Too Much Modernity or Too Little?

This paper examines the early development of international waste governance from 1966 to 1976. As industrialised nations generated more waste due to urbanisation and changing consumption, international organisations faced pressure to respond. The World Health Organization led efforts by creating the International Reference Centre for Wastes Disposal (IRCWD) in collaboration with the Swiss Federal Institute for Water Supply, Sewage Purification and Water Pollution Control (EAWAG) and the International Association for Public Cleansing (INTAPUC). The IRCWD aimed to centralise global waste management knowledge and coordination. However, institutional fragmentation, funding issues and differing views on whether waste was a technical or systemic issue hindered its success. While some saw waste as a symptom of flawed modernisation, most treated it as a technical problem requiring improved disposal methods. Competition from other organisations, WHO ambivalence, and reluctance to challenge economic systems weakened momentum. Ultimately, waste became a shared concern but was addressed in fragmented ways. The study shows how institutional and political factors, rather than environmental priorities, shaped early international waste policy.