Some Happy, Others Sad: Exploring Environmental Justice in Solid Waste Management in Kinshasa, Congo

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About the Webinar
Sustainable solid waste management (SWM) in the cities of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is a challenge. Disparities in the SWM system among the different locations apparently found to be vogue engendering environmental injustice in the major cities of the country, which warrants careful interventions to alleviate its noxious effects. Using the case study of Kinshasa city in the DRC, this paper explores the concept of environmental justice in the context of SWM. It evaluates the extent to which environmental injustice is occurring in SWM and discusses the critical factors accounting for this state of affairs. Furthermore, the paper examines the relevant theoretical framework(s) and mechanisms that would facilitate the attainment of environmental justice in the city. A qualitative survey research methodology, which includes an exhaustive critical review of literature, system analysis, reflections from best practices through case studies, and discussion with stakeholders, was used for this study. Findings revealed that SWM in Kinshasa, like in many Congolese cities, is a duty entrusted to publicly funded municipal authorities. There are pieces of evidence of a clear divide between the rich and poor neighbourhoods of the city in the manner solid waste is managed in the city. This is an inequality that has only recently begun to be recognised as an injustice practices in SWM. In view of this, it is argued in this paper that a politico-cultural mechanism for remedying SWM inequities could enable changes that will address environmental justice in Kinshasa. Such a solution will go directly against the prevailing notions that “some happy, others sad” with respect to environmental justice in SWM in Kinshasa.


About the Speaker
Dr. Nzalalemba Serge Kubanza received a Ph.D. in Geography and Environmental Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa, and a master’s degree in development planning from the University of the Witwatersrand in Johannesburg, South Africa. He holds a BA-Honours in Sociology and Anthropology from the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, and a BA in Anthropology and Sociology from the University of Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo. He is currently working as a senior lecturer and the School Postgraduate coordinator at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa. He has published extensively in the areas of solid waste management, social justice, environmental justice, and sustainability. He has held various positions with non-profit organisations in South Africa and with academic institutions as a lecturer and researcher. He is a sociologist, Anthropologist, Development Planner, Human Geographer, and systems analyst by training, and he specializes in human and urban geography and environmental sustainability. He undertook a three-month research training session at the International Institute of Applied Systems Analysis in Austria. He also undertook a three-month internship at the UN-Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland, from February 2017-May 2017.