Separate Waste Collection as part of Reforming the Municipal Solid Waste Management Industry

Abstract

As the experience of developed countries has shown, the creation of an effective zero-waste economic model based on the principles of a circular economy is impossible without the competent management of production and consumption waste. The most important aspect in this case is the separate collection of waste by fractions, which reduces the cost of sorting and, as a result, increases the attractiveness of recyclables. The purpose of the study is to identify the main obstacles that the Russian Federation faces in carrying out the waste reform and creating a system for the separate collection of municipal solid waste. An analysis of the accumulated scientific and practical experience on this issue allows us to assert that the viability of separate waste collection as an economic model for handling them can hardly be contested. The feasibility and potential cost-effectiveness of separate collection is confirmed by studies conducted both in the context of the country as a whole and at the level of individual regions. Based on this, the author assumes that the problem of introducing separate waste collection is of an organizational and legal nature, in connection with which he analyzed the main theoretical and legal approaches to solving the issue. Having studied the empirical material accumulated by science, the author concludes that three main factors prevent separate waste collection, namely a low level of waste management culture among the population, an insufficient number of incentive mechanisms for the industry, and the existence of legal gaps and administrative barriers that prevent creation of infrastructure for separate collection and disposal of waste. The author considers the main aspects of these factors and suggests options for solving the identified problems.