Zero Waste Economy: Theological Insights for Urban Sustainable Waste Management

About The Book One of the major concerns of the present society is the rampant consumerism and the malignant throw away culture, which has resulted in the accumulation of waste. Regardless of urban or rural area, nobody wants rubbish in their backyard. The theology that emerges from the present research is garbology which states that whatever God has created is 'good' and 'holy'. The 'good' is considered sacred and useful; and the useless is waste and therefore must be thrown out. The author asserts that the management of waste is required so as to keep our environment 'good' and 'holy'.

About The Author R. Shibu Mayam, a Presbyter of CSI South Kerala Diocese, is presently working at CSI Thirupuram. He obtained the Bachelor of Divinity degree from Kerala United Theological Seminary, and then the Master's degree in Social Analysis from Tamil Nadu Theological Seminary under the Senate of Serampore in 2014.

Preface The history of human civilization is also the history of waste generation and disposal whether or failure. It starts from the very moment when life is created and passed through diverse societies ranging from the primitive to the modern industrial era and is still continuing. It becomes a problem when there is even a small hindrance in the management of waste. This happened in Thiruvananthapuram also.

The Thiruvananthapuram Corporation wanted to get rid of the issue of waste accumulation by selecting a rural place, Vilappilsala, for the construction of a waste treatment plant. Topographically the place is unfit for the plant because of its proximity to a low lying water source which became unfit even for cattle washing. In this context the Vilappilsala Janakeeya Samithy (VJS), a people's movement, mobilized the people and intensified the struggle which ultimately led to the closure of the plant. This book Zero Waste Economy: Theological Insights for Urban Sustainable Waste Management is an attempt to study the conflict between VJS and the Corporation on the question of waste disposal. The author made use of the quantitative method under which questionnaires were distributed and interviews done with the villagers and the Corporation authorities to find out the real facts, and the data collected was codified and analysed under Houtart's Method of Social Analysis.

**Contents and Sample Pages**