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In-Depth Information
At the source, waste reduction programs had very little success because it
required the sphere of production to be rethought. While the removal of urban waste
generally fell under the responsibilities of the local government, production
belonged to the private sector (contrary to the case of liquid sanitation insofar as
water distribution is generally a public utility; incidentally, all things being equal, in
this case it is easier to coordinate a management policy that links upstream dis-
tribution and downstream recovery and treatment). Although, the private sector
could certainly be subject to rules, incentives, taxes, etc., as it also remained under
the control of these governing bodies and the State. Furthermore, applying the
'
s
penalty was low in comparison to its overall budget or to the cost of reducing the
quantity of emitted waste at the source.
These reasons explain why, despite their ambitions, waste management policies
implemented in developed countries for the last 40 years have not been particularly
successful.
polluter pays
'
principle did not always prove to be a deterrent as the polluter
'
7.5.3 A Global Problem
At the same time, the issue of waste, which had been mainly limited to developed
countries until the 1960s, spread globally. Against the background of chronic
poverty, inef
cient management structures and weak regulations, the proliferation
of garbage in developing countries made waste a sanitary, social, environmental
and economic issue. 83
Indeed, collection and storage conditions contributed to urban and generalized
insalubrity. The services were generally undersized (not enough vehicles, storage
areas insuf
ciently large) and unsuitable, such that collection was frequently only
partial. As a consequence, streets and gutters became land
lls. The non-appropriation
of excremental materials and the absence of monitoring of industrial activities
increased the sanitary risk of waste. The situation was made worse by equipment
dating from the colonial period, often unsuitable within the local context. At the same
time, the so-called informal sector played a major role in on-site handling, collection,
sorting, recycling, and recovery. Millions were engaged in these activities and made a
major contribution
to the management of waste,
often in deplorable sanitary conditions. The scavenging activities typical of European
and North American cities during the 19th century moved geographically; the con-
ditions of work also deteriorating.
For city councilors, the activities of the informal sector, and in particular recycling,
have long been considered a sign of underdevelopment and poverty
even though it was imperfect
which they are.
Many cities thus tried to eradicate these activities in favor of disposal on land for
all materials or, occasionally under pressure from international moneylenders and
83
See for instance: Ngnikam and Tanawa ( 2006 ) and UN-Habitat ( 2010 ).
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