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The Formalization of Waste Picker Organizations in Bogotá

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The Formalization of Waste Picker Organizations in Bogotá Running head: THE FORMALIZATION OF WASTE PICKER ORGANIZATIONS IN BOGOTÁ Neoliberalism versus Social Rights: The Formalization of Waste Picker Organizations in Bogotá, Colombia Emilie Sing A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of Graduate and Postdoctoral Studies in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of M.A. International Development and Globalization School of International Development and Global Studies Faculty of Social Sciences University of Ottawa © Emilie Sing, Ottawa, Canada, 2018 THE FORMALIZATION OF WASTE PICKER ORGANIZATIONS IN BOGOTÁ Table of Content Table of Content ........................................................................................................................................... ii List of Tables ............................................................................................................................................... iv List of Figures ............................................................................................................................................... v List of Photos ............................................................................................................................................... vi Abbreviations .............................................................................................................................................. vii Glossary ....................................................................................................................................................... ix Abstract ......................................................................................................................................................... x Acknowledgments ........................................................................................................................................ xi Chapter 1: Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 1 Bogotá’s Waste Management Sector ........................................................................................................ 5 Research Questions ................................................................................................................................... 8 Structure of Thesis .................................................................................................................................... 9 Chapter 2: Methodology and Conceptual Framework ................................................................................ 11 Methodology ........................................................................................................................................... 11 Semi-Structured Interviews................................................................................................................. 12 Non-Participant Observation............................................................................................................... 14 Secondary Data Analysis .................................................................................................................... 16 Limitations .......................................................................................................................................... 17 Conceptual Framework: Urban Political Ecology .................................................................................. 18 Chapter 3: Literature Review ...................................................................................................................... 21 Public and Private Models of Public Service Delivery ........................................................................... 21 Alternative Models of Service Delivery ................................................................................................. 23 The Informal Sector ................................................................................................................................ 26 The Dualist School .............................................................................................................................. 27 The Structuralist School ...................................................................................................................... 28 The Legalist School ............................................................................................................................ 30 The Voluntarist School ....................................................................................................................... 31 Informal waste management ................................................................................................................... 33 The Informal Waste Management Value Chain.................................................................................. 33 The Benefits of Informal Waste Management .................................................................................... 37 The Challenges of Informal Waste Management ................................................................................ 40 ii THE FORMALIZATION OF WASTE PICKER ORGANIZATIONS IN BOGOTÁ Waste Picker Organisations ................................................................................................................ 42 Integrated Sustainable Waste Management ............................................................................................ 45 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 47 Chapter 4: Background ............................................................................................................................... 48 Bogotá’s Waste Management Sector ...................................................................................................... 49 The Legal and Policy Frameworks for Waste Management and Recycling in Bogotá .......................... 53 Transformations in Bogotá’s Waste Management Sector ................................................................... 53 Waste Management Policies from 1950-1991: Before the Constitution ............................................. 55 The Emergence of Informal Waste Management in Bogotá ............................................................... 58 The Post-1991 Constitution Era: The Neoliberalization of Public Services ....................................... 59 The State as a Regulating Entity and Waste Pickers Struggle for Inclusion ....................................... 62 Bogotá: Transitioning Towards Environmental Protection ................................................................ 68 Conclusion .............................................................................................................................................. 74 Chapter 5: Research Data and Findings ...................................................................................................... 79 National Decree 596 and its Implications for The Formalization of Waste Picker Organizations ......... 80 Challenges to Formalization ................................................................................................................... 85 Privileging Companies as Service Providers ...................................................................................... 85 Free Competition in the Provision of Recycling Services .................................................................. 91 Conflicting Models of State in the Public Services Sector ..................................................................... 92 Chapter 6: Discussion ................................................................................................................................. 94 Urban Political Ecology: The Struggle over Waste in Bogotá ............................................................... 96 Recommendations ................................................................................................................................... 98 Looking Forward .................................................................................................................................... 99 Chapter 7: Conclusion ............................................................................................................................... 101 Bibliography ............................................................................................................................................. 107 iii THE FORMALIZATION OF WASTE PICKER ORGANIZATIONS IN BOGOTÁ List of Tables Table 1. Waste Generation Projections for 2025 by Income. ....................................................................... 2 Table 2. List of Participants Interviewed During Field Research. .............................................................. 12 Table 3. Dominant Schools of Thought on the Informal Economy. ........................................................... 31 Table 4. Comparison of Material Recovery by Formal and Informal Sector in the Six Cities (in Tonnes and Percent of Total Waste Generated). ..................................................................................................... 34 Table 5. Projections for Generation and Collection of Solid Waste 2016-2027. ........................................ 49 Table 6. Evolution of Bogotá's Waste Management Sector (1950-2017). .................................................. 51 Table 7. Legal Framework
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