropogenic pollution and have revealed promising applications to the urban waste management system. Here, a collection of solid samples from Municipal Solid Waste Incinerators (MSWI) were studied to probe the capability of geochemical and magnetic data integration as a tool for assessing mineralogy, grain-size, and metal enrichment. A data set of room-temperature magnetic parameters was compared with chemical data by X-ray fluorescence and electron microscopy observations. The aim was to validate or reject methods for urban mining purposes, testing and exploiting the correlations that magnetic properties typically experience with iron and heavy metals, as well as their relation to magnetic grain-sizes (from mm-scale down below 30 nm). We noted that the room-temperature magnetic data of MSWI ashes, used to assess grain-size according to the magnetic domain states, is complicated by the clumping of tiny and large grains displaying similar magnetic properties, so it needs to be supported by optical methods or more advanced magnetic techniques. On the other hand, the integration between magnetic and geochemical data, constrained by the analyses of the magnetic/diamagnetic extracts, helped in assessing magnetic mineral assemblages and potential metal enrichment.

A robust green location-allocation-inventory problem to design an urban waste management system under uncertainty

The excessive expansion of cities and the consequent increase in urban population, especially in recent years, have led to a significant increase in consumptions and generations of different types of municipal solid waste (MSW). In this research, a robust green location-allocation-inventory problem (LAIP) is investigated to design an efficient MSW management system. Since the exact amount of MSW composition in different regions is not known and is uncertain, robust optimization technique is applied to formulate the problem as a mixed-integer linear programming (MILP) model. The objective is to minimize the total cost including fixed locational costs of collection and processing/disposal facilities, operational costs of facilities, transportation costs, penalty costs of non-collected waste and costs arising from pollution emissions. The validation of the proposed model is performed by different problems based on real-life data in deterministic and uncertain conditions using CPLEX solver of GAMS software. Then, the effects of greenness are evaluated by performing a sensitivity analysis on the parameter of pollution cost. Finally, the concept of robustness worthiness threshold (RWT) under budget constraint is introduced and discussed.

Decentralized Valorization of Residual Flows as an Alternative to the Traditional Urban Waste Management System: The Case of Peñalolén in Santiago de Chile

Urban residual flows contain significant amounts of valuable nutrients, which, if recovered, could serve as input for the own city needs or those of its immediate surroundings. In this study, the possibilities for decentralized recovery of nutrient rich residual flows in Santiago, Chile, are studied by means of a case study considering technical and socio-economic criteria. In particular, we calculate circularity indicators for organic matter (OM), nitrogen (N), and phosphorus (P) and cost–benefits of household and community on-site technological alternatives. Kitchen waste (KW) and garden residues (GR) as well as urine were considered as system inputs whereas urban agriculture, municipality green, or peri-urban agriculture were the considered destinations for nutrients recovered. The technologies studied were anaerobic digestion, vermicomposting, and composting, while urine storage and struvite precipitation were considered for nutrient recovery from urine. Material flow analysis was used to visualize the inputs and outputs of the baseline situation (the traditional urban waste management system), and of the different household and municipality resource recovery scenarios (the decentralized valorization systems). Our findings show that decentralized valorization of KW and GR are a clear win–win policy, since they can not only produce important environmental benefits for the city in the long run, but also important cost savings considering the landfill fees and residues transportation of the current centralized waste management system.

Conceptual and Simulated Semi-Automatic Urban Waste Management System using Global Systems for Mobile Communication and Customer Reliability Indices

: Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) poses great challenges to many cities around the world. The challenges are fuelled by population explosions all over the world, especially in the major urban centres, against the backdrop of limited resources to manage wastes efficiently. In this paper, a conceptual and simulated semi-automatic approach to MSWM is considered using the prevalent Global Systems for Mobile Communication (GSM) technology to engage both the waste generators and collectors. This system connects users into a central database where data about their waste bin levels are harnessed. Users are prompted via GSM handsets daily for the level of the waste bin. Waste Collection Vehicles are routed based on the responses while an updatable Reporting Reliability Index (RRI) is computed for each user based on estimate of actual level of waste collected as against the reported level to factor future reporting. With history of collection volume at a location known, forecast is made as to the generated waste level when a customer’s response to prompt is not available. The system is tested on a simulated 30-node housing estate and two dump sites with vehicles routed to optimize distance covered and volume of waste collected. Customers report when prompted with 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 for waste levels ranging from empty to full bin fills. Vehicles are routed to collect wastes at locations with a minimum threshold level of 2. Results obtained showed statistically insignificant differences in distribution of means of collection distance covered weekly but 13.31 volume units/km collected with this method compared with 3.08 volume units/km run of fixed routing scheme, at = 0.05. The cost saving potential and environmental benefits of timely waste disposal of this scheme is thus demonstrable.Keywords: Municipal Solid Waste, Waste Management, SMS Gateway, GSM, Reporting Reliability Index.

Urbanization Leads to Increases in pH, Carbonate, and Soil Organic Matter Stocks of Arable Soils of Kumasi, Ghana (West Africa)

Tropical soils typically have low cation exchange capacity and nutrient contents. Both are enhanced by soil organic matter (SOM), which is thus particularly important for the fertility of these soils. In this study, we assessed the influence of urbanization on SOM, carbonate contents and pH of arable soils of Kumasi (Ghana, West Africa), since rapid urban sprawl is widespread in West Africa, whereby in many West African cities urban farming is pivotal to the food security of their population. Based on satellite imagery for the year 1986, we distinguished long-term and short-term urban arable soils, whereby long-term urban soils were urban already in 1986 (thus  30 years, as soil sampling took place in 2016), and short-term urban soils became urban afterwards (< 30 years). We took 618 undisturbed topsoil samples (0-10 cm) from 206 urban arable fields. The factors land-use (maize fields) and soil (Ferric Acrisols) were kept largely constant. The fine-earth was analysed for pH (water), carbonate contents, loss on ignition (LOI), total C (TC) and N (TN). SOM contents were obtained from LOI (SOMLOI). All element contents were transformed to bulk soil element stocks per m2. Differences between short-term and long-term urban soils were identified by a set of linear mixed models. Coarse fragments were more abundant in the long-term (16%) compared to the short-term (10%) urban soils, because of solid municipal waste that accumulates over time in urban soils. TC and SOMLOI concentrations of the fine earth, pH and C/N ratios were all significantly higher in the long-term urban soils. SOC concentrations in the fine earth, as well as bulk soil stocks of TC, SOC and SOMLOI were also higher in the long-term urban soils, but at a lower degree of confidence, due to variable bulk densities and contents of coarse fragments. We conclude that dumping of organic and inorganic waste (including ash, bones, egg shells, concrete and mortar) increases SOM stocks and soil pH, but also leads to accumulation of non-degradable solid materials (including plastic, metals etc.). These findings point to the need of an improved urban waste management system, separating degradable and non-degradable waste.

Energy Recovery from the Organic Fraction of Municipal Solid Waste: A Real Options-Based Facility Assessment

During the last years, due to the strict regulations on waste landfilling, anaerobic digestion (AD) of the organic fraction of municipal solid waste (OFMSW) is increasingly considered a sustainable alternative for waste stabilization and energy recovery. AD can reduce the volume of OFMSW going to landfill and produce, at the same time, biogas and compost, all at a profit. The uncertainty about the collected quantity of organic fraction, however, may undermine the economic-financial sustainability of such plants. While the flexibility characterizing some AD technologies may prove very valuable in uncertain contexts since it allows adapting plant capacity to changing environments, the investment required for building flexible systems is generally higher than the investment for dedicated equipment. Hence, an adequate justification of investments in these flexible systems is needed. This paper presents the results of a study aimed at investigating how different technologies may perform from technical, economic and financial standpoints, in presence of an uncertain organic fraction quantity to be treated. Focusing on two AD treatment plant configurations characterized by a technological process with different degree of flexibility, a real options-based model is developed and then applied to the case of the urban waste management system of the Metropolitan Area of Bari (Italy). Results show the importance of pricing the flexibility of treatment plants, which becomes a critical factor in presence of an uncertain organic fraction. Hence, it has to be taken into consideration in the design phase of these plants.

INFORMAL SECTOR STRATEGY IN URBAN INORGANIC WASTE MANAGEMENT TOWARD 3 M MANAGEMENT (MERUBAH: CHANGING, MENGURANGI: REDUCING, MANFAAT: BENEFIT) IN SEMARANG CITY

Moreover urban waste can be seen as a cultural problem because it affects various aspects of life, and the impact on urban waste management system nowadays are not effective and efficient yet. The reason for conducting this research is the emergence of the informal sector phenomena of urban waste management that can contribute to reduce the volume of urban waste production. The purpose of this research is to find out the informal sector strategy in urban waste management, especially inorganic waste. The researchers used qualitative research to explain the phenomenon as the focus of research. The result of research is 3M phenomenon, that is derived from Indonesian words (Mengubah = Changing, Mengurangi = Reducing, Manfaat = Benefit), in the management of urban inorganic waste. The explanation are; Mengubah: turning waste into economic value; Mengurangi: If the economic value of the urban waste volumes increases, the volume of urban waste will eventually be reduced; and Manfaat: the benefits obtained are management cultivating empowerment, reducing the burden of the landfill volume, being closer to inorganic zero waste condition. Suggestions are as follows: [a] development of management towards go-green, [b] urban waste management based on predictable community empowerment will be more effective and efficient in the future.

Emissões de aterros sanitários e suas implicações de planejamento urbano e saúde ambiental em Port Harcourt, Sul da Nigéria

This study aimed to provide a perspective on landfill gas emissions, environmental health effects of the urban waste management system in Port Harcourt, Nigeria, and the city’s potential for power generation using landfill waste. Real time air quality measurement techniques, field observations and LFG modelling were applied to Port Harcourt city landfills. These disposal areas receive, per year, up to one million tons of domestic and hazardous waste, and produce around 68 million m3/year of LFG (biogas). Additionally, if properly harnessed, this waste may generate more than 11 million KWh /year of electricity. It was also discovered that SO2 emissions from the landfill sites were above the USEPA limits (75ppb), while other regulated gases were within acceptable limits. Particulate matter was mostly above acceptable limits and tended to increase up to 250m radius from landfill sites. Thus, this excess poses serious respiratory and cardiovascular health dangers to the public, especially among inhabitants and workers who operate within 250 metres of the landfills. With this in mind, the following are recommended: a) the outright closure of two of the landfills in the city; b) acquisition of all property within 300 metres radius from the centre of the landfills which is within the “planning area” of each landfill and adequately compensating for all property so acquired; and c) construction of four properly engineered landfills with full capacity to capture leachate and convert LFG into power, through public-private partnerships.

Assessing the Sustainability Level of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Bangkok, Thailand by Wasteaware Benchmarking Indicators

The rapid increase in waste volume leads to numerous and widespread impacts on sustainable development including social, economic and environmental dimensions. This study applied Wasteaware benchmarking, which is a set of international indicators, to evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of municipal solid waste management in Bangkok. The indicators allowidentification of strengths and weaknesses of the urban waste management system, providing evidence-based guidance for further improvement. Structured questionnaires were developed based on the indicators and its manual for in-depth interviews with key stakeholders from Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA). The data were analyzed using wasteaware datasheet under Microsoft Excel with score coding, generating a clear and detailed overview of the performance of Bangkok’s municipal solid waste management system (MSW). The overall assessment demonstrated that all waste collected is disposed through official treatment facilities. However, the system’s effectiveness is constrained by ineffective enforcement of relevant regulations. Moreover, waste collection services were found to be not fully efficient. In terms of financing sustainability, improvements are needed to reduce disposal costs. Even if BMA prioritizes waste collection and disposal, it is equally important to promote the 3Rs and fully implement source separation to reduce waste volumes at source. In this regard BMA’s efforts to waste volume reduction targets have met with limited success, and the volume of waste generated in Bangkok continues to rise each year. To enhance the sustainability of MSW management, the outcome of this study could be used to support decision-making and further development, as well as provide inputs for future research.

Waste Picker Organizations and Their Contribution to the Circular Economy: Two Case Studies from a Global South Perspective

The discussion on the circular economy (CE) has attracted a rising interest within global policy and business as a way of increasing the sustainability of production and consumption. Yet the literature mostly portrays a Global North perspective. There is a diverse spectrum of community-based organizations playing important roles in resource recovery and transformation, particularly, but not only, in Global South countries, providing innovative examples for grassroots involvement in waste management and in the CE. This article proposes to add a Southern lens, situated in the context of waste picker organizations, to the concept of CE. The discursive framework in this article couples ecological economy (EE) with social/solidarity economy (SSE), focusing not only on environmental sustainability but also on social, economic, political and cultural dimensions involved in production, consumption and discard. We acknowledge that grassroots movements contribute to policy making and improve urban waste management systems. The paper outlines two empirical studies (Argentina, Brazil) that illustrate how waste picker organizations perform selective waste collection services, engage with municipalities and industries, and practice the CE. The research reveals that social and political facets need to be added to the debate about the CE, linking environmental management and policy with community development and recognizing waste pickers as protagonists in the CE. Our findings emphasize a need for a change of persisting inequalities in public policy by recognizing the importance of popular waste management praxis and knowledge, ultimately redefining the CE.