ABSTRACT
Inadequate social infrastructure and public services generate many inconveniences for residents but most importantly, the lack of service has significant long-term consequences for these communities and involves associated costs. Basic infrastructure and services are crucial public assets to a healthy life in every city. There are a number of related social problems associated with communities that lack good social infrastructure, including physical and mental health problems, fear of violence and crime and effects on community building and social cohesion. The local governance structure shapes the process of decision-making and the implementation of infrastructure. Neoliberal policies and politics have heavily impacted water and solid waste management in many cities in the world with privatization of these services on the rise since the 1980s. These political decisions impact residents and have serious consequences for those previously involved in providing services such as waste collection. This chapter discusses the problems that come with these transformations in the global South, specifically with regards to solid waste management. Key aspects are the absence of the state in providing services and infrastructure in poor and informal settlements and the trend towards privatization in waste management. Chapter 9 examines the challenges involved in service provision through partnerships in waste collection and recycling services, also called co-production. While studying everyday experiences from Southern cities, I will analyse assets of and barriers to community recycling organizations and their networks in working with local governments.
