Clube, Rebecca KM;
Hazemba, Malonga;
(2024)
From waste to resource: demystifying the policy challenges and identifying opportunities for a circular economy in Zambia.
Frontiers in Sustainability
, 5
, Article 1300904. 10.3389/frsus.2024.1300904.
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Abstract
Policy plays a significant role in accelerating or hindering a circular shift; Governments can set long-term visions and drive legislative change to create an enabling environment. Reflecting the regional picture, Zambia is experiencing increasing waste burdens due to a growing population and economic development. The current management approach is linear, characterized by low collection rates, inadequate disposal, and limited waste revalorization. From a sustainable development perspective, how waste is managed impacts pressing issues such as climate change and public health. The concept of the Circular Economy (CE) has gained global and regional interest given its potential to transform how resources are viewed and managed. Circular strategies may help to reduce waste burdens and create local socioeconomic opportunities while safeguarding the environment. This qualitative study uses document review and expert interviews to explore the current waste management regime in Zambia and understand if and how circularity is embedded into the policy approach. The findings suggest that the CE is potentially highly relevant for Zambia, but there are various policy challenges that could impede its successful integration into the national agenda. These challenges relate to ownership and coordination; gaps in implementation and enforcement; a restrictive licensing approach; obstacles to innovation and new entrants; as well as the role of informal sector actors. The challenges point to opportunities to overturn these policy shortfalls, which also presents future research avenues.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | From waste to resource: demystifying the policy challenges and identifying opportunities for a circular economy in Zambia |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.3389/frsus.2024.1300904 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.3389/frsus.2024.1300904 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © 2024 Clube and Hazemba. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms. |
| Keywords: | Circular economy, municipal solid waste, policies, sustainable resource management, green economy, Zambia, recycling |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > UCL BEAMS > Faculty of the Built Environment > Bartlett School Env, Energy and Resources |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10189712 |
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