Reuse Value in Tunisia: The Role of Community-Based Organizations in Transforming the Circular Economy

This study explores the potential of reuse practices in Tunisia through the theoretical lens of reuse value. Although national policies predominantly prioritize industrial recycling and energy recovery, community-based reuse initiatives continue to operate at the margins of formal waste management frameworks. Employing a qualitative exploratory design, the research draws on 31 semi-structured interviews, approximately 120 hours of field observations, and extensive documentary analysis conducted across eight emblematic organizations, including charitable associations, women’s textile cooperatives, repair workshops, and citizen initiatives. Data were subjected to thematic analysis using NVivo software. The findings demonstrate that these initiatives generate a distinctive hybrid reuse value, which integrates an embodied dimension, reflected in the material prolongation and creative transformation of objects, such as the repurposing of textiles that diverts substantial volumes from landfills, with a relational dimension, manifested in the creation of solidarity networks, socio-professional integration, and practices of care. Despite facing significant challenges such as limited institutional recognition, financial precarity, and territorial fragmentation (i.e., the uneven geographical distribution and limited coordination between organizations across regions), these community-driven practices offer a promising pathway toward a more inclusive and socially just circular economy, as evidenced by their ability to simultaneously reduce waste and strengthen local social ties. This research contributes to the literature empirically by documenting the largely understudied role of Tunisian community-based organizations and conceptually by refining the reuse value framework within a Global South context. It calls for specific policy reforms, including the formal integration of reuse into the National Strategy for Integrated and Sustainable Waste Management, the development of indicators capable of capturing hybrid value, and the strengthening of partnerships between community organizations and public institutions, particularly the Ministry of the Environment and the National Agency for Waste Management (ANGED).