EMPOWERING CITIZEN-DRIVEN SUSTAINABILITY: Supporting Local Management of Waste in Costa Rica

Abstract

This paper is a result of a Minor Field Study (MFS) performed in Costa Rica and funded by the Swedish public authority SIDA - Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The aim of this study was to examine how locally based actors implement strategies towards sustainable development regarding waste management in a small village in Costa Rica. The study provides an overview of the main obstacles and possibilities of the implemented strategies and a discussion on how they can contribute to sustainable development concerning waste management in the village. The study results show that locally based actors are communicating their notion of environmental sustainability and sustainable waste management and that the work is driven by a commitment of what they collect and define as waste will not reach a final disposal. The study also shows that different local actors have different perceptions regarding how their actions shape the sustainable development concerning waste management in the village. Local actors express that they do not believe that they can change the current, perceived inadequate, structure, and how that is not their responsibility. The data for this research were gathered through participant observation and semi structured interviews. An anthropological theoretical approach has been applied to understand the issue of waste management as well as the possibilities coming from citizen-driven initiatives for sustainability. The anthropological approach with a focus on moral values, power relations, circular flows and responsibility offers insight to the specific circumstances concerning local knowledge of waste management in Costa Rica and its consequences on the environment.