(1. University of Michigan, United States; 2. Politecnico di Milano, Italy)

Sustainability pathways should concern awareness and sensitization of the population, with a focus on low-income and low-educated groups. The management model presented in this paper fosters the construction of a sound material-cycle society through effective use of material and local human resources, in order to avoid an improper disposal and an uncontrolled dumping of waste that can contaminate groundwater and soil and attract disease-carrying animals and insects, besides irreversibly affecting human health. It investigates how improper waste practices impact resource availability and flow of materials within Kibera’s slums, providing local-based policies to mitigate the adverse effects of human activities on the environment, and a tangible project.

To achieve these goals, the pilot project “New Life to Plastic”, centered around a partnership between the non-profit organization Social Innovation Teams (SIT) based in Milan, the Department of Architecture and Urban Studies of the Politecnico di Milano, and the Soweto East Youth organization in Kibera, addresses this issue by introducing a chain of collection points and re-separation of garbage stations daily managed by a women group. These points are receiving sites, where a target population is spurred to deliver plastic and undifferentiated garbage on payment. Such wastes, along with those collected by informal waste pickers, are brought to the recycling plant and consequently processed.

Early results show the necessity of overcoming existing barriers between local authorities and waste generators, creating a model based on community awareness and participation, and of educating people on the risks posed on human health and climate change. We are currently coping with local challenges, including urban poverty, poor financial resources to implement the project, and carelessness of local communities towards environmentally-friendly and sustainable practices.

Signs of success would encompass social, environmental and economic impacts in the short-run and a proportion of recycled material raised to 20 percent by 2022. Those comprised of: social empowerment of women in the community, through their economic inclusion, technical formation, and environmental education; waste management services enlarged to the slum’s areas; reduced consumption of plastic and, therefore, decreased rates of greenhouse gases and toxic emissions; increasing use of second-hand material inputs in place of virgin raw materials; income and job opportunities for waste workers; and safer working conditions, including regular contracts and provision of adequate equipment and vehicles.