ABSTRACT
In 2014, Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC) was the second most urbanized region in the world with approximately 80 per cent of their population living in urban areas. In the 1950s and 1960s an urban explosion took place through rural-urban migration and rapid and uncontrolled urbanization. Explosive growth, informality and inequality have created serious environmental problems that more specifically result from the lack of provision of basic services, such as garbage collection, potable water or sewage systems. According to the Environmental Justice Atlas, the most important conflicts in the region have been those related to solid waste management, access to water, and the impacts of polluting industry. Conflicts over waste management in cities have focused on the transport and final disposal of waste into open dumps or landfills in urban areas.
