Nicolás Labra Cataldo

@article{8c565e85204348b99bde1041d54f2483,

title = {Environmental assessment of formal and informal waste treatment of liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors},

author = {Nicolas Enrique Labra Cataldo and Alejandro Gallego Schmid and Edmundo Muñoz and Carly McLachlan},

doi = {10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.178273},

issn = {0048-9697},

year  = {2025},

date = {2025-01-25},

journal = {Science of the Total Environment},

volume = {962},

publisher = {Elsevier BV},

abstract = {In Santiago, Chile, 315,000 liquid crystal display (LCD) monitors are discarded annually. Of this amount, the formal sector of refurbishment and recycling manages only 5 %, creating the conditions for the emergence of informal management systems. This study provides the first comprehensive environmental and circularity assessment of monitor treatment across multiple impact categories, identifying trade-offs associated with formal and informal operations. For this, a life cycle assessment approach is utilised at both the product-level and the municipal management systems level, addressing the processes from the collection of the monitor to its end-of-life. At the product-level, two formal and two informal routes for managing an LCD monitor were evaluated. The results reveal that formal treatment companies have the best environmental performance in all the midpoint categories of ReCiPe, achieving benefits 42,000 times greater than formal disposal for marine eutrophication, and 25 % better than informal flea market traders across all categories. The analysis of management processes attributes most environmental benefits to refurbishment, representing between 76 % and 99 % of the magnitude of the assessed environmental impacts. A sensitivity analysis shows that the environmental performance of an informal trader surpasses that of a formal treatment company when both offer the same expected lifespan for a refurbished monitor and maintain their respective refurbishment rates offered. The municipal-level analysis was carried out through the evaluation of three scenarios. The results indicate that the scenario in which the informal sector cooperates with the formal sector and exclusively dedicates to collecting monitors exhibits superior environmental performance, averaging environmental benefits that are ten times greater than the current scenario and achieving valorisation rates of 22 %, the highest among the evaluated scenarios. The results of this research contribute to the discussion on formalisation and the promotion of the circular economy in the Global South.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{8438207559f44f69a513fa7a9e8cfa37b,

title = {Waste Management in Nepal: Characterization and Challenges to Promote a Circular Economy},

author = {Nicolás Enrique Labra Cataldo and Muyiwa Oyinlola and Samip Sigdel and Dori Nguyen and Alejandro Gallego Schmid},

doi = {10.1007/s43615-023-00283-0},

issn = {2730-5988},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-07-25},

journal = {Circular Economy and Sustainability},

publisher = {Springer Nature},

abstract = {In Nepal, the informal sector is responsible for treating 15% of household waste. It is the only alternative to landfilling and open disposal; however, the current waste management system does not acknowledge informal recyclers aggravating various challenges and vulnerabilities that the sector already faces. This study identifies and validates for the first time the challenges of the informal waste sector while providing a granular understanding of the actors that shape waste management in the region. The study uses primary data collected over a period of 6 months in Kathmandu and Lalitpur, the first and third most populated areas in Nepal. The methods considered were semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and a co-creation workshop with formal and informal actors. A novel characterization of waste management actors was conducted to identify two profiles namely cyclists and scavengers and question the formality of the collection centres. Findings suggest that the price volatility of recycled materials and the lack of treatment and absence of regulatory capacity are among the main challenges in promoting a circular economy from the informal sector. The recommendations to overcome these challenges are a series of policy reforms, such as an extended responsibility producer scheme and the review of the tax on recycled material transport. The main policy implication from the finding reveals that circular economy is already being promoted by the informal sector — a responsibility that should fall under the remit of the regional and national governments. The study concludes that integration is not only necessary to improve the conditions of informal workers but essential to developing a circular economy in Nepal.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}

@article{8438207559f44f69a513fa7a9e8cfa37,

title = {Waste Management in Nepal: Characterization and Challenges to Promote a Circular Economy},

author = {Nicolás Enrique Labra Cataldo and Muyiwa Oyinlola and Samip Sigdel and Dori Nguyen and Alejandro Gallego Schmid},

doi = {10.1007/s43615-023-00283-0},

issn = {2730-5988},

year  = {2023},

date = {2023-07-25},

journal = {Circular Economy and Sustainability},

publisher = {Springer Nature},

abstract = {In Nepal, the informal sector is responsible for treating 15% of household waste. It is the only alternative to landfilling and open disposal; however, the current waste management system does not acknowledge informal recyclers aggravating various challenges and vulnerabilities that the sector already faces. This study identifies and validates for the first time the challenges of the informal waste sector while providing a granular understanding of the actors that shape waste management in the region. The study uses primary data collected over a period of 6 months in Kathmandu and Lalitpur, the first and third most populated areas in Nepal. The methods considered were semi-structured interviews, questionnaires, and a co-creation workshop with formal and informal actors. A novel characterization of waste management actors was conducted to identify two profiles namely cyclists and scavengers and question the formality of the collection centres. Findings suggest that the price volatility of recycled materials and the lack of treatment and absence of regulatory capacity are among the main challenges in promoting a circular economy from the informal sector. The recommendations to overcome these challenges are a series of policy reforms, such as an extended responsibility producer scheme and the review of the tax on recycled material transport. The main policy implication from the finding reveals that circular economy is already being promoted by the informal sector — a responsibility that should fall under the remit of the regional and national governments. The study concludes that integration is not only necessary to improve the conditions of informal workers but essential to developing a circular economy in Nepal.},

keywords = {},

pubstate = {published},

tppubtype = {article}

}