scholarly journals Conceptualising Reuse in African Households: Perspectives from Chembe, Malawi

Author(s):  
Marc Kalina ◽  
Mvuselelo Ngcoya ◽  
Bembeyere Nkhoma ◽  
Elizabeth Tilley

AbstractAfrican households are often models of sustainability, practicing daily behaviours, which, if even not directly associated by the individual with Western conceptualisations of ‘recycling’ or ‘reuse’, have dramatically positive impacts on the amounts of household waste generated. However, rarely has the African household been given the same consideration, and there is a poor understanding within the discipline how poor individuals, and Africans in particular, understand and conceptualise ‘waste’ as both a problem and a resource. Drawing on Kennedy and Appadurai’s theoretical perspectives, the purpose of this article is to critically examine and contextualise household solid waste reuse practices in Chembe, Malawi, a rapidly densifying village and a constituent part of one of the nation’s premier resort destinations. Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork with residents and stakeholders, findings suggest that, within Chembe, reuse practices, and the motivations that drive them, are both widespread and diverse, with a multitude of ‘waste’ items living multiple ‘lives’ before being ultimately discarded as ‘trash’. These behaviours are facilitated by the fact that many desirable waste items are widely available locally within Chembe, and although some of these reuse practices may be widespread within Malawi, others have been uniquely fostered by Chembe’s position as an affluent tourism destination with abundant and easily accessible waste streams. This investigation is particularly important within the context of rural Africa, and the Global South more broadly. Moreover, it should critically inform circular economy, zero waste, and broader waste management studies discourse, where African households have been habitually treated as problems needing solutions, rather than potential sources of innovation and learning.

Author(s):  
Atilio Armando Savino ◽  
Ernesto de Titto

A general picture of waste management in Argentina is presented, taking into consideration the obligations of the state to guarantee the collection of household waste and to dispose of it in authorized sites and the generator's responsibility on the management of hazardous waste. Separate boxes are presented to present the activities performed by organized waste pickers and by CEAMSE, a state-owned company responsible for waste disposition in the metropolitan area of Buenos Aires. Waste management is essential for a sustainable development agenda. As witnessed in Argentina, this requires (1) closing open dumpsites, (2) a reliable and complete waste collection service, and (3) proper treatment of all waste streams. It is thus clear the need to (1) promote a circular economy; (2) tackle the management of organic waste; (3) ensure the adequate control and treatment of hazardous waste; (4) promote a suitable set of policies, regulations, and economic instruments; (5) select the best available technologies; and (6) formalize the informal phase of recycling.


Author(s):  
Mikkel Bayard Rasmussen ◽  
Kelvin Østergaard Pagels ◽  
Devarajan Ramanujan

Abstract The Danish government has outlined a target of recycling 50% of total household waste by the year 2022 and transitioning to a circular economy in the future. Improving household waste sorting is an important consideration toward achieving this goal. This paper focuses on understanding existing waste sorting practices among Danish residents. We conducted a preliminary survey (N = 180) that assessed preference for sorting strategies and the types of waste sorted. Following this, a more detailed survey was conducted (N = 357) that assessed residents’ motivation to sort household waste, knowledge of local sorting requirements, information gaps that prevent effective sorting, and need for specific features in a mobile application. Results show that over one-third of respondents felt they needed additional waste sorting information. Respondents had fewer inaccuracies disposing items within a single waste stream (e.g., electronics waste) compared to items with mixed waste streams (e.g., milk carton with a plastic cap). Based on these findings, we propose the design of a mobile application that can potentially support household waste sorting in Denmark.


2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (6) ◽  
pp. 3553
Author(s):  
Philippe Nimmegeers ◽  
Alexej Parchomenko ◽  
Paul De Meulenaere ◽  
Dagmar R. D’hooge ◽  
Paul H. M. Van Steenberge ◽  
...  

Multilevel statistical entropy analysis (SEA) is a method that has been recently proposed to evaluate circular economy strategies on the material, component and product levels to identify critical stages of resource and functionality losses. However, the comparison of technological alternatives may be difficult, and equal entropies do not necessarily correspond with equal recyclability. A coupling with energy consumption aspects is strongly recommended but largely lacking. The aim of this paper is to improve the multilevel SEA method to reliably assess the recyclability of plastics. Therefore, the multilevel SEA method is first applied to a conceptual case study of a fictitious bag filled with plastics, and the possibilities and limitations of the method are highlighted. Subsequently, it is proposed to extend the method with the computation of the relative decomposition energies of components and products. Finally, two recyclability metrics are proposed. A plastic waste collection bag filled with plastic bottles is used as a case study to illustrate the potential of the developed extended multilevel SEA method. The proposed extension allows us to estimate the recyclability of plastics. In future work, this method will be refined and other potential extensions will be studied together with applications to real-life plastic products and plastic waste streams.


2021 ◽  
pp. 030908922110013
Author(s):  
L. Juliana Claassens

Jione Havea observes how over the years Jonah has repeatedly found himself hurled into a swirling sea of interpretative methods, bobbing up and down on waves of traditional, contemporary, mainstream, and marginalized approaches. This article seeks to enter these churning waters and consider how these interpretative waves flow together to form new waves, which invite us to metaphorically surf together with the prophet Jonah, who once more has been tossed into a sea of readings. I propose that several important theoretical perspectives concerning postcolonial trauma theory are valuable for the ongoing conversation regarding what it means to read Jonah in the context of colonization, both ancient and modern. In particular, this article will focus on what postcolonial trauma theorists describe as the ‘material,’ ‘spatial,’ and ‘collective’ aspects of trauma instead of the ‘individual, temporal, and linguistic’ qualities highlighted by earlier (Western) trauma theorists (Visser, ‘Decolonizing Trauma Theory,’ 253)


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (9) ◽  
pp. 3939
Author(s):  
Krzysztof Pikoń ◽  
Nikolina Poranek ◽  
Adrian Czajkowski ◽  
Beata Łaźniewska-Piekarczyk

The purpose of the study presented in this text is to show the influence of COVID-19 on waste management systems and circular economy stream, and their impact on circular economy, particularly the economic impact of the pandemic on the waste management sector, impact on circular economy objectives’ implementation as well as additional challenges like the need for hygienization of waste streams during different implementation efforts, such as changes in the municipal solid waste market and different waste processes of their disposal. Additionally, some methods—such as thermal treatment—which seemed to be not fully aligned with the circular economy approach have advantages not taken into account before. Incineration of higher volume of waste affects the waste structure and will change some of the circular economy objectives. The analysis was carried out on the example of the Polish market.


Retos ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 42 ◽  
pp. 365-374
Author(s):  
Sagrario Lobato Huerta ◽  
Juan Víctor Moneda Rovira ◽  
Yaneth Martínez Tovilla ◽  
José Hugo Eloy Meléndez Aguilar

  El lenguaje según Noam Chomsky, es una capacidad innata que puede emplearse para comunicar la ciencia. Analizar el término obesidad como concepto científico, permitirá su correcto abordaje epistemológico para contribuir con la investigación científica multidisciplinaria que busca reducir esta pandemia. La obesidad es una acumulación excesiva de grasa corporal, por encima de las necesidades fisiológicas y capacidad de adaptación, que puede conducir a efectos adversos para la salud, como una discapacidad. Se considera un estado en el que el tejido adiposo representa más del 20% del peso corporal total en hombres y el 25% en mujeres. Un IMC de 30 kg/m2 o más se cataloga como obesidad. Desde una perspectiva genética, la obesidad es clasificada en tres subdivisiones de acuerdo con el trastorno y número de genes involucrados: monogénica, sindrómica y poligénica. Para las ciencias sociales, involucra un problema sociocultural injertado en una predisposición a nivel individual. Desde la perspectiva evolutiva, el cuerpo humano no está desarrollado para la exposición constante a un ambiente rico en calorías y sedentario. Comprender las perspectivas teóricas actuales que conceptualizan a la obesidad, estipulada como patología en sí misma, como factor de riesgo para las demás enfermedades no transmisibles y como etiología indirecta de discapacidad, permitirá que la investigación científica pueda desarrollarse con panoramas más amplios, a través de su diseño con variables, categorías y teorías mixtas, que permitan formular hipótesis y explicaciones con un enfoque multidisciplinario, en concordancia con la etiología multifactorial de la obesidad.  Abstract. Language according to Noam Chomsky, is an innate ability that can be used to communicate science. Analyzing the term obesity as a scientific concept will allow its correct epistemological approach to contribute to multidisciplinary scientific research that seeks to reduce this pandemic. Obesity is an excessive accumulation of body fat, in excess of physiological needs and adaptability, which can lead to adverse health effects, such as disability. It is considered a state in which adipose tissue represents more than 20% of total body weight in men and 25% in women. A BMI of 30 kg / m2 or more is classified as obesity. From a genetic perspective, obesity is classified into three subdivisions according to the disorder and number of genes involved: monogenic, syndromic and polygenic. For the social sciences, it involves a sociocultural problem grafted onto a predisposition at the individual level. From an evolutionary perspective, the human body is not developed for constant exposure to a calorie-rich and sedentary environment. Understanding the current theoretical perspectives that conceptualize obesity, stipulated as a pathology in itself, as a risk factor for other non-communicable diseases and as an indirect etiology of disability, will allow scientific research to be developed with broader perspectives, through its design with mixed variables, categories and theories, which allow the formulation of hypotheses and explanations with a multidisciplinary approach, in accordance with the multifactorial etiology of obesity.


2006 ◽  
Vol 38 (1) ◽  
pp. 124-150 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vladimir Dzinovic ◽  
Jelena Pavlovic ◽  
Dusan Stojnov

Underachievement in school is seen as a failure in traditional theories of education. An alternative construction of school underachievement, from the point of view of Michel Foucault? s approach to power and George Kelly's principle of elaborative choice, is offered as the subject matter of this paper. Instead of being construed exclusively as a measure of good education school success can be seen as the effect of normalization based on the power of discourses dominating in a society. In the same time, underachievement can be seen as a form of resistance to dominant discourse, as well as a way of defining identity in accordance with marginalized discourses whose significance is not recognized or respected from the point of school authorities. The prevailing tradition of European rationality treats poor achievement as a case of norm deviation. The individual perspectives are discounted as irrational and disordered behavior, requiring treatment. Kelly however, asserts that claims of irrationality reflect poor understanding of individual perspectives. When individuals resist the dominant discourse and underachieve despite their abilities, they are making an active choice which should be understood from their point of view. The choice someone makes is always an elaborative choice. Thus underachievement may be construed as resistance to power, based on the principle of elaborative choice.


Author(s):  
Mulinari Jéssica ◽  
Júnior Afonso Henrique da Silva ◽  
Oliveira Carlos Rafael Silva de ◽  
Júnior Francisco Wilson Reichert

Oily wastewater from agro-industries can cause severe environmental and public health damages if unproperly treated. The conventional methods have several limitations for the treatment of oily wastewaters since the oil fraction can cause pipe clogging and biomass washout during the biological step. Based on this, the use of lipases can increase the oil removal efficiency of the treatments, minimizing operational problems,and improving the performance of the biological process. Lipases can also be used for the valorization of the oily wastewaters, transforming these waste streams intovaluable compounds, such as biodiesel, lubricants, antioxidant agents, etc. The use of wastes for the production of value-added compounds followsthe circular economy approach, minimizing the generation of residues and potential environmental liabilities. Thus, this study aims to give a general overview of themain topics related to thetreatment and valorization of oily wastewaters using lipases. The main characteristics of oily wastewaters from agro-industries areaddressed, as well as the most used conventional techniques for their treatment. Some relevant information about the enzyme lipaseisalso discussed to give the reader a background about how these enzymes can be applied for the treatment and transformation of oily wastes.


2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Paula Sofia Castro-Acevedo ◽  
Luz Esperanza Bohórquez Arévalo

The hierarchical structure has been dominant in the business context because of the ease with which it exercises control and reduces the risks of the limited rationality of the individual. However, the precariousness of these structures in the processing of information has been evidenced, and by extension the difficulty to adapt to the change. These difficulties can lead organizations to business failure and chain effects that arise from it, for these reasons it is necessary to find alternative structural ways to overcome these problems. In this research, a literature review is made of the way in which the organizational structure is related to the performance of organizations from different theoretical perspectives. Subsequently, the failures of hierarchical control structures are identified, as the dominant structural form in the current economic system in terms of how they process information, learn and make decisions, and then contrast the way in which these characteristics are presented in systems self-organized natural and artificial. Because of the review of literature in natural and artificial self-organized systems, it was found that they are highly robust in the way they process information, since they manage to transform information from the environment into knowledge to make agile, fast and quality decisions. From this, it is necessary to transfer these properties of the self-organized systems to the business organizations by means of the design of structures that encourage self-organization to increase their performance and avoid the failure and chain effects that this causes. The implications of an organization of this type and the lines of research that originate from this work are also discussed.La estructura jerárquica ha sido dominante en el contexto empresarial por la facilidad que tiene para ejercer control y disminuir los riesgos de la racionalidad limitada del individuo. Sin embargo, se ha evidenciado la precariedad de estas estructuras en el procesamiento de información, y por extensión la dificultad para adaptarse al cambio. Estas dificultades pueden llevar a las organizaciones al fracaso empresarial y a los efectos en cadena que se desprenden de éste, por estas razones es necesario encontrar formas estructurales alternativas que superen estos problemas. En esta investigación se hace una revisión de literatura de la forma en que la estructura organizacional está relacionada con el desempeño de las organizaciones desde diferentes perspectivas teóricas. Posteriormente se identifican las fallas que presentan las estructuras jerárquicas de control, como la forma estructural dominante en el sistema económico actual en cuanto a la forma como procesan información, aprenden y toman decisiones, para luego contrastar la forma en que se presentan estas características en sistemas auto-organizados naturales y artificiales. Como resultado de la revisión de literatura en sistemas autoorganizados naturales y artificiales, se encontró que son altamente robustos en la forma como procesan información, ya que logran transformar la información del entorno en conocimiento para tomar decisiones ágiles, rápidas y de calidad. A partir de esto, es necesario trasladar estas propiedades de los sistemas autoorganizados a las organizaciones empresariales por medio del diseño de estructuras que fomenten la autoorganización para incrementar su desempeño y evitar el fracaso y los efectos en cadena que este origina. Se discuten también las implicaciones de una organización de este tipo y las líneas de investigación que se originan de este trabajo.A estrutura hierárquica foi desenvolvida no contexto empresarial pela facilidade que tem para controle e diminuição dos riscos da racionalidade limitada do indivíduo. Sim embargo, se há evidenciado a precariedade de estruturas no processamento de informação, e por extensão a dificuldade para adaptar-se ao câmbio. Estas dificuldades podem levar a as organizações ao mercado financeiro e aos efeitos em cadeia, se você está desesperado, por estas razões, é necessário encontrar formas estruturais alternativas que superarem esses problemas. Esta pesquisa tem uma revisão da literatura da forma em que é a estrutura organizacional está relacionada com o desempenho das organizações de diferentes perspectivas teóricas. Posteriormente se identifica as faltas que apresentam as estruturas de controle, como a forma estrutural dominante no sistema econômico real em como a forma como processamento de informações, aprender e tomar decisões, para depois contrastar a forma em que se apresentar estas características em sistemas autoorganizados naturales y artificiales. Como resultado da revisão de literatura em sistemas auto naturais e artificiais, encontrou-se que é altamente robusto na forma como a informática, que deseja transformar a informação do entorno em conhecimento para tomar decisões ágiles, rápidas e de qualidade. A partir disto, é necessário transferir estas propriedades dos sistemas autoorganizados às organizações empresariais por meio de projeto de estruturas que fomentam a auto-organização para incrementar o desempenho e evitar o fracasso e os efeitos em cadeia que este origina. Se discutem também as implicações de uma organização deste tipo e as linhas de pesquisa que se originam deste trabalho.


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