Possibilities for sustainable household waste management: A case study from Guanajuato, Mexico

Swiftly growing cities in emerging economies face a double problem of rapidly increasing household waste combined with insufficient systems in place to manage even existing levels. This unsustainable situation has many structural roots but solving it will also require a much better understanding of the household dynamics that create the current waste stream and would need household buy in for any changes to be impactful. In response to this need, we interviewed 44 households in Leon, Mexico to understand their waste behaviors as well as knowledge, attitudes, norms, and values, and how these interacted with the overall municipal waste system. We found that households desired to in act sustainable waste practices but had only a limited capacity to do so due to structural barriers, particularly for recycling. To be effective, campaigns which intend to focus on reusing and reducing would do well to better understand the interplay of household norms with the broader system. The trajectory of waste sustainability in cities such as Leon are not yet set and working at the household level will be at least as important as building the needed hard infrastructure.