Turning livelihoods to rubbish? Assessing the impacts of formalization and technologization of waste management on the urban poor

废物再利用和再循环对生计越来越重要，特别是在全球南方国家。随着对环境问题的关注和对废物经济利益的认识的提高，关于谁将被允许从废物中受益的争论越来越多。正规化、金融化、利用技术取代劳动力和共同治理责任正在增加，这往往剥夺了穷人中最贫困人口的机会，并通常排除了那些已经依靠这种资源谋生的人，特别是妇女、青年和移民。这项研究将着眼于南非的四项干预措施：1)废物的技术化和来自非正式回收者和环保主义者的反对。我们通过对反对焚化炉的意见的调查来做到这一点，这些反对意见是基于回收利用对环境和穷人更有利的说法。（二）垃圾金融国际化。我们将研究一组试图利用国际气候融资为这一发展提供资金的行为体。iii)内城垃圾收集的正规化和刑事化。许多政策制定者和商业利益相关者对“正规城市”的看法往往与非正规工人使用城市的方式形成鲜明对比。在试图建立这一愿景的过程中，非正规工人经常被排除在城市之外，然而，许多人反对这种迁移。（四）废物管理合作治理。一项由政府资助的废物意识运动旨在与社区和企业建立伙伴关系，以改善废物管理。然而，社区参与挑战了双赢解决方案的框架，推动了对社会和政治问题的更多考虑。在每一种情况下，我们都试图理解关于什么是浪费，谁应该从浪费管理中受益，以及如何做出分配成本和收益的决策的竞争主张。我们还将研究不断变化的政治和制度条件如何影响不同行为者从浪费中获利和实现可持续脱贫途径的能力。这将对政策产生直接影响，因为这项工作将使决策者了解哪些类型的废物干预措施可以改善城市穷人的条件，并与废物工人一起建立有关主张废物效益的有效战略的能力。从理论上讲，我们使用城市政治生态学框架来关注社会正义、不平等以及政治经济学与日常物质生活之间的联系。在南方理论的背景下进行我们的研究，南方理论试图以自己的方式理解南方城市，而不是通过全球北方发展的理论。我们试图向南非学习，因为这里的许多模式预示着全球南方其他城市未来的可能性和挑战。随着中产阶级和上层阶级收入的增加，消费也在增长，不平等也在加剧。虽然在许多方面存在问题，但这种两极分化为废物收集创造了机会。此外，南非已经有了渐进的监管，但这导致了相互竞争的授权。这表明，除了简单地通过更多的政策之外，还需要做更多的事情。最后，南非在许多方面都处于技术创新的前沿，但在整个全球南方，使用高科技解决方案的趋势越来越大。由于这些原因，南非可以吸取许多教训，这些教训将产生更广泛的影响。我们将与各种各样的利益相关者接触，包括正式和非正式的废物处理人员、政府官员和非政府组织。我们将以多种方式展示我们的研究结果，包括学术会议、政策简报以及与当地和区域利益相关者的研讨会。我们还将创建一个移动故事展览来分享我们的发现。

Waste reuse and recycling has become increasingly important to livelihoods, particularly in the Global South. As environmental concerns and awareness of the financial benefits of waste rise, there is growing contestation over who will be allowed to benefit from waste. Formalisation, financialisation, the use of technology to replace labour and shared governance responsibilities are increasing, and this often removes opportunities from the poorest of the poor and typically excludes those who already depend on this resource for their livelihoods, particularly women, youth, and migrants.The research will look at four interventions in South Africa: i) The technologization of waste and opposition from informal recyclers and environmentalists. We do this through an examination of opposition to an incinerator based on the claim that recycling is better for the environment and the poor. ii) The internationalisation of waste finance. We will study a group of actors trying to harness international climate finance to fund this development. iii) Inner city formalization and criminalization of waste collection. The vision of many policy makers and business interests of a 'proper city' often contrasts with the way that informal workers use the city. In trying to establish this vision, informal workers are often excluded from the city, however, many oppose such removals. iv) Cooperative governance for waste management. A government-funded waste awareness campaign seeks to develop partnerships with communities and businesses to improve waste management. However, community participation has challenged the framing of win-win solutions, pushing for greater consideration of social and political concerns.In each case, we seek to understand competing claims over what waste is, who should benefit from its management, and how decisions are made to allocate costs and benefits. We will also examine how changing political and institutional conditions shape different actors' abilities to garner benefits from waste and achieve sustainable pathways out of poverty. This has direct policy implications, as the work will inform policy-makers regarding what types of waste interventions can improve conditions for the urban poor as well as build capacity with waste workers regarding effective strategies for asserting claims to the benefits of waste. Theoretically, we use an urban political ecology framework which draws attention to questions of social justice, inequality, and the connection between political economy and everyday material lives. Wesituate our research in the context of Southern theory which seeks to understand Southern cities on their own terms, not through theories developed in the Global North.We seek to learn from South Africa because many patterns here are indicative of future possibilities and challenges for other cities in the Global South. Consumption is growing as incomes rise for the middle and upper class, and inequality increases. While problematic in many ways, this polarisation creates opportunities for waste collection. Additionally, South Africa already has progressive regulation, but this results in competing mandates. It suggests that more is needed than simply passing more policies. Finally, South Africa is in many ways at the forefront of technological innovation, but there is a growing trend towards the use of high tech solutions throughout the Global South. For these reasons, there are many lessons which can be learned in South Africa which will have a wider impact.We will will engage with a diverse range of stakeholders, including formal and informal waste practitioners, government officials, and NGOs. We will present our findings in a number of ways, including academic conferences, policy briefings, and workshops with local and regional stakeholders. We will also create a mobile story-telling exhibition to share our findings.