The privatisation of solid waste infrastructure and services in Asia

Abstract

One of the purposes of this paper is to raise some rarely asked questions about privatisation of the urban environmental infrastructure and services sector. Asking them is important because, even though privatisation is claimed not to be a panacea by its proponents, it is nevertheless perceived as such by many. At a time when privatisation seems to have been not just simply advocated but overglorified by its proponents, it is imperative to conduct a critical review of its premises and promises. This paper constitutes a critique not of the privatisation approach per se but of the overwhelming expectations placed upon it.