Formality and informality in e-waste economies: exploring caste-class in urban land and labor practices

摘要

Harvesting e-waste is a significant economic activity in India, largely carried out by the informal sector. However, waste governance and planning promote the implementation of technologically driven, capital-intensive, and centralized waste recycling infrastructure, which sidelines the efforts of informal labor and renders commodity movements invisible. This intervention therefore argues for a shift from techno managerial to a socio-political analysis of circular economy. It calls for decentralized and localized low-value site-specific model that integrate the already existing informal caste networks.