New article highlights the environmental benefits of integrating the informal sector in waste management
17 January 2025
A new study by Nicolás Labra Cataldo, Alejandro Gallego-Schmid, Edmundo Muñoz, and Carly McLachlan has been published in Science of the Total Environment. The study explores innovative approaches to managing waste from liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors in Santiago, Chile.
Santiago generates over 315,000 discarded LCD monitors annually, with only 5% handled by formal recycling systems, leaving the majority to informal management. The study uses the Life Cycle Assessment approach to compare the performance of formal and informal sectors in managing these devices. Key findings show that refurbishment accounts for up to 99% of environmental benefits. Moreover, an integration model based on cooperation and specialisation achieves ten times greater environmental performance than the current scenario, where formal and informal sectors operate independently. This model also has the potential to improve the working conditions of the informal sector, a group often marked by social and economic vulnerability.
This research underscores the importance of integrating informal waste pickers into formal systems to enhance circular economy initiatives and achieve Chile's ambitious sustainability goals. In addition, the study offers a pathway for other regions in the Global South aiming to improve electronic waste management and contribute to just transitions.