Collaboration and innovation for inclusive green growth at a community level in Suzhou, China

Along with the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emission, municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a basic municipal service that offers the potential for delivering environmental, economic, and social benefits (Hoornweg & Bhada-Tata, 2012; Sicular, 1991). Recycling can help reduce waste volume from the source and conserve natural resources and thus has been promoted in many societies. Even though municipal governments also play a role, scavengers, itinerant waste pickers, or itinerant waste buyers, and illegal workshops extract valuable materials from waste on streets, from residential establishments, waste transfer centers, and landfills. Usually, marginalized social groups engage in informal waste recycling under questionable working conditions and with instable incomes. Thus, recycling, especially in developing countries, also has implications for the livelihoods of the poor, economic efficiency, and social equity (Hoornweg & Bhada-Tata, 2012; Scarlet Do Carmo & Puppim de Oliveira, 2010; Sicular, 1991; Wilson, Velis, & Cheeseman, 2006).