Effects of External Agentification in Local Government: A European Comparison of Municipal Waste Management

Purpose of the study: The municipal waste management system covers all activities related to waste, and its organization is a mandatory task of the local government. The system is financed by income from fees paid by property owners in the commune and should be balanced. The aim of the paper is to assess the functioning of waste management systems in selected cities in Poland, in terms of their self-financing. Methodology: The comparative analysis covered the revenues and expenses related to municipal waste management systems as well as the fee rates in 2020. In some cases, the change of the phenomenon over time was analyzed. Main findings: In seven out of ten analyzed cities, the system was deficient, while the other ones generated a surplus, which could result from an increase in the fee rates. Compared to other cities, high rates do not cause a surplus of the system, an example of which is Łódź. The presented data, concerning the last two or three years, are insufficient to explain clearly what is behind the shortages of municipal waste management systems. Application of the study: The content of the paper may be useful for local government practitioners and other people dealing with the effectiveness of municipal finance. Originality/Novelty of the study: The municipal waste management system in communes, described in the paper, is used in Poland since 2013 and is still being modificated. There are no studies on its effectiveness and efficiency. The presented data may inspire to a deeper analysis, which should be subjected to the financial efficiency of municipal waste management systems in the time perspective.

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Situation, Challenges, and Solutions of Policy Implementation on Municipal Waste Management in Vietnam toward Sustainability

Sustainability ◽

10.3390/su13063517 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (6) ◽

pp. 3517

Author(s):

Lien Thi Kim Trinh ◽

Allen H. Hu ◽

Song Toan Pham Phu

Keyword(s):

Waste Management ◽

Policy Implementation ◽

Municipal Solid Waste ◽

Solid Waste ◽

Solid Waste Management ◽

Municipal Waste ◽

Management Policy ◽

Municipal Solid Waste Management ◽

Municipal Waste Management ◽

Waste Management Policy

Municipal solid waste management is an environmental issue that has received considerable attention from researchers and environmental managers for decades. Supporting the management programs entail policies and regulations related to municipal solid waste. In developed countries, the implementation of environmental policies plays an important role and has a substantial impact on the effectiveness of solid waste management. However, in many developing countries such as Vietnam, the situation and effectiveness of the policy implementation have not been studied extensively. This investigation is conducted to ascertain the situation, limitations, and challenges in implementing solid waste management policy in Vietnam. Then, solutions for the problems and improvements for implementation efficiency are presented. This work used online questionnaires to survey environmental managers in different localities and applied qualitative research method to analyze data. The results show that not all national policies on solid waste management are implemented in all localities. Waste separation is also the foremost concern in municipal waste management in most localities of Vietnam. Most of the localities claimed that the unrealistic nature and difficult implementation of the policies and the lack of needed resources are the main limitations and challenges in Vietnam. Survey results also revealed that different localities in Vietnam have different solutions to increase policy implementation efficiency. Besides, the study also found similarities in the implementation of policies in solid waste management between Vietnam and some other countries and also gathered some valuable lessons for the improvement strategy. Finally, the implementation of an effective domestic solid waste management policy is an important platform for improving environmental quality and ensuring the sustainable development of the nation and mankind.

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