The Clean Development Mechanism in the Solid Waste Management Sector: Sustainable for Whom?

Using a waste-to-energy project located in a landfill on the outskirts of San Salvador as a case in point, we argue that the UN's Clean Development Mechanism falls short of its stated mandate to promote sustainable development. While the mechanism may provide environmental and economic value creation for some stakeholders, it provides value destruction for others, namely for the disenfranchised communities neighboring the project site. We describe three specific challenges that the solid waste management industry represents for the CDM and suggest that a revised plan would incorporate a social inclusion agenda in partial fulfillment of the requirements for CDM approval.