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This chapter explores innovating and technological transformation in terms of competing socio-technical systems which evolve over long time periods. It examines changes in functional systems both from a theoretical and empirical perspective. It offers a typology of system changes and two brief case studies based on multilevel analysis: the hygienic transition from cesspools to integrated sewer systems (1870-1930) and the transformation in waste management (1960-2000) in the Netherlands. Three types of processes through which systems may change are described: reproduction, transformation, and transition. In the case of reproduction, there is no fundamental change at the meso level (the orientation of dominant actors, regime rules, and key technology or knowledge base), which is the case when stabilizing factors dominate. In the case of transitions and transformations in sociotechnical systems, there are meso-level changes created either by problems or new opportunities afforded by changes in technology and changes in the overall landscape. Transitions and transformations can only occur when developments at multiple levels amplify each other. This is worked out in a scheme of dynamic interactions between actors, systems rules, and social networks. The novelty of the scheme is that a regime perspective is combined with an actor perspective.

This chapter discusses the role of the Basel Convention regime in the development of recognized fundamental concepts in the field of transboundary movements of hazardous waste. Two regional waste management systems that do not constitute agreements within the meaning of Article 2(1.a) of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties are of potential relevance for the Basel Convention: the pertinent secondary legislation of the European Union, and the management policy and legislation of the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This chapter examines both these systems in the light of their relationship with the Basel Convention, and their possible role as component elements of the Basel Convention regime.

This chapter explores the issue dynamic associated with the 1994 packaging and packaging waste directive in the European Union. It offers a case study that focuses primarily on the processes of rule enactment rather than on the concern with implementation and impact in the case of water or the co-evolution of primary and secondary rules in the case of vehicle emissions. It seeks to provide answers to the two central questions: to what extent does the case show that there are routine and well-developed ways for dealing with environmental problems that rest upon participation of a set of actors at EU level; and how do such processes relate to the national level of decision-making? The consideration of the packaging and packaging waste directive allows exploration of one of the most contested areas in the single market or environmental policy issue dynamic, namely, waste management.

This chapter provides an in-depth examination of the Government’s PSA commitment to increase the recycling of household waste. The Government continually exceeded its target, yet this success was not without challenge, and the issue of household recycling reveals a number of interesting lessons regarding the operation of the PSA framework. To shine a light on these issues, the chapter commences by setting out the overarching context of sustainable waste management, focusing on the location of the PSA commitment within the Government’s broader sustainable waste management agenda. It then moves on to consider the way in which Whitehall was organized to deliver on recycling, specifically the effectiveness of Defra as lead department. Finally, the relationships between central governments and key actors on the ground are analysed, focusing on the engagement of local authorities and the challenges posed by the increasing importance of non-state actors such as the retail and manufacturing sectors.

This chapter analyses the contribution of the Basel Convention and related legal instruments to emerging rules and concepts relevant to the hazardous waste cycle. It addresses the following questions: What fundamental principles for the regulation of the hazardous waste cycle can be derived from the legal instruments examined in this study? To what extent do these rules contribute to the formation of a global, holistic, and integrated regime for the control of the hazardous waste cycle? What are the strengths and weaknesses of the emerging global waste management regime and what additional measures would be required to make it more effective?

This chapter outlines the problem of transboundary movements and the disposal of hazardous waste, and examines traditional international legal rules applicable to hazardous waste management. The growing awareness of the risks posed by transboundary movements of hazardous waste led to the adoption, between the mid-1980s and the early 1990s, of a large number of binding and non-binding international legal instruments that specifically address one or more aspects of the issue. The 1989 Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal, constituting the first attempt at comprehensive global regulation of the issue, entered into the force in 1992.

This chapter examines the relationship between the Basel Convention regime and the sectoral pollution control treaties. Means to harmonize the relevant treaties with the Basel Convention regime are proposed, which would lead to the emergence of a global waste management regime covering all types of waste, not merely those subject to transboundary movement.

This chapter evaluates the strengths and weaknesses of existing and emerging enforcement mechanisms in the achievement of the aims of the waste management system provided by the Basel Convention and related rules. The examinations of the existing and emerging international mechanisms designed to ensure compliance with international rules shows that none of the relevant concepts can, on its own, provide a satisfactory enforcement mechanism. Each is subject to the general problem that it is up to states to determine the extent to which they are willing to subject themselves to relevant mechanisms, thus making compliance monitoring a question of political rather than of the form of the legal rules.

This chapter focuses on Ahmedabad, which is the largest city in Gujarat. The chapter begins with a section on the socio-economic characteristics of the city, including a profile of its labour force. This is followed by the city's governance and institutional arrangements — the city is administered by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) — and its corresponding services. A comprehensive list of these services is provided in the chapter. The next section is on the contributions of land sales and/or leasing to the revenues of the AMC. The chapter concludes with a detailed discussion of the relationship of expenditure and service delivery, and examines the available expenditure on various services such as water supply, sanitation, municipal roads, solid waste management, and sewerage.

The most practical approach to clinical waste management is to identify waste that represents a sufficient risk of causing infection during handling and after disposal, and for which some precautions are necessary to prevent any significant potential risk of infection. It is essential that all health care facilities have clearly defined guidelines to ensure the safe identification, packaging, labelling, storage, transport, treatment, and disposal of waste, from the point of generation to the point of final disposal. This chapter discusses the management of clinical waste, kitchen and catering services, linen and laundry services, pest control, and prevention of infection after death.

The chapter examines how as a result of processes of privatisation, deregulation and marketization, public services such as waste management have been outsourced to public waste management organisations. As a result, municipal waste services have evolved either to behave like companies through hybrid public waste companies, or to be sold off to the private sector, often multi-national corporations. By taking the Dutch waste management sector as an example the chapter addresses what hybridity in waste management means, how it manifests and what opportunities and dilemmas it raises.

This chapter shows, based on the case of a Swedish municipal waste management company, that waste management companies participate in a decisive manner to the design of the socio-materiality of waste and that this participation gives them a particularly important role for urban development. In the chapter three successive waste governance regimes are described – a landfilling regime, a less landfilling regime, and a wasting less regime –, based on the Swedish waste management case and explain how each regime entails a specific socio-materiality of waste.

Managing the production and disposal of waste is one of the most significant sustainability challenges facing the Arab region. Due to a rise in industrialization, urbanization, population growth, conflicts, and displacements, the Arab region has witnessed a steady annual increase in waste generation and accumulation which places increased pressure on the abilities of Arab countries to sustainably manage wastes. This chapter examines the law and governance framework for the safe, orderly, and environmentally responsible management of municipal and hazardous wastes in the Arab region. First it examines the meaning, nature, and scope of municipal and hazardous wastes, and the nature of legal problems associated with managing the illegal dumping and disposal of hazardous waste in Arab countries. Second, it examines the legal frameworks for waste management at international, regional, and national levels. It also evaluates the effectiveness and appropriateness of legal responses to modern waste management in the Arab region.

This chapter considers the case of Bangalore, which is located about 840 to 940 metres above the sea level. The city is also the fifth largest metropolitan area in India. It is noted that these topographical characteristics seem to contribute to increasing the cost of certain public services, such as water supply. Before discussing the city's expenditure and service delivery on these types of public services, the socio-economic characteristics of Bangalore are provided. A summary of the revenues of the Bruhath Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) and the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) is included. Finally, a detailed examination of the city's expenditure on locally provided public services is provided. This examination reveals that the expenditure on sewerage, water supply, and labour-intensive services is below the national average.

This chapter studies the land leasing and sales practices in Jaipur. Jaipur is known for being the very first planned city in India, as well as the capital of Rajasthan. The first part of the chapter discusses the socio-economic characteristics of Jaipur, including the categories of workers, the constituents of the Jaipur region, and the revenue the city gets from land sales and leasing. It notes that, in terms of land use, master plan, and building bye-laws, the Jaipur Development Authority (JDA) is the one responsible for planning, while the JDA and the Jaipur Municipal Corporation (JMC) are responsible for operations, maintenance, and implementation. The second half of the chapter looks at the expenditure and service delivery of Jaipur, particularly on the city's water supply, sanitation, sewerage, and solid waste management.

This chapter shows that different waste management options all produce emissions that have the potential to harm health. Local impacts on health from proposed waste management facilities must be considered by the local decision-making processes. In the UK, new facilities require planning permission for land use from the local authority and an operating license from the EA, who may also impose operating conditions. HIA can contribute to these decision-making processes and may be submitted as evidence to the statutory authorities.

The chapter explores the translation of global narratives of waste management formulated by UN-Habitat into local waste practices in the Managua in Nicaragua. In the chapter, excerpts of two documents produced by UN-Habitat related to a sustainable waste management are analysed. Inspired by deconstruction methods, the author traces how, why and by whom these narratives have been translated, and which ones have been stabilized as the predominant narratives in the discourse of a sustainable waste management.

This chapter discusses the municipal corporations in Kolkata, and focuses on the central city of Kolkata. In terms of population, Kolkata is easily the seventh biggest city in the world, and the second biggest city in India. There are three municipal corporations in the city, namely, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC), the Howrah Municipal Corporation, and the Chandannagar Municipal Corporation. After looking at the socio-economic characteristics of the city, the chapter studies the expenditure allotted for services such as solid waste management, water supply, sanitation, and sewerage. A comparison of the real expenditures and the financial norms for these specified services is provided. The chapter also analyses if spending is one of the possible causes of the current state of service delivery. The Kolkata Metropolitan Development Authority (KMDA), which handles the land in the KMC area, is also discussed.

This chapter discusses the occurrence, material flows, technical applications of and pollution by platinum, palladium), thallium, rare earth elements, gold, silver, and antimony, all of which are essential for global economic growth. Modern technology relies on these chemicals for the production of various industrial goods. However, their use releases pollutants into the environment, thus posing a threat to human health. The impacts of these chemicals on human health are assessed in the context of their linkage to infectious diseases. The consequent environmental damage and political and economic implications of using these chemicals are also discussed. To reduce environmental emissions and impacts to human health, more efficient cost-effective approaches are needed in mining and production processes. It is suggested that recycling and waste management can be improved significantly in many regions of the world to lessen the environmental impact of using these metals while contributing to a better economic situation. Information on the potential impacts that REEs and technologies using these metals have on infectious diseases is largely missing in the literature. This information gap needs to be closed through forthcoming research.

Chapter Five describes the intersection of moral philosophy and poetics, and uncovers what I term the “enthusiastic aesthetics of history.” The guiding question that I ask here is: how did the discourse of enthusiasm come to inform the ways that poetic form represented history and historical change? I approach this question via a return to the history of legal transformation, and an extended engagement with the social, historical and material context of urban development. In readings of seventeenth- and eighteenth-century statutes concerning sewer management and rural agriculture, I describe the concentration of British law around problems of commodity exchange and the protection of property. I return to Chapter Two’s discussion of capital punishment and state formation, and show how a legal area as seemingly mundane as sewer and land management expressed key aspects of nation-building and of the development of the legislative character of Britain. Uncovering this history adds a crucial chapter to our understanding not only of how capital development proceeded in the early eighteenth century, but of how aesthetic form registered these historic processes. Jonathan Swift’s poetics, I argue, aesthetically reformulate the occlusion of these territorial histories from casual view. In readingsof “Stella’s Birthday” and the urban georgic, “A Description of a City Shower,” I argue that Swift creates an “enthusiasm of history,” a poetic argument about the complex nature of historical change.