MARKETS,PARTNERSHIPS AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT 3
important as the perspectives of urban planners and government policy (cf. Keivani
and Werna, 2001; Hardoy et al., 2001).
The authors participating in this study have started from the premise that changes in
the provision of solid waste services must be assessed not only by considering criteria
of cost efficiency and service effectiveness, but also by considering issues of equality
(in access), broad coverage, affordability, and environmental concerns. These criteria
are integrated under the broader heading of ‘sustainable development’. The basic
question posed is the extent to which changes in solid waste management (SWM)
systems contribute to (aspects of) sustainable development in urban areas^3. Our ideas
about effective ways of improving urban solid waste management should, to our
minds, not be based on broad theoretical generalisations, but should emerge from
grounded and comparative studies of existing and newly adopted practices. The use of
comparative case studies in two cities, with a common past in British colonial admin-
istrative practice but very different current situations, reflects this basic tenet.
The aim of the study is to make an integrated analysis of the different patterns of waste
management in order to make an integrated assessment of their contributions to both
socio-economic and environmental aspects of sustainable development. This follows
international discussions in which the idea of ‘integrated waste management’ has been
put forward by van der Klundert and Lardinois in the context of the UWEP
Programme (1995). They try to unravel the concept of sustainable development into
its various aspects, and examining the activities carried out by the various actors
involved, as well as the changing partnerships around such activities in the light of
such aspects. In this way, it is possible to identify the trade-offs between components
and how they affect goals put forward by different groups.
The study is designed to come up with a framework which allows researchers and
practitioners to make informed choices about the implications of future strategies in
urban SWM in terms of the trade-offs among various components of sustainable
development. The framework at this stage is based on empirical arguments, as quan-
tifying the different components is almost impossible at this stage of our knowledge.
The choices made locally may be politically motivated. However, integrating aspects
of socio-economic and environmental assessment allows all the actors involved in
such a decision to base their decisions on an explicit analysis and knowledge of the
implications of their choices.
- Waste is defined as materials, which have lost their value to their first owners (Cointreau-Levine,
1984). In this book attention is focussed only on waste that comes into the municipal stream. This can
be waste generated by institutions, industries, and households. Waste fractions already separated by
firms and households and sold for reuse and recycling means that municipal waste streams do not fully
reflect waste generation patterns.