ABSTRACT
Most empirical data presented in this book stems from participatory, action-oriented methodology embedded in a long-term international research collaboration: the Participatory Sustainable Waste Management (PSWM) project. This community–university partnership was conducted with recycling cooperatives in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, between 2005 and 2012. In this chapter I discuss the theoretical grounding of participatory, community-based research with reference to problem-based learning. I then present details about the project’s history, objectives and implementation, followed by an analysis of key challenges that affected the project during its life. Finally, some lessons learned from the praxis in relation to the institutional and community rationale, contributing to theory, are shared.
