Authors
Advisor(s)
Abstract(s)
Previous literature has studied waste picking as an economic, social and environmental
phenomenon of great importance in countries
characterized by
ineffective
waste collection and
recycli
ng programs. The legal foundations of waste picking have, however, received little
scholarly
attention.
Surveys conducted with waste pickers from 5 cities
(Bogotá, Pune,
Belo
Horizonte, Durban, Nakuru) find that existing, and often hostile, regulations and
competition from
new entrants are key concerns for the waste pickers.
In this paper,
I
argue that a
ny
system of legal
rules
that tries to exclude the waste pickers from the waste value chain
results in h
igh transaction
costs and
risks further aggravating
existing social injustices.
Several
inclusive
property right
regimes are conceivable, from waste picker ownership of waste to
a
res nullius
(nobody’s property)
regime complemented by a right of first possession
.
R
es nullius
create
s
incentives for
the
stake
holders of waste
to specialize in
different segments
of the
collection and recycling chain.
P
o
ssible drawbacks of this
regime
are
dissipating rents
because of open
access
to waste
.
Description
Keywords
Property rights Solid waste Waste pickers Informal economy resnullius
Pedagogical Context
Citation
Danese, G. (2017) One man’s trash is another man’s treasure: A comparative analysis of property rights in solid waste. Working papers: Economics. N.º 2, 34 p.