United Nations University (UNU-FLORES), 01067 Dresden, Germany.
New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, NJ 07032, USA.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2018 Nov 7;15(11):2483. doi: 10.3390/ijerph15112483.
Many developing countries have inadequate Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management systems due to lack of not only the awareness, technologies, finances, but also a proper governance that is able to enforce and monitor the regulations. Not all the solutions practiced by and in developed countries fit to the developing country contexts. The local conditions and limitations must always be taken into account when proposing waste management options for developing countries. The excessively high organic waste fraction in MSW and relatively inexpensive labor markets available in developing countries are two of the strengths that have not yet been utilized fully. This manuscript is an attempt to point out the benefits we receive from the above two strengths if we establish organic waste buyback programs. This can only become successful if we find solutions to: (1) collect source-separated organic waste, and then (2) find stable markets for the products made from organic waste. Compost or biogas could be the best bet developing countries can consider as products. However, there must be some policy interventions to support buyback programs at the waste collection stage as well as at the product marketing stage. Implementation of such organic waste buyback centers that can offer some incentives can indirectly motivate residents to do source separation. This will in turn also help promote more recycling, as any waste bin that has no organics in it is much easier for anyone (e.g., waste pickers) to look for other recyclables. Developing country settings such as the Green Container composting program in Cajicá, Colombia, and buyback centers in South Africa that are presented later in the manuscript are thought to be the places where the concept can be implemented with little effort. The environment, economy, and society are considered to be the three dimensions (or pillars) of sustainability. Interestingly, the organic waste buyback centers solution has positive implications on all three aspects of sustainability. Thus, it also supports the 2030 Agenda of the United Nations (UN), by making specific contributions to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) such as zero hunger (SDG 2), affordable and clean energy (SDG 7), climate action (SDG 13), clean water and sanitation (SDG 6), and sustainable cities and communities (SDG 11).
许多发展中国家的城市固体废物 (Municipal Solid Waste, MSW) 管理系统不完善，这不仅是因为缺乏意识、技术和资金，还因为缺乏能够执行和监督法规的适当治理。并非发达国家实施的所有解决方案都适用于发展中国家的情况。在为发展中国家提出废物管理方案时，必须始终考虑当地的条件和限制。MSW 中过高的有机废物比例和发展中国家相对廉价的劳动力市场是尚未充分利用的两个优势。本文试图指出，如果我们建立有机废物回购计划，我们将从这两个优势中获得哪些好处。如果我们能够找到解决方案：(1) 收集分类的有机废物，然后 (2) 为有机废物制成的产品找到稳定的市场，这一计划才能取得成功。堆肥或沼气可能是发展中国家可以考虑的最佳选择。然而，在废物收集阶段和产品营销阶段，必须有一些政策干预来支持回购计划。实施这种能够提供一些激励措施的有机废物回购中心，可以间接激励居民进行源头分类。这反过来也有助于促进更多的回收，因为任何没有有机物的垃圾桶都更容易让任何人（例如，拾荒者）寻找其他可回收物。哥伦比亚卡吉卡的绿容器堆肥计划和本文后面介绍的南非的回购中心等发展中国家的环境被认为是可以轻松实施该概念的地方。环境、经济和社会被视为可持续性的三个维度（或支柱）。有趣的是，有机废物回购中心解决方案对可持续性的所有三个方面都有积极影响。因此，它还通过为零饥饿（可持续发展目标 2）、负担得起和清洁能源（可持续发展目标 7）、气候行动（可持续发展目标 13）、清洁水和卫生设施（可持续发展目标 6）以及可持续城市和社区（可持续发展目标 11）等可持续发展目标做出具体贡献，支持联合国 2030 年议程。
