Recycling in Bogotá: A SWOT Analysis of Three Associations to Evaluate the Integrating the Informal Sector into Solid Waste Management

Authors: Clara Inés Pardo Martínez, William H. Alfonso Piña

Abstract:

In emerging economies, recycling is an opportunity for the cities to increase the lifespan of sanitary landfills, reduce the costs of the solid waste management, decrease the environmental problems of the waste treatment through reincorporate waste in the productive cycle and protect and develop people’s livelihoods of informal waste pickers. However, few studies have analysed the possibilities and strategies to integrate formal and informal sectors in the solid waste management for the benefit of both. This study seek to make a strength, weakness, opportunity, and threat (SWOT) analysis in three recycling associations of Bogotá with the aim to understand and determine the situation of recycling from perspective of informal sector in its transition to enter as authorized waste providers. Data used in the analysis are derived from multiple strategies such as literature review, the Bogota’s recycling database, focus group meetings, governmental reports, national laws and regulations and specific interviews with key stakeholders. Results of this study show as the main stakeholders of formal and informal sector of waste management can identify the internal and internal conditions of recycling in Bogotá. Several strategies were designed based on the SWOTs determined, could be useful for Bogotá to advance and promote recycling as a key strategy for integrated sustainable waste management in the city.

Keywords: Bogotá, recycling, solid waste management, SWOT analysis.

Digital Object Identifier (DOI): doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.1100755

References:

[1] UN-habitat, Solid waste management in the world’s cities water and sanitation in the world’s cities. United Nations Human Settlements Programme, 2010. http://mirror.unhabitat.org/pmss/listItemDetails.aspx ?publicationID=2918
[2] U. Arena, and F. Gregorio, “A waste management planning based on substance flow analysis,” Resources, Conservation and Recycling, vol. 85, pp. 54-66, Apr. 2014.
[3] D. Loughlin, and M. Barlaz, “Policies for Strengthening Markets for Recyclables: A Worldwide Perspective,” Critical Reviews in Environmental Science and Technology. vol. 36, no. 4, pp. 287-326, 2006.
[4] S. Sasaki, T. Araki, A. Tambunan, and H. Prasadja, “Household income, living and working conditions of dumpsite waste pickers in Bantar Gebang: Toward integrated waste management in Indonesia,” Resources, Conservation and Recycling. vol. 89, pp. 11-21. June 2014.
[5] A. Matter, M. Dietschi, and C. Zurbrügg, “Improving the informal recycling sector through segregation of waste in the household - The case of Dhaka Bangladesh,” Habitat International., vol. 38, pp. 150-156. 2013.
[6] E. Sembiring, and V. Nitivattananon, “Sustainable solid waste management toward an inclusive society: Integration of the informal sector,” Resources, Conservation and Recycling. vol. 54, pp. 802-809. January 2010.
[7] T. Nzeadive, “Solid waste reforms and informal recycling in Enugu urban area, Nigeria,” Habitat International., vol. 33, pp. 93-99. 2009.
[8] S. Ojeda, C. Vega, and E. Ramirez, “Formal and informal recovery of recyclables in Mexicali, Mexico: handling alternatives,” Resources, Conservation and Recycling. vol. 34, pp. 273–288. 2002.
[9] DANE, UAESP, Recycling in Bogota: Actors, process and perspectives. 2004. ftp://190. 25.231.247/books/LD_9350_2001_2003_EJ_5.PDF
[10] A. Betancourt, Waste Pickers in Bogotá: From Informal Practice to Policy. 2005. http://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/62131
[11] A. Hurtado, The social representation of recycling and care for the environment, a proposal for high school. 2012. http://www.bdigital.unal. edu.co/8666/1/jymyalexanderhurtado morales.2012.pdf
[12] District Planning Secretary of Bogotá, Food consumption and organic waste production in urban households of Bogotá. 2012. www.sdp.gov.co
[13] H. L. Pesonen, “Sustainability SWOTs—new method for summa- rizing product sustainability information for business decision making. A paper presented in the LCM 2007 conference,” 2007, in proc http:// www.lcm2007.org/presentation/mo_3.10-pesonen.pdf At:. Accessed 2 October 2014.
[14] I. Nikolau, and K. Evangelinos, “A SWOT analysis of environmental management practices in Greek Mining and Mineral Industry,” Resources Policy., vol. 35, pp. 226-235. February 2010.
[15] P. Srivastava, K. Kulshreshtha, C. Mohanty, P. Pushpangadan, and A. Singh, “Stakeholder-based SWOT analysis for successful municipal solid waste management in Lucknow, India,” Waste Management., vol. 25, pp. 531–537. 2004.
[16] M. Zamorano, A. Grindlay, E. Molero, and M. Rodriguez, “Diagnosis and proposals for waste management in industrial areas in the service sector: case study in the metropolitan area of Granada (Spain),” Journal of Cleaner of Production., vol. 19, pp. 1946-1955. July 2011.
[17] H. L. Pesonen, and S. Horn, “Evaluating the Sustainability SWOT as a streamlined tool for life cycle sustainability assessment,” International Journal Life Cycle Assess., vol. 18, pp. 1780–1792. June 2012.
[18] W. Klopffer, “Life cycle sustainability assessment of products (with comments by Helias A. Udo de Haes, p. 95),” Int J Life Cycle Assess., vol. 13, no. 2, pp. 89–95. Dec. 2008.
[19] DANE, Economic annual survey of Colombia and Bogotá. 2012, https://www.dane.gov.co/index.php/pib-cuentas-nacionales/cuentasanuales
[20] DANE, Projections of population in Bogotá. 2012 https://www. dane.gov.co/index.php/poblacion-y-registros-vitales/nacimientos-ydefunciones/ nacimientos-y-defunciones
[21] JICA and UAESP, Project of study of master plan for integral waste management in Bogotá. Report. 2013. http://www.uaesp.gov.co/uaesp _jo/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=96&Itemid=81
[22] JEM (Japanese Ministry of the Environment), Annual Report on the Environment, the Sound Material-Cycle Society and the Biodiversity in Japan. 2013 http://www.env.go.jp/en/headline/headline.php?serial=1961
[23] C. Ezeah, J. Fazakerley, C. Roberts, “Emerging trends in informal sector recycling in developing and transition countries,” Waste Management., vol. 33, no. 11, pp. 2509-2519. July 2013.