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Paper 10
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Over the past several decades a dynamic informal recycling sector has developed in Juarez, one of the largest Mexican cities that border the United States. The potential contribution of the informal sector for achieving the MDGs has been neglected. This paper examines the contribution that informal recycling activities in Juarez are already making in terms of achieving MDGs related to poverty reduction, employment creation, and environmental sustainability (Goals 1, 7, and 8). Field research was conducted in the area in 2004 using a joint qualitative / quantitative research methodology. The paper argues that public policy should harness the potential of the informal recycling sector for achieving MDGs by supporting it instead of suppressing it or ignoring it. Considering the millions of people worldwide that survive by salvaging materials from waste, recognition and support of their activities would translate into their empowerment, improved living and working conditions, and minimization of public investments in the handling, collection and final disposal of solid wastes.
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