The potential for recycling household waste: A case study from Mexicali, Mexico

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the great potential for recycling and for reducing waste volumes based on a study of household waste in a neighbourhood in Mexicali. The research recorded the weight of waste generated and analyzed its composition, drawing on 1,292 samples from 120 households. Most of the waste was recyclable or potentially recyclable and a recycling programme would bring benefits not only by reducing waste volumes and pollution but also by greatly lengthening the life of the existing city dump. The paper also considers which other neighbourhoods in Mexicali are likely to have comparable waste patterns and discusses the measures needed to develop a recycling programme.