ABSTRACT
This final chapter reminds us about the social, economic, cultural and environmental challenges caused by the current waste regime of industrial capitalism, shaping our contemporary times. The concept of waste regime is used here to help understand the politics, power structures, and social/cultural dimensions related to waste generation and waste management. In order to overcome the critical waste problems discussed in this book, a new waste regime needs to be cultivated, which is characterized by a radical transformation towards sustainable practices, equitable and just working conditions and appropriate technologies in production, consumption and waste management. This new paradigm has to embrace the idea of zero waste as environmental ethics by maximizing waste avoidance, reduction, repair, reuse and recycling. Some municipalities in the global South have contracted waste picker organizations, such as recycling cooperatives or associations to perform the city’s household collection of recyclable materials. These forms of community-based, participatory arrangements in solid waste management, also termed co-production, represent important transitional ways of creating more resilient communities, as discussed in the previous chapter. The book concludes by highlighting some key benefits and remaining challenges of inclusive solid waste management, pointing towards ideas and concepts that need to be developed further.
