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Conceptualising Reuse in African Households: Perspectives from Chembe, Malawi

Author

Listed:
  • Marc Kalina

    (ETH Zurich
    University of KwaZulu-Natal)

  • Mvuselelo Ngcoya

    (University of KwaZulu-Natal)

  • Bembeyere Nkhoma

    (University of Malawi, The Polytechnic)

  • Elizabeth Tilley

    (ETH Zurich
    University of Malawi, The Polytechnic)

Abstract

African households are often models of sustainability, practicing daily behaviours, which, if even not directly associated by the individual with Western conceptualisations of ‘recycling’ or ‘reuse’, have dramatically positive impacts on the amounts of household waste generated. However, rarely has the African household been given the same consideration, and there is a poor understanding within the discipline how poor individuals, and Africans in particular, understand and conceptualise ‘waste’ as both a problem and a resource. Drawing on Kennedy and Appadurai’s theoretical perspectives, the purpose of this article is to critically examine and contextualise household solid waste reuse practices in Chembe, Malawi, a rapidly densifying village and a constituent part of one of the nation’s premier resort destinations. Drawing on extensive ethnographic fieldwork with residents and stakeholders, findings suggest that, within Chembe, reuse practices, and the motivations that drive them, are both widespread and diverse, with a multitude of ‘waste’ items living multiple ‘lives’ before being ultimately discarded as ‘trash’. These behaviours are facilitated by the fact that many desirable waste items are widely available locally within Chembe, and although some of these reuse practices may be widespread within Malawi, others have been uniquely fostered by Chembe’s position as an affluent tourism destination with abundant and easily accessible waste streams. This investigation is particularly important within the context of rural Africa, and the Global South more broadly. Moreover, it should critically inform circular economy, zero waste, and broader waste management studies discourse, where African households have been habitually treated as problems needing solutions, rather than potential sources of innovation and learning.

Suggested Citation

  • Marc Kalina & Mvuselelo Ngcoya & Bembeyere Nkhoma & Elizabeth Tilley, 2022. "Conceptualising Reuse in African Households: Perspectives from Chembe, Malawi," Environment, Development and Sustainability: A Multidisciplinary Approach to the Theory and Practice of Sustainable Development, Springer, vol. 24(10), pages 12404-12426, October.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:endesu:v:24:y:2022:i:10:d:10.1007_s10668-021-01955-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10668-021-01955-3
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Weber, Gabriel & Cabras, Ignazio & Calaf-Forn, Maria & Puig-Ventosa, Ignasi & D'Alisa, Giacomo, 2019. "Promoting Waste Degrowth and Environmental Justice at a Local Level: The Case of Unit-Pricing Schemes in Spain," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 156(C), pages 306-317.
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    Cited by:

    1. Mayer, Verena, 2024. "Power relations within the second-hand clothing industry touching down in Ghana," ÖFSE-Forum, Austrian Foundation for Development Research (ÖFSE), volume 88, number 305264.

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