Plastic Waste Management in Morocco: A Sociological Reflection about the Informal Sector in the Circular Economy

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Published: 10-11-2023

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Iria Vázquez Silva
Grupo de Estudios en Trabajo Social: Investigación y Tansferencia, Departamento de Sociología, Ciencia Política y de la Administración y Filosofía. Universidade de Vigo
Spain
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7702-0662
Biography
Javier de Rivera Outomuro
Grupo Post-growth Innovation Lab., Departamento de Sociología, Ciencia Política y de la Administración y Filosofía, Universidade de Vigo
Spain
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7333-646X
Biography
Vol 33 No 2 (2024): Special Issue. Circular economy, sustainability and degrowth, Special, pages 1-19
DOI: https://doi.org/10.15304/rge.33.2.9285
Submitted: 30-06-2023 Accepted: 14-09-2023 Published: 10-11-2023
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Abstract

This article presents a case study on the link between the management of plastic waste in Morocco (mainly in Casablanca and Rabat) and the divergent working conditions of workers (formal and informal) that conforme the sector, in the context of transformation of the sector towards the Circular Economy (CE). To such an end, we take into account the perspective of multiple experts in the field, as well as the public administration in charge of managing the transition process, the private business sector and the informal collectors themselves. This approach allowed us to understand the complexities and nuances of the transition of waste management in Morocco and to identify the main challenges in terms of social justice associated with the change towards a Circular Economy.

Keywords:

waste collectors, circular economy., informal economy, social justice, Morocco
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References

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