Antonis Mavropoulos
President of the International Solid Waste Association (ISWA)
Book Recommendations:
Recommended by Antonis Mavropoulos
“This is a book worthy to read because it brings a fresh perspective to a long-standing problem, the continuously but silently increasing waste crisis. Adopting the socio-ecological perspective and digging deeper to material flow analysis, urban metabolism and environmental justice narratives, the book not only presents the on-going waste crisis but documents the need for a systemic shift towards a new scientific paradigm that will start from governance. The need for a new global governance pattern that will include not only waste but mainly material flows is one of the key-elements of the systemic shift required and its necessity is one of the most important outcomes of this book. I also believe that the book includes valuable suggestions that bridge the gap between the mainstream circular economy discussion and the role of waste management. I strongly suggest this book to any professional, researcher or decision-maker that deals with waste management, especially to the ones that are looking for a fresh perspective and are dealing with global waste flows.” (from Amazon)
WINNER: 2020 International Solid Waste Association Publication Award Among other factors, rapid global population growth, our development model and patterns of production and consumption have increased waste generation worldwide to unsustainable rates. This rise has led to crises in many countries where waste management practices are no longer sound. Global Waste Management outlines the emerging global waste crisis considering the perspectives of developed and developing countries around the world and the international relationships between them. This book provides an ecological viewpoint as well as studying these problems from a legal and justice standpoint. Global Waste Management contextualises the problems faced when dealing with waste including the causes and origins. Focus is given to cross border waste transfer, as an ongoing and controversial practice, making waste management a global matter. This book scrutinizes existing international, European and Brazilian regulation on waste to highlight the complexity of the subject and the weaknesses of the law. Using a critical and socio-ecological approach, the book proposes an original model of governance to support a new system of global waste management that takes into account ecological sustainability and social justice to overcome the waste crisis. To create these models, a theoretical framework on socio-ecological justice is developed and combined with different discourses and theories described throughout the book. This is the essential guide to understanding the global waste crisis and the future of waste management.