A Review of Indigenous Knowledge Systems and Their Application in Sustainable Solid Waste Management

Benett Siyabonga Madonsela (), Khomotso Semenya and Karabo Shale
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Benett Siyabonga Madonsela: Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida Campus, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
Khomotso Semenya: Department of Environmental Sciences, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, University of South Africa, Florida Campus, Roodepoort 1709, South Africa
Karabo Shale: School of Interdisciplinary Research and Graduate Studies, College of Graduate Studies, University of South Africa, Pretoria 0001, South Africa

World, 2024, vol. 5, issue 2, 1-21

Abstract: Indigenous communities have always used their knowledge systems to improve their quality of life. For example, rural communities’ resort to indigenous cultural practices to manage their own waste when local administration lacks coordinated ways to manage waste. In the context of indigenous knowledge systems, the idea of waste is non-existent. As indigenous knowledge is believed to provide a holistic framework for an approach that effectively promotes sustainability. As such, the current study conducted a systematic review to evaluate the extent to which indigenous solid waste management practices contribute to sustainable waste disposal methods. Using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses guidelines, a literature search was carried out in the field of indigenous solid waste management practices. The results indicate a significant imbalance in the amount of conclusive evidence that has been produced to date that suggests the sustainability of indigenous solid waste management practices. It is for this reason that the current study has discovered a substantial literature gap in sustainable solid waste management associated with indigenous knowledge systems. This is an unprecedented trend, especially for a knowledge system that is supposed to promote sustainability practices. However, to improve the likelihood of incorporating indigenous solid waste disposal methods into modern practices, it is imperative to understand the foundational elements that contribute to the advancement of sustainability, lest the sustainability aspect associated with this knowledge system in the discipline of solid waste management remain a mere rhetoric.

Keywords: indigenous solid waste management; indigenous knowledge systems; sustainability; indigenous communities; traditional knowledge; indigenous waste disposal methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: G15 G17 G18 L21 L22 L25 L26 Q42 Q43 Q47 Q48 R51 R52 R58 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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