Waste management evolution in the last five decades in developing countries – A review

Amani Maalouf; Pariatamby Agamuthu

doi:10.1177/0734242x231160099

journal article Open Access Apr 26, 2023

Waste management evolution in the last five decades in developing countries – A review

Amani Maalouf

Pariatamby Agamuthu

Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy Vol. 41 No. 9 pp. 1420-1434 · SAGE Publications

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Abstract

This review provides the history and current paradigms of waste management (WM) practices in developing nations during the last five decades. It explores the evolution of the challenges, complexities, and trends during this period. This paper, for the first time, presents an estimation of the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in developing nations in the last five decades based on the material flow analysis approach. Overall, the amount of MSW in developing countries has increased from about 0.64 billion Mt in 1970 to 2 billion Mt in 2019. This review demonstrates the importance of finding new WM approaches in developing nations in the context of formulating policies, strategies, and highlights the major trends that re-define WM in developing countries. It also aims to present the holistic changes in technology, economic and environmental feasibility aspects to attain an integrated sustainable WM system in developing countries. Specific focus on open-burning, open-dumping, informal recycling, food waste, plastic pollution, and waste collection with reference to Sustainable Development Goals are explained. Drivers for the way forward including circular economy are investigated.

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Details

Published: Apr 26, 2023
Vol/Issue: 41(9)
Pages: 1420-1434
License: View

Authors

A

Amani Maalouf

Oxford Sustainable Finance Group, Smith School of Enterprise and the Environment, School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Research Department, D-Waste, Athens, Greece

P

Pariatamby Agamuthu

Jeffrey Sachs Center on Sustainable Development, Sunway University, Sunway, Selangor, Malaysia

Cite This Article

Amani Maalouf, Pariatamby Agamuthu (2023). Waste management evolution in the last five decades in developing countries – A review. Waste Management & Research: The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy, 41(9), 1420-1434. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734242x231160099

Waste management evolution in the last five decades in developing countries – A review

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