From alley to landfill: Challenges of and design opportunities for cleaning Dhaka's communal trash

Md Rashidujjaman Rifat, Aysha Siddique, Azza Abouzied, Jay Chen

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceedingConference contribution

Abstract

Garbage is an endemic problem in developing cities due to the continual inux of migrants from rural areas coupled with deficient municipal capacity planning. In cities like Dhaka, open waste dumps contribute to the prevalence of disease, environmental contamination, catastrophic ooding, and deadly fires. Recent interest in the garbage problem has prompted cursory proposals to introduce technology solutions for mapping and fundraising. Yet, the role of technology and its potential benefits are unexplored in this large-scale problem. In this paper, we contribute to the understanding of the waste ecology in Dhaka and how the various actors acquire, perform, negotiate, and coordinate their roles. Within this context, we explore design opportunities for using computing technologies to support collaboration between waste pickers and residents of these communities. We find opportunities in the presence of technology and the absence of mechanisms to facilitate coordination of community funding and crowd work.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Title of host publicationProceedings of the 8th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, ICTD 2016
PublisherAssociation for Computing Machinery
ISBN (Electronic)9781450343060
DOIs
StatePublished - Jun 3 2016
Event8th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, ICTD 2016 - Ann Arbor, United States
Duration: Jun 3 2016Jun 6 2016

Publication series

NameACM International Conference Proceeding Series
Volume03-06-June-2016

Other

Other8th International Conference on Information and Communication Technologies and Development, ICTD 2016
Country/TerritoryUnited States
CityAnn Arbor
Period6/3/166/6/16

Keywords

  • Collective action
  • Crowdfunding
  • Crowdsourcing
  • Garbage
  • ICTD
  • Information communication technology for development
  • Waste management

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Software
  • Human-Computer Interaction
  • Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
  • Computer Networks and Communications

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