Fragmented coherence: solid waste management in Colombo

Abstract

Notwithstanding the increasingly fragmented organizational relationships within Colombo's urban governance system, the cooperative nature of stakeholder relationships lends a high level of coherence to the overall system. Since 1995, Colombo's solid waste management system has been characterized by the increased role of the private sector, community‐based organizations and NGOs. Whilst the increasingly fragmented nature of this system exhibits some deeply ingrained problems, there are also a number of positives associated with the increased role of civil society actors and, in particular, the informal sector. Reforming regulatory frameworks so as to integrate some of the social norms that are integral to the lives of the majority of urban residents will contribute to regulatory frameworks being considerably more enforceable than is currently the case. Such reform requires that institutional and regulatory frameworks need to be flexible enough to adapt to the changing social, political and economic context. In the Colombo case, effective cooperation between public sector and civil society stakeholders illustrates that adaptive institutional arrangements grounded in pragmatism are feasible. The challenge that arises is to translate these institutional arrangements into adaptive regulatory frameworks — something that would require a significant mind shift on the part of planners and urban managers. En dépit de relations structurelles de plus en plus fragmentées, la nature coopérative des liens entre les différents acteurs apporte une forte cohérence à l'ensemble du système de gouvernance urbaine de Colombo. Depuis 1995, la gestion des déchets y est caractérisée par le rôle croissant du secteur privé, de groupements locaux et d'ONG. Si la nature plus fragmentée de ce système révèle des problèmes profondément ancrés, un certain nombre d'aspects positifs s'associe au rôle plus présent des acteurs de la société civile, notamment du secteur informel. Réformer les cadres statutaires afin de pouvoir y intégrer certaines normes sociales dominantes dans la vie des citadins contribuera à ce que ces cadres soient beaucoup plus faciles à mettre en œuvre qu'actuellement. Cette réforme implique que les cadres institutionnels et statutaires soient suffisamment souples pour s'adapter aux contextes social, politique et économique évolutifs. Dans le cas de Colombo, une coopération efficace entre les parties prenantes du secteur public et de la société civile montre que des dispositifs institutionnels adaptatifs fondés sur le pragmatisme sont viables. Le défi à relever tient à la possibilité de traduire ces dispositifs institutionnels en cadres statutaires adaptatifs, ce qui exigerait un net changement de mentalités chez les responsables et aménageurs urbains.

Informal waste collection and its co-existence with the formal waste sector: The case of Kampala, Uganda

“…Informal initiatives play an important role in the collection of solid waste, the primary sub-system of waste management (Afon, 2007;Van Horen, 2004). Informal waste collection from households is a source of employment for the operators and fulfills a demand for the residents.…”

“…This is not unlike what Tukahirwa, Mol, and Oosterveer (2011) find for Kampala. The informal waste collection does not impose any transaction costs on the formal system, nor does it represent any financial costs to the public sector (Van Horen, 2004). Though the direct household environment looks clean where informal collectors operate from, the outside environment is worse off as operators more than incidentally dispose collected waste at unofficial places, leading to the development of clandestine waste dumpsites (Afon, 2007;Oberlin, 2011).…”

“…Though the direct household environment looks clean where informal collectors operate from, the outside environment is worse off as operators more than incidentally dispose collected waste at unofficial places, leading to the development of clandestine waste dumpsites (Afon, 2007;Oberlin, 2011). According to Van Horen (2004), the informal sector therefore exists not only as a survival strategy for the very poor, but it also fills gaps that exist due to the inefficiencies of the formal system (Wilson et al, 2009).…”

The role of stakeholders in managing polythene and plastic waste in coastal cities of Sri Lanka: a case study of the Dehiwala-Mt. lavinia municipal council region

“…Accordingly, the role of top stages and respective stakeholders can reduce the volume that need to dispose. Therefore the role of waste generators, market (wholesale and retail trade), Polythene and Plastic (P&P) producers, media, national government, local councils, NGOs, collectors and parceling and packaging industry have major role in limiting PPW entering into ocean [10][11] Similarly, authors like Shekdar [12], and White and others [13] have pointed the need of an integrated approach in solid waste management with components of technology, stakeholders, and collaborations (waste systems and production systems). However, stakeholders have central responsibility in sustainable management of PPW.…”

Threats to Sri Lanka's urban wetlands

“…However, because of weak regulations, lapses in enforcement, and perceived low economic value, wetlands are often readily exploited and reclaimed for building sites without concern for ecological or other environmental consequences. A particularly disconcerting issue is the frequent use of wetlands for municipal garbage disposal (Van Horen 2004; Wattage and Mardle 2005; Kotagama and Bambaradeniya 2006). Despite decades of effort to implement a sustainable municipal waste management system, Sri Lanka still lacks any properly engineered sanitary landfills (Bandara and Hettiaratchi 2010).…”