Previous page | New search |
The free AfricaBib App for Android is available here
Periodical article | Leiden University catalogue | WorldCat |
Title: | Unraveling the urban poor's engagement with electronic waste in Accra, Ghana |
Author: | Oteng-Ababio, Martin |
Year: | 2013 |
Periodical: | Legon Journal of Sociology (ISSN 0855-6261) |
Volume: | 5 |
Issue: | 1 |
Pages: | 40-61 |
Language: | English |
Geographic term: | Ghana |
Subjects: | waste management informal sector urban poverty livelihoods |
Abstract: | Based on the results of 80 closed-ended structured questionnaires administered to e-waste workers at the Agbogbloshie scrap yard and 20 key informant interviews, this study examines how the marginalized, particularly the youth in the urban economy, make a living through e-waste recycling. The findings reveal a paradox: on the one hand, there is a diverse, local ingenuity as well as a livelihood opportunity in the e-waste business. On the other hand, the results present signals of potential environmental and health dangers associated with e-waste recycling practices. The paper concludes that policy choices for city authorities and their development partners are not clear-cut. It calls for a strong community collaborative approach which facilitates the process of good urban governance, and for an ideal mix of informal sector experience with formal sector technology to create a platform for efficient exploitation of the economic value of e-waste while ensuring sustainable urban environmental management. Bibliogr., note, sum. [Journal abstract] |