Jutta Gutberlet | University of Victoria (original) (raw)

Videos by Jutta Gutberlet

The following film was made with the participation of waste pickers from the cooperative Avemare ... more The following film was made with the participation of waste pickers from the cooperative Avemare in Santana de Parnaíba, State of São Paulo. The production is part of a series of videos on social innovations made by waste pickers and aims to disseminate experiences from Argentina, Brazil, Kenya and Tanzania to contribute to the discussion on inclusive and more sustainable models of waste management and governance. The experiences chosen in Brazil portray the governance work of Avemare and Coopercaps as an example of social entrepreneurship in São Paulo.

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This film was made with the participation of collectors from Coopercaps cooperative in São Paulo.... more This film was made with the participation of collectors from Coopercaps cooperative in São Paulo. This production is part of a series of videos on social innovations made by waste pickers and aims to disseminate experiences from Argentina, Brazil, Kenya and Tanzania to contribute to the discussion on inclusive and more sustainable models of waste management and governance. The experiences chosen in Brazil portray the social entrepreneurship of Coopercaps in São Paulo and Avemare as an example of governance in Santana de Parnaíba in the state of São Paulo.

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The following video shows reflections from a workshop held on April 30, 2022 to discuss the resul... more The following video shows reflections from a workshop held on April 30, 2022 to discuss the results of research conducted between January and March 2022 on the perception and reflection of waste pickers regarding the proposal to create a university with and for waste pickers. This idea emerged within the scope of the Brazil – Canada project: Participatory and Sustainable Waste Management (PSWM), carried out in the metropolitan region of São Paulo.

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Papers by Jutta Gutberlet

Cities, 2024

Governments worldwide are seeking better solutions for solid waste management. Thermal treatment ... more Governments worldwide are seeking better solutions for solid waste management. Thermal treatment projects are presented as quick fixes for rising waste challenges, without addressing the limitations of incineration. Currently, there is a rise in proposals for thermal treatment technologies in developing countries. Scrutiny of the risks and impacts of these alternatives is necessary due to social, climate, and resource considerations. Energy from waste incineration is considered fossil energy since about half of the CO2 emissions come from fossil polymers in the waste. From a sustainability perspective, landfilling is a short-term option for materials currently
unsuitable for recycling. Landfills act as bioreactors, producing valuable biogas, and serve as "resource banks," storing unrecyclable resources until better recycling techniques are developed. In developing countries manual labor is abundant and material sorting and landfilling are more valuable and have a lower climate and resource footprint. This paper offers a novel, integrated perspective of waste management in view of poverty reduction, climate change and resource conservation.

Geografia em Questão, Sep 9, 2012

© Jutta Gutberlet 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored... more © Jutta Gutberlet 2008 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior permission of the publisher. Jutta ...

Cambridge Prisms: Plastics

Sustainability

Solid waste is a major contributor to climate change due to the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs... more Solid waste is a major contributor to climate change due to the release of greenhouse gases (GHGs) during the decomposition of waste. As a consequence, waste should be avoided, and an appropriate destination should be given to all materials that are discarded. While not the only strategy, recycling is a fundamental process in addressing this problem. In 2013, a study carried out with one waste picker cooperative in São Paulo has paved the way to assessing the impact of recycling on GHG emission reduction, by using the methodological tools of the Clean Development Mechanism of the United Nations Convention on Climate Change. The objective of our study is to evaluate the applicability of this methodology to different work environments, measuring greenhouse gas emission reductions and energy saving as a consequence of recycling. Our study involves three waste picker organizations located in the city of Brasília, Brazil. The three cooperatives have made secondary data for 2019 on their ...

Detritus

The paper discusses research results on waste governance and circular economy, conducted with was... more The paper discusses research results on waste governance and circular economy, conducted with waste picker cooperatives in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. Two cases have been selected, from a pool of 21 waste picker organizations, to video document their grassroots eco-social innovations that have improved local waste management and the lives of the cooperative members. The videos support knowledge sharing with key actors in waste governance and the circular economy. Social grassroots innovation theory focuses on livelihood opportunities beyond the formal labour market, pursuing social inclusion by creating meaningful work for individuals who were considered left out and in vulnerable situations. Transitioning to sustainability necessarily goes beyond socio-technical innovations but rather integrates eco-social perspectives. After first introducing grassroots innovation theory and the concept of eco-social innovations the paper describes the empirical frame and present...

Environment and Urbanization, Jan 31, 2023

PLOS ONE

Waste picker organisations (WPOs) around the globe collect, transport and process waste to earn t... more Waste picker organisations (WPOs) around the globe collect, transport and process waste to earn their living but represent a widely excluded, marginalised and impoverished segment of society. WPOs are highly innovative, created by grassroots out of “nothing” to deliver economic, social and environmental sustainability. Still, we do not know how such innovations are developed, and how they are disseminated and adopted by other groups. This article examines characteristics, challenges and innovations of WPOs across five countries in Latin America and East Africa. It is based on quantitative and qualitative data regarding modes of organisation and management, gender, received support, business orientations, environmental and social contributions, and innovations developed in response to multiple challenges. The paper provides a comprehensive understanding of WPOs’ activities and their grassroots innovations in the Global South. The study shows how WPOs contribute significantly to the e...

Routledge eBooks, May 12, 2016

Cadernos de Pesquisa, 2020

Este artigo problematiza a relação da extensão universitária dialógica e emancipatória com as met... more Este artigo problematiza a relação da extensão universitária dialógica e emancipatória com as metodologias participativas, no contexto atual do ensino superior público, a partir da análise de três ações extensionistas, realizadas na Universidade Federal do Tocantins (UFT), Câmpus de Araguaína. Esta pesquisa ancora-se, metodologicamente, na análise qualitativa, com triangulação de pesquisa documental, entrevistas com docentes e relatório do Sistema de Informação e Gestão de Projetos (SIGProj). Tais ações evidenciaram caminhos para a materialização da comunicação entre universidade pública e sociedade que, comprometida com a inclusão social pela educação, poderá promover a (co)produção, o compartilhamento, a comunicação, as trocas e a integração de culturas na sociedade. As experiências extensionistas analisadas demonstraram que a universidade poderá ampliar a construção de conhecimentos socialmente relevantes e de transformação social pela ação, a partir da aprendizagem colaborativa ...

Science, 2020

A mess of plastic It is not clear what strategies will be most effective in mitigating harm from ... more A mess of plastic It is not clear what strategies will be most effective in mitigating harm from the global problem of plastic pollution. Borrelle et al. and Lau et al. discuss possible solutions and their impacts. Both groups found that substantial reductions in plastic-waste generation can be made in the coming decades with immediate, concerted, and vigorous action, but even in the best case scenario, huge quantities of plastic will still accumulate in the environment. Science , this issue p. 1515 , p. 1455

Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space

Waste pickers all over the world work innovatively to reduce the environmental footprint of citie... more Waste pickers all over the world work innovatively to reduce the environmental footprint of cities as they struggle to meet their critical livelihood obligations. Informed by the case of waste picker organizations (WPOs) this article examines how grassroots initiatives and extreme-niche innovations are created and sustained by mobilizing resources, rationales and relations. The study is informed by a cross-national survey and in-depth interviews with WPOs in Argentina, Brazil, Nicaragua, Kenya and Tanzania, and builds upon theories of grassroots innovation movements. The findings show how operating in contexts of extreme scarcity, these grassroots organisations tap into local resources, e.g. tacit knowledge, economies of affection and other socially embedded institutional resources. Blending material and environmental rationales, contributes to expanding their audiences and to gaining further support. In such deprived urban contexts, radical and cumulative crises and events hinderin...

Local Environment, 2009

and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study pu... more and-conditions-of-access.pdf This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material.

One Earth

Today, over 90% of all used materials are discarded, leading to a great acceleration of waste and... more Today, over 90% of all used materials are discarded, leading to a great acceleration of waste and widespread and often inequitable socio-environmental challenges. This Voices asks: how can we sustainably manage waste to alleviate its socio-environmental footprints for a circular and inclusive future?

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Cities, 2024

Geografia em Questão, Sep 9, 2012

Cambridge Prisms: Plastics

Sustainability

Detritus

Environment and Urbanization, Jan 31, 2023

PLOS ONE

Routledge eBooks, May 12, 2016

Cadernos de Pesquisa, 2020

Science, 2020

Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space

Local Environment, 2009

One Earth

Ambiente & Sociedade

This study, carried out with waste picker organizations in 32 municipalities in the State of São ... more This study, carried out with waste picker organizations in 32 municipalities in the State of São Paulo, seeks to analyze the impacts of the pandemic (Covid-19) on their activities, including measures taken by the government and other actors, in order to alleviate the impacts resulting from the crisis. Our theoretical framework discusses the relationships between social movements and public policies. Organized waste pickers provide selective collection services, interacting with different levels of government in situations of collaboration and conflict, with frequent collective actions seeking improvements. Bibliographic research and application of questionnaires inform about the interactions of waste pickers, showing structural and systemic problems, highlighting their demands as a social movement.

Ambiente & Sociedade

Resumo Este estudo, realizado com organizações de catadores em 32 municípios do Estado de São Pau... more Resumo Este estudo, realizado com organizações de catadores em 32 municípios do Estado de São Paulo, busca analisar os impactos da Pandemia de Covid-19 sobre as atividades dessas organizações e seus integrantes, incluindo as medidas tomadas pelo governo e outros atores visando aliviar os impactos decorrentes da crise.O referencial teórico discute a relação entre movimentos sociais e políticas públicas, uma vez que catadores organizados interagem com diversos níveis de governo em situações de colaboração e conflito, prestam serviços de gerenciamento de resíduos municipais, sendo frequentes ações coletivas buscando melhorias nessa relação. Pesquisa documental e aplicação de questionários informam sobre as interações dos catadores, evidenciando problemas estruturais e sistêmicos que ganharam relevo com a crise, destacando suas dificuldades, conquistas e reivindicações como movimento social.

Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development

Improper sanitation and waste management is the number one cause for ill health, disease and deat... more Improper sanitation and waste management is the number one cause for ill health, disease and death throughout the world, particularly under extremely dense living conditions in refugee camps in the global South. This paper discusses the results of a mixed-method study conducted in Rohingya refugee camps, located in Chittagong, Bangladesh, currently hosting the world's largest concentration of refugees. Our structured questionnaire, group discussion and interviews were centered on waste-borne hazards. The research has evidenced severe challenges associated with overall precarious sanitation and waste situations in the camps. Garbage littering and open defecation are widely practiced. Congested drainage systems contribute to flooding, bringing waste and contaminants into people's homes. Improvements can be made by involving camp inhabitants in decision-making processes and giving them greater ownership in everyday infrastructure maintenance. Our research suggests that communit...

Report on updated research outcomes of the project Recycling Networks & Waste Governance,, 2019

This report provides highlights from the II. International Conference on Recycling Networks and W... more This report provides highlights from the II. International Conference on Recycling Networks and Waste Governance, hold in Dar es Salaam and Zanzibar from 29th of April to 4th of May, 2019

Report, 2021

This report presents the results of a socio-economic survey conducted with 50 valoristes in downt... more This report presents the results of a socio-economic survey conducted with 50 valoristes in downtown Montreal in 2019, an update from the research conducted in the same study area in 2014 (Bordeleau & Batellier, 2015). Our study also involved two key informant interviews with leaders of Coop Les Valoristes. The results allow for a sociodemographic profile of valoristes, showing that the population of valoristes is overwhelmingly male and that all respondents were over 35 years old, and more than half were over 55. Contrary to popular belief, 76% of valoristes have more or less stable work, and 40% of respondents have never experienced homelessness. However, it should be remembered that the job insecurity of many workers places them at risk of homelessness. Almost half (42%) of the participants, have a post-secondary diploma, and over 50% have graduated from high-school. Yet, the work they do, retrieving bottles and cans from the waste stream, is perceived as nuisance, and valoristes continue to being harassed and stigmatized in the public. Half of the respondents experience various forms of conflict while they work. Health impacts are also linked to unsanitary and risk-prone working conditions of valoristes. Almost all of the respondents stated that they had suffered minor injuries as a result of collecting containers (cuts, soreness, infections). The most commonly collected recyclable material are beverage containers, primarily from two main sources: blue boxes as well as the parks and public spaces in town. Most valoristes already have designated routes and sometimes client relationships. The income from this work is very important to the valoristes. The majority (60%) responded that the deposit serves as a complement to social assistance, in contexts of temporary or permanent exclusion from the labor market (health problems, incapacity, long-term unemployment, etc.). As a solution to improving the livelihoods of valoristes they suggest to increase the deposit value and to include also other materials for diversion through the valoristes. Finally, the work needs to be recognized and valued by the public and primarily by Government.

Cultura e território em foco: uma abordagem interdisciplinar - Adriana Feitosa Freire; Dernival Venâncio Ramos Júnior; Laylson Mota Machado; Marivaldo Cavalcante da Silva (Orgs.), 2020

Solid waste is a major urban challenge worldwide and decisions over which technologies or methods... more Solid waste is a major urban challenge worldwide and decisions over which technologies or methods to apply can have benefi cial or detrimental immediate and longterm
consequences, locally and globally. Inappropriate management of solid waste leads to damaging environmental impacts, particularly visible in the megacities of the Global South.
Urban Recycling Cooperatives explores the multiple narratives and interdisciplinary nature of waste studies, drawing attention to the pressing social, economic, cultural and environmental challenges related to waste and waste management. The book asks questions such as: how do we defi ne waste and our relation to it; who is involved in dealing with waste; and what power interactions become manifest over issues of accessing and dealing with waste? In recent years, cooperatives, small entrepreneurial enterprises and community-based organizations have emerged, devoted to recovering and recycling household and business waste. These workers are able to reclaim signifi cant amounts of natural resources and thus contribute to the saving of resources and reductions in waste management expenditures.
With particular reference to the Brazilian megalopolis of São Paulo, this book describes the paradigm shift in the general understanding of waste as unwanted discard and yet profi table resource and commodity, to the recognition that waste should not be produced. Reuse and recycling off er new potentials for addressing waste in innovative forms, acknowledging local practices. There are new ways of engaging with waste, ways that generate work and income, stimulate the local economy, develop appropriate technology and open up alternative solutions to urban challenges. The book is of interest to students and policy makers working in international development and waste management.

Effective, sustainable governance and adequate management of socially valued, common-pool resourc... more Effective, sustainable governance and adequate management of socially valued,
common-pool resource systems have been a major challenge to society on a global
scale. With rapid population growth and intensification of resource extraction, the
magnitude and number of resulting impacts and conflicts have significantly
increased, particularly since the 1970s in developing countries. The present paper will
discuss the multifarious situation of resource-user conflicts in the São Francisco
watershed in central and northeastern Brazil. Here the situation is multi-leveled with
this river crossing different ecosystems, various socio-economic systems and several
state boundaries. Moreover, government agencies from different levels (federal, state
and municipal) and sectors have a stake in this river management. A rapid assessment
of main environmental and socio-economic problems related to common-pool
resource use, particularly fisheries, has been carried out in June 2003. Through
observations, interviews and focus group discussions with representatives from the
local Government, NGOs and fishers’ associations (Colônia de Pescadores,
Associação de Pescadores), major conflicts and tensions have been mapped out in
various communities along the river. Professional, traditional fishers seem to be the
most disadvantaged stakeholder group, in the given common-pool resource scenario,
because their livelihood directly depends on resource abundance and diversity. With
declining fish populations most of the traditional communities nowadays live in
poverty and consequently are often in conflict with sport fishers, farmers, cattle
ranchers and hydroelectric power plants. The paper analyses the role of major
stakeholders and their concerns with respect to resource use. It discusses the
possibility of co-management to overcome stakeholder conflicts in the watershed and
searches for answers to questions such as: Can fishing accords as co-management
arrangements, contribute to effective governance? What can local and regional
governments do to promote co-management? What role may international bilateral
agreements and international NGOs play in sustaining this resource system? The
paper finally concludes with an evaluation of the potential and hindrances regarding
co-management in the specific case of the São Francisco watershed.

Solid waste-a visible result of growth oriented production and consumption-is a major urban chall... more Solid waste-a visible result of growth oriented production and consumption-is a major urban challenge worldwide, with a myriad of impacts on the environment, public health and economy of local communities. There is increasing recognition that growth cannot be reconciled with the environment and that current economic and productive relations as well as identities need to be re-conceptualized away from 'capitalocentric' thinking. With the majority of the world's population living in cities, urban spaces also become centre stages for social movements and alternative economies, based on critiques of growth. Reclaiming and reintroducing recyclable materials into material flows, is one of the immediate responses of a radical politics of de-growth. Worldwide waste pickers organize and retrieve recyclable materials, for reuse and further industrial processing. These collectives re-imagine their production and economic activities in terms other than those made available by capitalism. Their everyday actions produce democratic spaces centred on solidarity and the care of others, and also seeking to reclaim citizenship. The collective practices of recycling cooperatives generate social, economic and environmental benefits, but are not yet widely perceived as such, nor are waste pickers generally remunerated fairly for the services they provide. In Brazil, the waste pickers movement is a notable grassroots example, where members enact new practices, linking up the local spaces and actions into a broader political movement, bringing political debates to a broader audience. The paper discusses the role of waste pickers as political actors, central to moving towards a reconceptualization of the economy in terms of de-growth and alternative development, through co-production in selective waste collection.