Waste and well-being: a political economy of informal waste management and public policy in urban West Africa

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Periodical article

Title:	Waste and well-being: a political economy of informal waste management and public policy in urban West Africa
Authors:	Nwosu, Bernard Ugochukwu Nzeadibe, Thaddeus Chidi Mbah, Peter Oluchukwu
Year:	2016
Periodical:	Review of African Political Economy (ISSN 0305-6244)
Volume:	43
Issue:	149
Pages:	478-488
Language:	English
Geographic terms:	West Africa Ghana Nigeria
Subjects:	waste management informal sector living conditions standard of living
External link:	https://doi.org/10.1080/03056244.2015.1084914
Abstract:	The informal waste management (IWM) sector is often disparaged in Africa and suffers various degrees of social opprobrium from the public owing to the work being perceived as low status. The work is commonly a last-resort occupation by poor elements that ordinarily constitute part of the urban informality. This occupational option turns out to be an important contribution to urban ecological renewal. Nonetheless, IWM remains a neglected and hazardous occupation that saves cities huge sums of money and landfill space. It also drives entrepreneurship, generates employment and incomes, mitigates the problem of climate change, creates a 'green economy' and conserves non-renewable resources. This article focused on Nigeria and Ghana explores how policies connect well-being in the IWM sector. Bibliogr. [ASC Leiden abstract]