200 CHRISTINE FUREDY
addition, those interested in aiding small farmers and livestock keepers view urban
organics as recoverable resources.
The changing nature of solid waste in cities of developing countries complicates the
already difficult task of dealing with such organic wastes. Although there is little
understanding of precisely how the composition of solid waste is changing, due to lack
of baseline data and reliable research (see Furedy, 1998) the general trend noted is: the
great increase of plastic film (small plastic bags), pieces of hard plastic, broken glass,
medical wastes, and industrial residues from unregulated industries. The non-biode-
gradable and toxic elements present problems for the reuse of urban organics, espe-
cially for practices of conveying city garbage to peri-urban farms or of farming on old
dumpsites.
Organic wastes represent a great challenge for solid waste management because of
their decomposability, their seasonal variation in nature and quantity, their admixture
with non-biodegradable wastes, and the practical difficulties of marketing compost
products.
In addition to the complex nature of these wastes, management must take into account
the varied ‘actors’ who generate, handle, and use the wastes and their products. The
most numerous generators are household residents but hotels, restaurants, food stalls,
shops, markets, butchers, food processing plants and some industries also contribute,
along with parks and roads departments—a mix of official, formal and informal
actors. Organic wastes are handled by generators, official collection crews, dump
workers, and those who transport organics to end users, principally near-urban farmers
and livestock keepers.
9.3. CUSTOMARY AND INFORMAL PRACTICES IN RECOVERY AND REUSE OF ORGANICS
Throughout the developing world, organic wastes are generally in high demand for
animal feed, fuel, fertilizer, as soil amenders and even in construction. Any large city
and its hinterland support many practices by which significant amounts of the organics
generated are reused. The figure below depicts some of the main reuse practices, and
the table provides further details.