Improvising Circularity: Frugal Innovation and Informal Resource-Recovery Cycles in Pakistan

Eve Bohnett; Muhammad  Tariq Yousafzai; Wajid Rashid; Gul  Ghutai; Neelam Akbar

doi:10.55845/joce-2026-41329

Authors

Eve Bohnett Department of Landscape Architecture, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32601 Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1870-8897
Muhammad Tariq Yousafzai Department for Management and Commerce, University of Swat, 19130, Pakistan Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5263-9899
Wajid Rashid Department of Environmental and Conservation Sciences, University of Swat, 19130, Pakistan Author https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3003-4805
Gul Ghutai Sardar Bahadur Khan Women University, Quetta, Pakistan Author https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1270-8375
Neelam Akbar Department for Management and Commerce, University of Swat, 19130, Pakistan Author https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6646-181X

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.55845/joce-2026-41329

Keywords:

Frugal, Jugaad Innovation, Informal Recycling, Valorization, Grounded Theory, Resource Recovery Cycles

Abstract

This study examines how informal recycling intermediaries shape circular material flows through frugal innovation, using the Recursive Resource-Recovery Cycles (3RCs) framework. An inductive grounded theory methodology was applied through two waves of data collection, comprising four pilot interviews and 22 semi-structured interviews in the main stage with actors across six recyclable streams in Pakistan: e-waste, construction and demolition debris, textiles, agricultural waste, plastics, and religious festival waste. The results reveal interconnected networks of waste pickers, aggregators, and stockpile agents who generate value through adaptive practices such as shared transport, manual repair, and improvised upcycling and downcycling. For example, pre-used hybrid vehicles are partially dismantled to exploit tax exemptions and recover residual value. Across streams, a “bag-in-bag” collection method enables progressively higher layered inventories through repeated sorting and bundling cycles. At the same time, intermediaries consolidate loads to lower logistics costs and sustain market access. However, limited traceability, due to neglected resin codes and cash-based transactions, often leads to downcycling. The 3RC framework highlights how improvisation, human agency, and material constraints drive circularity in resource constrained environments through stop gap jugaad innovation arrangements, while pointing to the need for safer technology transfer and supportive formalization.

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