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About

I am a professor in the Department of Geography and the director of the , created in 2006.

Before coming to UVic, I taught at the University of Newcastle in Australia, co-coordinated an international research project between the University of Tübingen, Germany and the Federal University of Mato Grosso, Brazil and worked on international development projects with the United Nations (FAO).

My research is participatory and action oriented with a focus on development challenges, including participatory resource management, food security, sustainable livelihoods, waste governance, climate justice and qualitative research methodology.

Involving communities and local stakeholders in my work is fundamental to me. It creates momentum for the research process to become an emancipatory praxis which contributes to addressing everyday political, economic, and environmental realities. These processes allow communities to empower themselves to achieve greater social and environmental justice.

Research

UNICATA University for & with waste pickers (2023-)

UNICATA is a university based on the pedagogy of popular education by Paulo Freire, on the democracy of knowledge, and on the practice of peer learning. It is a partnership between researchers, autonomous and organized waste pickers, social movements, non-governmental organizations and research centers, established in São Paulo and Brasília.

UNICATA's main objective is to increase access to meaningful knowledge and expand employment opportunities for waste pickers, a sector that comprises over 600,000 people in Brazil, including the most impoverished and vulnerable individuals. This is achieved through peer teaching involving academics and waste pickers collaborating in the design and delivery of the courses.

UNICATA applies scientific evidence and experiential learning to overcome the societal constraints and to cocreate new knowledge, preparing waste pickers to become respected and valued service providers in waste management, recycling and environmental education. These individuals have enormous potential to enhance their contribution to many of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), making cities and communities healthier and more sustainable.

The methodology and pedagogy applied at UNICATA create a teaching practice in pairs (academics collaborating with waste pickers), where instructors and students become agents of change in transforming their lives and society. A course has been developed, comprising 6 thematic modules (each module with 56 hours of classes, research initiation activities and field visits). The modules are initially implemented as pilot projects and are refined with subsequent cohorts, benefiting from the already developed course materials. 

Youth & grassroots engagement in waste reduction (2023-2025)

Our overarching goal is to produce scientific evidence on the effects of grassroots and youth initiatives on programs and policies to reduce waste in Canadian (Victoria) and Brazilian (São Bento do Sapucaí and Gonçalves) cities.

This work will provide important insights into different ways of thinking about and promoting environmental transition towards waste avoidance and reduction, circular economies, as well as reuse and recycling. The results will question existing waste management practices and provoke alternatives. The co-produced results will advance academic and practical knowledge on urban sustainability.

Young people are already spearheading movements for change worldwide, using online social networks and communities to connect, express their voices and campaign for change. The research can further amplify these voices, by connecting different initiatives with each other and by making use of innovative forms of communication and knowledge dissemination.

The research will provide an opportunity for diverse initiatives that help curb waste to be placed on the map, thus unlocking their potential for networking, promotion, and dissemination. By setting up youth-led advisories at middle schools in both study sites the research catalyzes the capacities of youth and grassroots to engage and influence their wider social networks.

Participant-produced innovation videos for inclusive & sustainable waste management (2020-2024)

This project aims at diffusing the grassroots innovations developed by these waste picker organizations (WPO) (in terms of technology, gender, governance, finance, and market) through (1) participatory video production and (2) a policy brief targeting WPO and local governments.

The innovation videos will be produced by local teams, instructed by a communicator, with the participation of WPO in Argentina, Brazil, Kenya and Tanzania. Used as self-educational materials, the videos will be spread out world-wide, through the communication channels developed by partner organizations. The policy briefs will be diffused through the Swedish Research Institute for Local Democracy’s digital communication channels and meetings with local governments in the respective countries.

Mapping waste governance (2017-2025)

This partnership development project seeks to identify, examine and document grassroots social innovations and challenges in waste governance in different geographic regions. We will capture multiple narratives and use interdisciplinary approaches to formal and informal household waste management.

We will focus on change and transition events -- certain types of tipping points, because solid waste generation is reaching a tipping point and current prevailing forms of waste management are clearly not sufficiently taking care of the problem. Good waste governance requires the reconceptualization of waste as a resource and an inclusive approach to waste management, with different waste actors (waste pickers, small scale waste entrepreneurs) and innovative approaches having a voice.

Good waste governance addresses poverty reduction, builds community resilience and increases environmental sustainability. Our overall goal is to map the factors, processes, actors and links that entail good waste governance, to understand possible barriers and challenges in household waste management, as well as the factors that generate innovative forms of waste management resilient.

Global know-how production, exchange and upscaling in good waste governance and social grassroots innovations remain largely un-explored and our partnership is taking the lead in building this global network on waste governance. In the final knowledge mobilization phase of the project, the research results have contributed to setting up UNICATA, a university for and with waste pickers, making available the knowledge generated in the Mapping Waste Governance project.

Recycling networks: grassroots resilience tackling climate, environmental & poverty challenges (2017-2019)

Millions of informal waste pickers collect household waste daily in cities around the globe to earn a living. In doing so, they make a significant contribution to reducing the carbon footprint of cities, recovering resources, improving environmental conditions and health of low-income residents, creating jobs and income among the poor.

This project aims at examining the challenges that innovative grassroots initiatives and networks encounter and the livelihood practices they generate, to improve recycling and household waste management in informal settlements of global South cities. The project’s methodology is inspired by participatory action research through a combination of:

• a multiple case study on waste picker initiatives in Managua (Nicaragua), Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Buenos Aires (Argentina) and São Paulo (Brazil) and Kisumu (Kenya) based on interviews, observations, workshops and document analysis
• joint knowledge co- production with regional and global waste picker networks performing as knowledge hubs for the project
• an in-depth case study of the City of Kisumu, where the learnings from the multi-case studies will be integrated
• international joint research and waste picker seminars to co-produce knowledge to conceptualize solution to the challenges

Theoretically, the project will also contribute to applying and expanding a combination of theories of socio-environmental and institutional entrepreneurship with resilience theories (SRC The Swedish Research Council grant).

Rapid assessment of health & livelihood situations of waste pickers in Dhaka City, Bangladesh (2017-2018)

Waste pickers make a livelihood by collecting recyclable waste from various places in low, middle and high income countries. This group of people constitutes the bottom layer of the waste recycling system and is considered one of the key stakeholders in the informal recycling sector in the solid waste management system.

Generally, these people are poor, vulnerable to various kinds of occupational health risks/problems and diseases (e.g. flu, bronchitis, body injuries/pain, ulcers, high blood pressure) and are often marginalized. The proposed study will be conducted through participatory action research to assess the health risks and the livelihood status of waste pickers in Dhaka city in Bangladesh.

The key aims are to provide some policy recommendations towards sustainable and inclusive solid waste management (UVic Centre for Asia-Pacific Initiatives, faculty research grant).

Exploring policies and innovative financing mechanisms for resource recovery & recycling cooperatives (2017)

This project will develop two case studies on social innovation in waste management in Argentina and Brazil. The results will contribute to the elaboration of a SSHRC partnership development grant project on "networking the global community-based socioeconomic initiatives in resource recovery for reuse and recycling."

Exciting innovative experiences in social and solidarity economy are surfacing worldwide. Some cities have made significant progress implementing public policies encouraging the formation of cooperatives and social enterprises as strategy to minimize unemployment and enhance local development. Particularly in municipal waste management we see pioneering examples with cooperative organizations.

This project is unique in spearheading research into innovative legal, political, economic and financing mechanisms that strengthen social economy initiatives in waste collection and recycling. Argentina and Brazil are promising countries in these grassroots developments. Both have large populations of waste pickers and the government has designed innovative federal and municipal laws supporting ‘informal’ recycling.

What assets, policies and financing strategies are required to overcome barriers? How can communities creatively become re-invigorated by these specific instruments? What can these experiences teach the Canadian context, where community-oriented recycling receives growing attention in generating livelihoods and improving urban sustainability?

The research applies a mixed methods case study approach encompassing document searches, key informant interviews, focus group discussions and observations of everyday experiences in recycling cooperatives.

The results will potentially benefit any city administration pushing for greater environmental stewardship in solid waste management and will help refine the methodology to upscale the networking of community based economic initiatives in reuse, and recycling on a global scale (UVic internal research/creative project grant).

Informal recyclers in a long winter cold country with fast growing economy: a perspective from Mongolian solid waste management systems (2015-2017)

The research seeks to establish baseline data on the state of the livelihoods, recycling activities and health status of informal recyclers in Ulaanbaatar City and in peri-urban Ger areas (informal settlements) in Mongolia.

This study will uncover the socio-economic situation of informal workers, which includes homeless and non-homeless populations, occasional recyclers, minorities and other disadvantaged groups of individuals that engage in the collection and separation of recyclable materials. Furthermore, this research will focus on teasing out the interrelations and power relations involving different actors in solid waste management.

This information will help in the development of a social business model for inclusive and integrated waste management developments. The results will support the policy makers in the development of relevant policies that include informal recycling and that will improve the living conditions and earnings as well as help protect the workers from solid waste-borne health risks and hazards.

Finally, the data from this study will benefit other stakeholders such as enterprises involved in the informal recycling service chain, NGOs, and community based organizations (CBOs) in developing inclusive waste management strategies.

Improving basic urban services in informal settlements: linking waste research in Global South cities (2013-2016)

This project aims at explaining the challenges and potential solutions in improving living conditions in informal settlements in cities of the Global South, via co-production in waste management. In informal settlements, poorly connected to formal services, waste pickers often collect and separate household solid waste.

This activity results in many benefits to the urban community, as it improves residents’ quality of life and environmental health, generates income and reduces the environmental footprint of the city. Yet, the waste pickers are one of the most excluded and impoverished segments of society. Many waste management programs have been launched to improve this situation, but both in policy and research there is an increasing concern with the knowing-doing-gap: the relationship between the goal of a sustainable waste management and what is achieved.

The research questions are: how are waste management programs translated into practice in informal settlements? What are the organizational, social, and spatial difficulties encountered in the organizing of waste management services? How can such difficulties be overcome? The questions are answered through:

• case studies of three cities (Diadema, Kisumu and Managua) where different participatory waste management programs have already been implemented
• interactive workshops with waste actors in each city
• scholar seminars in the cities to compare and contextualize the findings among a diverse set of stakeholders and academics

A relational understanding of organizing and space, influenced by Action-Net and Actor-Network Theory is the theoretical starting-point.

Participatory sustainable waste management (Brazil-Canada project) (2012-2016)

The daily generation of large volumes of solid waste represents one of the most critical challenges for cities worldwide. In the Global South, approximately 1% of the urban population works in informal and organized selective waste collection, separation and commercialization.

The Participatory Sustainable Waste Management (PSWM) project, a University Partnership in Development project between the University of São Paulo and the University of Victoria, funded by former CIDA Canadian International Development Agency, has focused on formal and informal waste management in the context of cities in the Global South. These action-oriented research interventions have studies the challenges in cooperative recycling in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, between 2006 and 2012.

A follow-up project (the Coopcent ABC – SENAES/MTE 004 project), funded by the Ministry of Solidarity Economy of Brazil, a continuation of the PSWM initiative focused particularly on scaling up experiences in coop recycling and strengthening cooperative networks for collective commercialization.

The research was supported by a situated urban political ecology theoretical framework to analyze daily practices in solid waste management for structural change. The methodology applied was participatory and relied on workshops, interviews, diagraming, focus groups, and participatory observation.

Policy & outreach for re-shaping waste into resources (2010-2016)

The Community-based Research Lab collaborates locally, regionally and internationally with other community-based initiatives and research centers. The laboratory also draws on knowledge generated through the lived experiences of marginalized groups such as informal and organized recyclers.

The result is the exploration of more sustainable, equitable, and environmentally sound models of waste reduction and management. Changes to existing waste management practices are essential for climate change mitigation to be successful, as current patterns of consumption drive an unsustainable linear system of wasted resources and lost energy, of environmental pollution and ultimately contributions to greenhouse gas emissions.

The accumulation of knowledge through participatory research has stimulated the need for wider dissemination. Such a need has outpaced the ability of the CBRL to communicate knowledge to diverse audiences, including policy-makers, practitioners, and the general public.

For changes in waste management to take place, we must move beyond academic forms of knowledge diffusion (such as academic peer reviewed articles) to mobilize useful knowledge that can change practices and behaviours, resulting in economic and environmental gains.

There is an urgent need to widely promote the responsible consumption of goods and resources, to reduce the transportation of solid wastes, and to generate less waste that ends up in landfills or incinerators. This research engages with the mobilization of knowledge collectively generated, particularly under the PSWM project and other previous solid waste related projects to achieve wider and multi-scalar dissemination of crucial socio-environmental information. The forms of dissemination privileged in this project are video, photography, flyers, posters, booklets and seminar, conference and workshop presentations.

Teaching

We can make the world a better place through education.

I believe that education, including genuine knowledge building and refinement of skills, can contribute significantly to the formation of emancipated, responsible and aware citizens and professionals.  I consider this to be among the major goals to be achieved with higher education.

Teaching and learning are interactive, constructive processes that go both ways between teachers and students. Teaching - educating or instructing - is an activity that communicates knowledge and/or skills. To me learning is a cognitive process of getting to know, becoming aware of something and finally incorporating and being able to use as acquired knowledge.

The educational experience at the university serves the purpose of creating academically well-prepared, aware and responsible citizens and at the same time helps to continuously nourish the processes of re-examination, refinement and growth of the teacher involved in this endeavor, in the sense of Paulo Freire’s ‘conscientization’. Freire termed critical education as linked to transformative social practices, enabling people to write their own history and overcome adverse circumstances and factors that might condition them.

At UVic I teach the following courses:

• GDS 202: Global Development Studies
• GEOG 324: Directions in Geography
• GEOG 327: Research Methods in Human Geography
• GEOG 332: Urban Development in the Global South
• GEOG 388: Regional Geography of Brazil
• GEOG 491: Geographies of Waste
• GEOG 546: Advanced Topics in Human and Social Geography

Publications

Recent peer reviewed articles

Gutberlet, J., Carvalho, C. & Palma da Silva, F. (forthcoming) Enhancing Circularity through Participatory Urban Planning: Examples from the Global South. In: Urban Studies, Special issue Planning Inclusive Circular Cities in Post-Industrial Contexts.

Carvalho Vallin, I. Palma da Silva, F. and Gutberlet, J. (forthcoming) The peer teaching methodology of the university of and for waste pickers: how teaching is learning. In: Convergence an International Adult Education Journal (Ed. Mayo, P.).

Rodrigues Costa de Castro, A. M. & Gutberlet, J. (forthcoming). Contribution of waste pickers’ grassroots organizations to waste management in Victoria and Vancouver. In: Assuah, A. & Wai Ng, K. T. (Editors), Tylor and Francis.

Reis-Filho, J. A., Gutberlet, J. & Giarrizzo, T. (2025). Invisible Green Guardians: a long-term study on informal waste pickers' contributions to recycling and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions. Cleaner Waste Systems,100217, ISSN 2772-9125, .

Wuntah, John, M. & Gutberlet, J. (2024) Reducing food waste: Insights from students at the University of Victoria and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology. Detritus 29, V-IX.

Frey, K., Gutberlet, J. & Besen, R. G. (2024) Solid waste policies and climate change – the cases of federal Brazil and Canada. Detritus Journal. Volume 29, 167-178.

Gutberlet, J. & Bramryd, T. (2025) Reimagining urban waste management: addressing social, climate, and resource challenges in modern cities. Cities, 156, 105553

Carvalho, C. M. & Gutberlet, J. (2024) Grassroots innovations from youth: Mapping Zero Waste challenges with Middle Schools students in Brazil and Canada. Detritus Journal 27 - June 2024, pp. IV-VIII. DOI 

Gutberlet, J. and de Carvalho Vallin, I. (2024). . Detritus 26, 14-122.

Borba, J.; Bonatti, M.; Medina, L.; Löhr, K.; Tremblay, C.; Gutberlet, J. and Sieber, S. (2024). Climate change education through drama and social learning: playful inquiry for building extreme weather events adaptation scenarios. Journal of Adult and Continuing Education, 1-19.

Gutberlet, J. (2023) . Detritus, 23, pp. VII-X.

Mesquita, J.L.C.; Gutberlet, J.; de Araujo, K.P.; Cruvinel, V.R.N.; Duarte, F.H. (2023). . Sustainability, 15, 9185. 

Gutberlet, J. (2023). . Cambridge Prisms: Plastics, 1, E9. 

Gutberlet, J. (2023) . Detritus (online first), 1-10.

Gutberlet, J.; Azevedo, A. M. M.; Morais, L.; Bacic, M. J. and Mesquita, M. S. (2023) . Environment and Urbanization, 35 (1): 255-274.

Carenzo, S.; Goodluck, C.; Gutberlet, J. Kain, J.-H.; Oloko, M.; Pérez Reinosa, J.; Zapata, P. and Zapata Campos, M. J. (2022) . Environment and Planning C: Politics and Space. 23 pp.

Kain, J.-H.; Zapata, P.; de Azevedo, A. M. M.; Carenzo, S.; Charles, G.; Gutberlet, J.; Oloko, M. Reynosa, J. P. and Zapata Campos, M. J. (2022) Characteristics, challenges, and innovations of waste picker organizations: a comparative perspective between Latin American and East African countries. PlosOne, 1-27.

Azevedo, A.M.M.; Gutberlet, J.; Dias de Araujo, S. and Harada, F. (2022) , Ambiente and Sociedade, 25.

Azevedo, A.M.M.; Gutberlet, J.; Dias de Araujo, S. and Harada, F. (2022) . Ambiente and Sociedade, 25.

Uddin, M.S.N., Gutberlet, J., Chowdhury, A. T., Parisa, T. A., Nuzhat, S. and Chowdhury, S.N. (2022) . Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development.

Ghezeljeh, A., Gutberlet, J. and Cloutier, D. (2022) . Journal of Canadian Geographer.66 (3).

Markley, L.A., Gündogdu, S., Olivelli, A., Khan, F.R., Gwinnett, C., Gutberlet, J. et al. (2022) . Sustainability, 14 (20), pp. 1-48.

Giatti, L.L., Gutberlet, J., Toledo, R.F. and Santos, F.N.P. (2021) . Revista Estudos Avançados, 35 (103): 237-253.

Gutberlet, J., Sorroche, S., Martins Baeder, A., Zapata, P. and Zapata Campos, M.J. (2021) . The Journal of Environment and Development, 30 (4), 369-394.

Sholanke, D. and Gutberlet, J. (2021) . Journal of Environmental Policy and Planning, 24 (2): 94-108.

Amauchi, J., Gauthier, M., Ghezeljeh, Z., Giatti, L., Keats, K., Sholanke, D., Zachari, D. and Gutberlet, J. (2021) The power of community-based participatory research: Ethical and effective ways of researching. Community Development, 53 (1): 3-20.

Giatti, L.L., Agum Ribeiro, R., Ferreira Dales Nava, A., Gutberlet, J. and Azevedo, A.M.M. (2021) . Genetics and Molecular Biology, 44, 1(suppl 1), 1-9.

Giatti, L.L., Agum Ribeiro, R., Ferreira Dales Nava, A., Gutberlet, J. and Azevedo, A. M. M. (2021) Faculdade de Saúde Pública Universidade de São Paulo. 

Gutberlet, J. (2021) . World Development, 138 (2021) 105195.

Sholanke, D. and Gutberlet, J. (2020)  Detritus, 13: pages I-IV.  

Gutberlet, J. and Carenzo, S. (2020) . Worldwide Waste: Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 3(1): 6, 1–14.

Gutberlet, J., Besen, G.R. and Morais, L. (2020) . Detritus, 13: 167-180. 

Lau, W. W. Y, … Gutberlet, J., …. (2020) Evaluating scenarios toward zero plastic waste. Science, 369 (6510):1455-1461.

Gutberlet, J. (2020) . One Earth, 3(3): 287-289. 

Besen, R. and Gutberlet, J. (2020) Os catadores de materiais recicláveis e a COVID-19. Dialogos SocioAmbientais na Mactrometropole. . 26-27.

Uddin, S. M. N., Gutberlet, J., Ramezani, A. and Nasiruddin, S.M. (2020) . Journal of International Development.

Gutberlet, J., Bramryd, T. and Johansson, M. (2020) . Sustainability, 12, 2628.

Uddin, S.M.N., Lapegue, J., Gutberlet, J., Adamowski, J.F., Dorea, C.C. and Sorezo, F. (2019) . Water, 11, 298.

Sobral Santos, M.L. and Gutberlet, J. (2018) . Caderno Diálogos Socioambientais na Macrometrópole, 1 (Dec.): 30-37. 

Uddin, S.M.N. and Gutberlet, J. (2018) . Resources, Conservation and Recycling, 134: 1–9.

Gutberlet, J. and Uddin, S. M. N. (2017) . International Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health, 23(4): 299–310.

Gutberlet, J., Kain, J.-H., Nyakinya, B., Oloko, M., Zapata, P., and Zapata Campos, M. J. (2016). . The Journal of Environment and Development. 

Gutberlet, J. (2016). Ways out of the waste dilemma: transforming communities in the Global South. In: “A Future without Waste? Zero Waste in Theory and Practice,” edited by Christof Mauch, RCC Perspectives: Transformations in Environment and Society, no. 3, 55–68.

Gutberlet, J. and Kain, J-H.; Nyakinda, B.; Oshieng, D. H.; Odhiambo, N.; Oloko, M.; Omolo, J.; Omondi, E.; Otieno, S.; Zapata, P. and Zapata Campos, M. J. (2016). . Environment and Urbanization, 28: 205-222.

Gutberlet, J. (2015). . Waste Management. 45: 22-31. 

Gutberlet, J. (2015). . Habitat International. 46: 234-243. 

Gutberlet, J. (2013). Gestão de resíduos sólidos. Revista de Geografia (UFPE), 30 (1): 6-23.

Gutberlet, J. (2013). . Waste and Resource Management, 166 (WR3): 110–113. 

King, M. and Gutberlet, J. (2013). . Waste Management, 33 (12): 2771-2780.

Nunn, N. and Gutberlet, J. (2013). Cooperative recycling in São Paulo, Brazil: towards an emotional consideration of empowerment. Area, 45 (4): 452-458.

Gutberlet, J.; Baeder, A.M.; Pontuschka, N.N.; Felipone, S.M.N. and dos Santos, T.L. . (2013). Participatory research revealing the work and occupational health hazards of cooperative recyclers in Brazil. Int. J. Environ. Res. Public Health, 10 (10): 4607-4627. 

Gutberlet, J. and Jayme, B. de O. (2012). A história do meu rosto: como agentes ambientais percebem a estigmatização (re-)produzida pelo discurso. Geografia em Questão, 5 (2): 183- 200.

Gutberlet, J. (2012). Middle class alliances to end poverty? Commentary on Victoria Lawson’s essay: “De-centering Poverty Studies: middle class alliances and the social construction of poverty. Singapore Journal of Tropical Geography. 33: 20–24 DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-9493.2012.00444.x

Binion, E. and Gutberlet, J. (2012). The effects of handling solid waste on the wellbeing of informal and organized recyclers: A review of the literature. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Health. 18 (1): 43-52.

Gutberlet, J. (2012).  Informal and cooperative recycling as a poverty eradication strategy. Geography Compass, 6/1 (2012): 19–34.

Yates, J.S. and Gutberlet, J. (2011). Re-claiming and re-circulating urban natures: Integrated organic waste management in Diadema, Brazil. Environment and Planning A, 43 (9): 2109-2124.

Yates, J.S. and Gutberlet, J. (2011). Enhancing livelihoods and the urban environment: The local political framework for integrated organic waste management in Diadema, Brazil. Journal of Development Studies, 47 (4): 1-18.

Tremblay, C. and Gutberlet, J. (2011). Empowerment through participation: assessing the voices of leaders from recycling cooperatives in São Paulo, Brazil. Community Development Journal, 46 (3): 282-302.

Books and book chapters

Rodrigues Costa de Castro, A. M. & Gutberlet, J. (forthcoming). Contribution of waste pickers’ grassroots organizations to waste management in Victoria and Vancouver. In: Assuah, A. & Wai Ng, K. T. (Editors), Tylor and Francis.

Gutberlet, J. (forthcoming) Transcendendo barreiras sistêmicas na educação contínua de catadoras e catadores de materiais recicláveis. São Paulo, Editora Sarerê.

Stowell, A., Gutberlet, J., Valenzuela, F., Zapata, P. & Zapata Campos, M. J.  (Eds.) (2024) Waste Research from the Social Sciences and Humanities Perspectives: Reopening the Bin. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK.

Gutberlet, J. & Oliveira, C. H. A. (2024) Perspectivas para la inclusión socioproductiva de los recicladores en el escenario del reciclaje brasileño. In Schamber, P. J.; Suárez, F. M. & Cirelli, C. (Eds.) (2024). Recicloscopio VII. Los Polvorines: Universidad Nacional de General Sarmiento; Lanús: Universidad Nacional de Lanús; Quilmes: Universidad Nacional de Quilmes, pp.: 385-414.

de Azevedo, A. M. M. & Gutberlet, J. (2024) Waste-picker organizations influencing solid waste policies: Insights from grassroots perspectives in Brazil. In: Stowell, A., Gutberlet, J., Valenzuela, F., Zapata, P. & Zapata Campos, M. J.  (Eds.) (2024) Waste Research from the Social Sciences and Humanities Perspectives: Reopening the Bin. Cambridge Scholars Publishing, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK, pp. 68-94.

Gutberlet, J. & de Carvalho Vallin, I. (2024) Grassroots social innovation of waste pickers as critique of the existing social order. In: Corvellec, H. (Editor): Waste as a Critique. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Mihai, F.-C.; Meidiana, C.; Elagroudy, S; Ulman, S.-A.; Gutberlet, J. & Carvalho, C. (2024) Plastic Waste Management for Zero Waste to Landfills: Potential, Challenges, and Opportunities. In: Bhat, R.A., Dar, G.H., Hajam, Y.A. (eds) Zero Waste Management Technologies. Springer, Cham.

 

Jaeger-Erben, M.; Becker, F.; Prūse, B.; Mendoza, J.N.; Gutberlet, J. and Rodrigues E. (2023) Citizen Science. In Philipp, T. and Schmohl, T. Handbook Transdisciplinary Learning. Higher Education: University Teaching and Research Volume 6, pp. 41-51.

Gutberlet, J. (2021). Wastepicker organizations and urban sustainability. In The Routledge Handbook of Waste Studies (pp. 275-290). Routledge.

Gutberlet, J. (2020) Prefacio. In: Francelino Gonçalves-Dias, S. L.; Sakurai, T. andZiglio, L. (Org.)  . Pp. 11-14. São Paulo: Editora Blucher. 

Frey, K.; Ferreira Ramos, R.; Gutberlet, J. and Anjos, L. A. P. dos (2020) ODS 17 – Parcerias e meios de implementação. In: Frey, K.; Torres, P. H.; Jacobi, P. R.; Ramos, R. F. (Orgs.) Os Objetivos do Desenvolvimento Sustentável – desafios para o planejamento e a governança ambiental da Macrometrópole Paulista.  Santo André, Editora da UFABC.

Gutberlet, J. (2020) Pesquisa-ação e participação universitária nas transformações socioambientais. In: Freire, A. F.; Ramos Júnior, D. V.; Mota Machado, L. and Cavalcante da Silva, M. Cultura e território em foco: Uma abordagem interdisciplinar. Porto Alegre, RS: Editora Fi, pp. 21-35.

Frey, K. and Gutberlet, J. (2019) Democracia e governança do clima - diálogos Norte-Sul. In: Torres, P.; Jacobi, P.; Barbi, F. and Gonçalves, L. R. (Orgs.) Governança e Planejamento Ambiental: Adaptação e políticas públicas na Macrometrópole Paulista. Rio de Janeiro, LetraCapital, pp. 23-30.

Gutberlet, J. (2018). , Urban Agglomeration (edited volume, by Ergen, M.), InTech, DOI: 10.5772/intechopen.72047. 

Gutberlet, J. (2016) Urban Recycling Cooperatives: Building Resilient Communities. London, New York: Routledge Taylor and Francis Group. 183 pp.

Gutberlet J., Jayme de Oliveira B. and Tremblay C. (2016) Arts-Based and Participatory Action Research with Recycling Cooperatives. Chapter in: Rowell, L.L., Bruce, C., Shosh, J. M., Riel, M. (Eds.) Palgrave International Handbook of Action Research, Palgrave Macmillan US. EBook ISBN 978-1-137-40523-4. 10.1057/978-1-137-40523-4, pp. 699-715.

King, M.F., Gutberlet, J. and da Silva, D.M. (2016) Contribuição de cooperativas de reciclagem para a redução de emissão de gases de efeito estufa (Contribution of recycling cooperatives to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions). In:Jaquetto Pereira, B.C. and Lira Goes, F. (Org), Catadores de materiais recicláveis: um encontro nacional. Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea). ISBN 978-85-7811-267-7, pp. 507-536.

Gutberlet, J.; Baeder, A.M.; Pontuschka, N.N.; Felipone, S.M.N.; dos Santos, T.L.F. and de Souza, M.A. (2016). Pesquisa-ação em educação ambiental e saúde dos catadores: Estudo de caso realizado com integrantes de cooperativas de coleta seletiva e reciclagem na Região Metropolitana de São Paulo, Brasil (Action research for environmental education and occupational health: A study with members of recycling cooperatives in metropolitan São Paulo). In: Jaquetto Pereira, B. C. and Lira Goes, F. (Org), Catadores de materiais recicláveis: um encontro nacional. Instituto de Pesquisa Econômica Aplicada (Ipea). ISBN 978-85-7811- 267-7, pp. 201-216.

Gutberlet, J. and Tremblay, C. (2015) Peace and social inclusion: Experiences with recycling cooperatives in Brazil and Canada. In: MacPherson, I. and Paz, Y. The Relevance of Co- operatives to Peace. Edited and published by Joy Emmanuel Edited, pp. 213-220.

Rodrigues, G., A. Azevedo, and J. Gutberlet. (2015). Parcerias Público-Privadas no Tratamento de Resíduos Sólidos. Opções e impactos socioambientais no Caso de São Bernardo do Campo/SP (Public-private partnerships in solid waste disposal. The Case of São Bernardo City). In Serie Ciclo de Debates Alianças Público-Privadas para o Desenvolvimento: Experiências brasileiras e desafios para fortalecimento de Alianças Público-Privadas para o Desenvolvimento. Banco Interamericano de Desenvolvimento. Brasília: IDB, ISBN: 978-85-99515-20-4, pp. 173–-187.

Gutberlet, J. and Donoso, M. (2015). . In: Hirsch, T., Lottje, C. and Netzer, N. (Eds.) Exploring Sustainable Low Carbon Development Pathways. Pioneers of Change. 21 good practices for sustainable  low carbon   development in developing countries.  Electronic  ed.:  Berlin: Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung. ISBN 978-3-95861-285-3 pp. 25-37.

Tremblay, C.; Gutberlet, J. and Bonatti M. (2015) Celebrating Community-University Research Partnerships: Experiences in Brazil. In: Hall, B.; Tandon, R. and Tremblay,  C. (Eds.), Strengthening community university research partnerships: global perspectives. Victoria: University of Victoria and PRIA, pp. 73-94.

Gutberlet, J., Tremblay, C. and Moraes, C.S.V. (2014). The community based research tradition in Latin America. In: Higher Education and community based research, Edited by Munch, Mellrath, Hall, B. and Tandon, R., London: Palgrave Macmillian Publishers, pp. 167-246.

Gutberlet, J. and Baeder, A. (2014). A educação participativa e inclusão social de catadores de materiais recicláveis (Participatory education and social inclusionof informal recyclers). In: Loschiavo dos Santos, M.C., Walker, S. and Lopes Francelino Gonçalves, S. (Eds.): Design, Resíduo and Dignidade, São Paulo: Editora Olhares. ISBN 978-85-62114-35-9, pp. 419-436.

Gutberlet, J. and Baeder, A. (2014). Community-based education and social inclusion of informal and organized recyclers in resource recovery. In: Loschiavo dos Santos, M.C., Walker, S. and Lopes Francelino Gonçalves, S. (Eds.): Design, Waste and Dignity, São Paulo: Editora Olhares. ISBN 978-85-62114-35-9. pp. 411-427.

Gutberlet, J. (2014). Replenishing the earth through informal and cooperative recycling. In: Bardi, U. (Ed.) Extracted. How the quest for mineral wealth is plundering the planet: a report to the Club of Rome. Vermont: Chelsea Green Publishing, pp. 218-224.

Gutberlet, J. (2013). Informal cooperative recyclers tackle global environmental challenges. In: ISSC and UNESCO (2013), World Social Science Report 2013, Changing Global Environments, OECD Publishing and UNESCO Publishing, Paris, pp.: 326-332.

Gutberlet, J. (2013). Suffizienz und Wertstoffrückgewinnung statt Rohstoffverschwendung (Sufficiency resource recovery instead of waste). In: Bardi, U. (Ed.) Der geplünderte Planet. Die Zukunft des Menschen im Zeitalter schwindender Ressourcen. Oekom, Muenchen, pp. 295-302.

Gutberlet, J. and Takahashi, N. (2012). Pesca artesanal e pesquisa participativa: Aprender com a comunidade de pescadores em Arraial do Cabo, Brasil (Artisanal fisheries and participatory research: Learning from fishing communities in Arraial do Cabo, Brazil). In: Caldasso, L. Valle, R. and Vinha, V. In: Governança em Reserva Extrativista Marinha. Rio de Janeiro: Pod Editora. ISBN: 978-85-8225-009-9, pp.

Other publications (reports, peer reviewed proceedings, video documentaries, community- outreach brochures)

Telus StoryHive: 6 Episodes on the informal recycling sector from local to global. Episode 1 "A Diverter's Day in the Life"; Episode 2 "Who are the Diverters?"; Episode 3 "The Circular Revolution"; Episode 4 "Diverters Around the World"; Episode 5 "Victoria: Zero Waste City"; Episode 6 "Every Plan Needs Hope".

Gutberlet, J. (Org.) (2024) University of and with waste pickers (UNICATA): History and guidelines of a community-based university. ISBN: 1-7776032-4-3 (Report in English and Portuguese)

Gutberlet, J., Tadeu de Oliveira, D. & Rodrigues Costa de Castro, A. M. (Orgs.) (2023). Research production through citizen science by UNICATA students. Module 1 – Class 1. Vol. 1. ISBN 978-1-7776032-3-6 (Report in English and Portuguese).

Gutberlet, J. (Coord.) (2023) Apostila Modulo 1 Introdução. UNICATA Universidade de e para Catadores. Sao Paulo, SP. ISBN: 978-1-7776032-2-9.

Amarelo, W. & Gutberlet, J. (2023) UNICATA: A University for and with Waste Pickers (English)

Amarelo, W. & Gutberlet, J. (2023) Training workshop for UNICATA educators (English). Link day 1: Link day 2:

Amarelo, W. & Gutberlet, J. (2023) Field visit to the recycling cooperative AVEMARE (English). Link:

Gutberlet, J. & Vallin, I. C. de (2023) Waste picker rights and social inclusion: the creation of a university with knowledge democracy. Sardinia 2023: 19th International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, Santa Margherita di Pula, 09. – 13.10.2023.

Gutberlet, J. & Bramryd, T. (2022) Social, environmental and climate implications of waste management: waste-to-energy and recycling in a global South context. SUM2022: 6TH Symposium on Circular Economy and Urban Mining, Capri, Italy, 18-20 May 2022.

Araujo, S. & Gutberlet, J. (2021) Situação da Coleta Seletiva na cidade de Londrina Paraná, Brasil. Serie Estudios de Caso Basura Cero América Latina y el Caribe. Sistemas integrals. Julio 202, 20 pp.

Araujo, S. & Gutberlet, J. (2021) Situação da Coleta Seletiva na cidade de Araraquara São Paulo. Serie Estudios de Caso Basura Cero América Latina y el Caribe. Sistemas integrals. Julio 202, 15 pp.

Gutberlet, J; Sholanke, D. & Keats, K. (2021) Informal collection of beverage containers in Montreal and the Coop Les Valoristes: A rapid socio-economic livelihoods assessment. University of Victoria, Canada; Community-Based Research Lab, ISBN 978-1-7776032-1-2. DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.36334.13120

PEW Charitable Trust & Systemiq (2020) Breaking the Plastic Wave. A comprehensive assessment of pathways towards stopping ocean plastic pollution. Available: 

Goodluck, C.; Gutberlet, J.; Azevedo, Adalberto, M. M. de; Carenzo, S.; Kain, J-H.; Oloko, M. O. Pérez Reynosa, J.; Zapata, P. & Zapata Campos, M. J. (2019) Sustainable Waste Collection and Recycling for Inclusive Cities. Report on updated research outcomes of the project Recycling Networks & Waste Governance, ISBN 978-1-7776032-0-5. doi: 10.13140/RG.2.2.24170.64967

Frey, K.; Gutberlet, J. & Jacobi, P. R. (2019) Governance of Sustainability Transitions in Cities of the Global South – whereto, by whom, how? 2019 International Sustainability Transitions (IST) Conference, Carleton University, Ottawa – June 23-26, 2019.

Frey, K.; Gutberlet, J. & Jacobi, P. R. (2019) Environmental Governance towards Sustainability Transitions in Cities of the Global South. 4^th International Conference on Public Policy (ICPP4), Montréal – June 26-28, 2019.

Gutberlet, J. (2019) Grassroots innovations in waste governance addressing sustainable development goals. Sardinia 2019: 17^th International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, Santa Margherita di Pula, 30.09. – 04.10.2019.

Gutberlet, J. (2019) Waste picker social economy organizations addressing the Sustainable Development Goals. UNTFSSE International Conference Geneva, 25-26 June 2019

Azevedo, A. M. M. de; Carenzo, S.; Goodluck, C.; Gutberlet, J.; Kain, J.-H.; Oloko, M. O.; Pérez Reynosa, J.; Zapata, P. & Zapata Campos, M. J. (2018) Inclusive waste governance and grassroots innovations for social, environmental and economic change: Report on first research outcomes of the project Recycling Networks & Waste Governance. In collaboration with WIEGO. ISBN 978-91-984547-3-4.

Gutberlet, J. (2016). Regenerating cities with community-based inclusive waste management practices. Sustainable City 2016 Conference paper, Vol. 204 of the WIT Transactions on Ecology and the Environment (ISSN: 1743-3541).

Kain, J-H., Oloko, M.; Zapata, P., Zapata Campos, M. J. and Gutberlet, J. (2015)  (video).

Gutberlet, J. (2015). Action-oriented research on community recycling in São Paulo, Brazil. In: Dearden, P. and Mitchell, B. (Eds.) 2015. Environmental Change and Challenge, 5th Ed, Don Mills: Oxford University Press, pp. 115-116 (textbook contribution).

Carrieri, A. and Gutberlet, J. (2014)  (video).

Gutberlet, J. and Carrieri, A. (2014). Catadoras and Catadores: Working in recycling cooperatives (brochure).

Gutberlet, J. (2014). Recycling cooperatives. In: Liboiron, M., Acuto, M. and Nagle, R (Eds). Discard Studies Compendium. 

Gutberlet, J. (2014). Participatory Action Research. In: Liboiron, M., Acuto, M. and Nagle, R (Eds). Discard Studies Compendium. 

King, M. and Gutberlet, J. (2014). Avaliação da contribuição de cooperativas de reciclagem para a redução de emissão de gases de efeito estufa: Oportunidade para participar no mercado de crédito de carbono. Encontro Nacional “Conhecimento e Tecnologia: Inclusão Socioeconômica de Catadores(as) de Materiais Recicláveis”. Brasília, 20 to 22.08.2014 (conference proceeding).

Gutberlet, J. Baeder, A.M., Pontuschka, N.N. Felipone, S.M.N., dos Santos, T.L.F. and de Souza, A.M. (2014). Pesquisa-ação em educação ambiental e saúde dos catadores. Encontro Nacional “Conhecimento e Tecnologia: Inclusão Socioeconômica de Catadores(as) de Materiais Recicláveis”. Brasília. 20 to 22.08.2014 (conference proceeding).

Gutberlet, J. (2014). Recycling cooperative networks - building resilient communities. Regional Studies Association European Conference 2014. Dokuz Eylül University, Faculty of Business, Izmir, Turkey, 15.-18.06.2014 (conference proceeding).

Gutberlet, J. (2014). Cooperative Urban Mining. SUM 2014, Second Symposium on Urban Mining. Bergamo, Italy 19-21 May 2014 (conference proceeding).

King, M. and Gutberlet, J. (2013). Carbon credits and recycling (brochure).

Caldasso, L.P. Vinha, V. da and Gutberlet, J. (2012). Direitos de propriedade comum: uma abordagem metodológica para reservas marinhas extrativistas no Brasil. VI Encontro Nac. ANPPAS, Belém, Pará. 18.-21.09.2012 (conference proceeding).

Pontuschka, N. N. Gutberlet, J., Baeder, A. M., Marins, A. M., Cardozo, F. L., Honorato, M. L., Freitas Takahashi, M. R. and Dias, S. A. (2012). Dialogo, participacao e sustentabilidade:  A coleta seletiva no projeto Brasil-Canada. FEUSP. ISBN: 978-85-60944-37-8 (conference proceeding).

Pontuschka, N.N. Gutberlet, J., Baeder, A., Felipone, S.M.N., dos Santos, T.L.F. and Dias, S.A. (2012). Environmental Education and Health (brochure).

Pontuschka, N.N. Gutberlet, J., Baeder, A. M., Marins, A.M., Cardozo, F.L., Honorato, M.L., Freitas Takahashi, M. R. and Dias, S.A. (2012). Collective commercialization of recyclable material (brochure).

Gutberlet, J. (2012). Action-oriented research on community recycling in São Paulo, Brazil. In: Dearden, P. and Mitchell, B. (Eds.) 2012. Environmental Change and Challenge, 4th Ed, Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp. 116-117.

Gutberlet, J. (2012). Co-creation of knowledge on occupational health. Interact. The Association of Commonwealth Universities, 2: August 2012, pp. 3-4 (news article).

Albanás Couto, G., Gutberlet, J. Pontuschka, N.N., Baeder, A. and Dias de Araujo, S. (2012). Seminário Internacional de Coleta Seletiva. Encerramento do Projeto Gestão Participativa e Sustentável de Resíduos Sólidos (PSWM) / Projeto Brasil-Canadá e Construção de perspectivas de inclusão e de sustentabilidade. Santo Andre (report).