Below is a summary on problems faced by current waste management systems and the most important tasks to be carried out by nation states in order to achieve various waste management targets.

 

Problems:

a) making up for regulatory and standardisation gaps: determining global waste management trends is difficult for a number of reasons. One of the most important of these is the issue of regulatory deficiencies. On the one hand, the terminology is not the same globally, or even at the regional level. In general, developed countries have more detailed and modern regulatory systems than developing countries. It can also often be seen that modern rules and waste management practices are transposed into national laws without thorough impact studies, even though the regulatory background, traditions, culture, consumption or waste production habits of the given state are not prepared for the integration of the new types of regulations.

 

b) Several countries lack the tools to control waste management, so only data that are hard to compare are available from individual regions, for example, regarding the total waste collected and the composition of waste. In many cases, only estimatesare available.5 The different content of data is also complicated by the different regulations on compliance, which is why it would be necessary - at least for the most important issues - to develop a unified standard system. The lack of appropriate waste management standards is also a challenge in the application of smart basic technologies in the automation of relevant activities.

c) Considering the negative environmental impact and other adverse effects of producing waste, the most important goal is to prevent waste generation. The state institutional system has a significant responsibility in this. An item becomes waste once it is discarded; items are usually products used (and disposed of) by consumers. That is why educating the public, as well as business and industry actorsplays such a crucial role. This can be achieved by increasing the integration of environmental protection and waste prevention principles into the education system, by checking compliance with the regulations and by strictly sanctioning those who break the rules. Experience shows that household waste management practices are shaped by rational decisions, but also by habits,9 so in societies where social environmental awareness is high, more moderate sanctions can also be effective.

 

d) Access to waste collection services varies significantly within and across regions: in higher-income regions, almost all municipal solid waste is collected, while in lower-income countries the collection rate is significantly lower (e.g. Oceania, Central and South Asia, Sub-Saharan Africa).10 This also shows that a proper organisation of waste management service is extremely important. In most countries, waste management is a public task organised and carried out by local governments. In addition, there are models where the state performs waste management tasks with the involvement of municipalities or private parties. According to the UN, it can be beneficial to involve the private sector more actively in order to avoid administrative bureaucratic obstacles.11

 

e) Waste management has been described as one of the key features of the circular economic model. One other very important stage of the circular economy model - as well as the waste hierarchy - is reuse. Reuse is higher in the waste hierarchy than recycling, as it does not involve energy-intensive processes. States have an increased responsibility for creating the institutional and market conditions for reuse. This requires the elaboration of good national practices of reuse and their broad social integration.

 

f) In practice, the recycling of waste has become the most widespread, and in developed economies, individual industries quickly recognised the market opportunities inherent in recycling. Of course, the establishment of an efficient collection system is also a prerequisite for this. The responsibility of the states is primarily to support the innovations and investments required for recycling, to ensure the quality of the product created through recycling, and to support its market access. As we have already mentioned, the EU has set a target of 60% for the reuse and recycling of municipal waste by 2030. This requires increased infrastructure investments and the creation of a targeted incentive system from the EU Member States. According to some authors, one of the obstacles to the transition to a circular economy is that consumers are attracted to new products. This discourages investment in improving the durability of goods.14 New products are also usually more expensive.

 

g) Another important goal of waste management is to reduce waste disposal and prevent the loss of secondary raw materials contained in waste. That’s why states need to increase their waste reduction and recycling efforts to reduce the amount of waste that ends up in landfills. In addition, it is very important to establish appropriate disposal practices and to create regulatory frameworks, because improper disposal attracts pests, blocks natural ecological pathways (canals, reproductive pathways) and can lead to the proliferation of pathogens.

h) Waste incineration is one of the solutions for waste disposal. At the same time, it results in a wide range of airborne pollutants, some of which remain permanently in the air and are extremely harmful to the environment and human health.

 

i) Carrying out waste management tasks is rather expensive. As the amount of waste rises, costs also increase. Inadequate waste management systems are often the result of a lack of financial resources. In 2020, the global urban waste management cost was US$252.3 billion.17 The most expensive aspect is the provision of the human and material resources for the collection, as well as the establishment and operation of the infrastructural elements.

 

j) Finally, it is worth highlighting the incentive role of the state, as it can support the increase in the efficiency of waste management with the help of numerous monetary and non-monetary incentives. Change undoubtedly requires an interdisciplinary approach and the involvement of all layers of society.18 Different support mechanisms can promote the manufacturer’s eco-innovations and encourage recycling.19 In addition, the support of waste management innovations also encourages learning and integration of advanced waste management methodologies.20 The latest green economy trends support the development of cleaner, less polluting and waste-producing technologies that use materials and resources more efficiently.21