The Argentinean Zero Waste Framework: implementation gaps and over-sight of reusable menstrual management technologies

A number of cities have shifted their approach to waste management by adopting a zero waste legal framework. This chapter discusses and analyses the progress and limitations of a particular case in Buenos Aires, Argentina, that is in the process of implementing this framework. Although waste prevention and re-use are considered guiding principles of the framework, neither have been prioritised in practice. Instead, local waste management has been characterised by end-of-pipe solutions which include recycling and landfilling. This chapter discusses the management of waste from disposable menstrual technologies and seeks to highlight the importance of prevention and re-use. Understanding the disposal of menstrual technologies is of particular importance in the Argentinean case for two main reasons: first, because disposable menstrual waste is the fourth largest component in solid waste and ends up buried in landfills, taking hundreds of years to decompose. Second, reusable menstrual management technologies are locally available and have the potential to reduce this burden. Our analysis is based on data collected through participant observation and semi-structured interviews conducted with experts and local stakeholders.

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