A critical review of opportunities and challenges of solid waste management in an emerging economy- evidence from Pakistan

IF 4.7 2区 环境科学与生态学 Q2 ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Sajid Rashid , Hameeda Sultan , Wajid Rashid , Bushra Danish Talpur , Roberto Xavier Supe Tulcan , Muhammad Tariq Khan , Eve Bohnett , Muhammad Safar Korai , Lixiao Zhang
{"title":"A critical review of opportunities and challenges of solid waste management in an emerging economy- evidence from Pakistan","authors":"Sajid Rashid ,&nbsp;Hameeda Sultan ,&nbsp;Wajid Rashid ,&nbsp;Bushra Danish Talpur ,&nbsp;Roberto Xavier Supe Tulcan ,&nbsp;Muhammad Tariq Khan ,&nbsp;Eve Bohnett ,&nbsp;Muhammad Safar Korai ,&nbsp;Lixiao Zhang","doi":"10.1016/j.envdev.2025.101182","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>A substantial rise in solid waste (SW) generation coincides with socioeconomic development, making solid waste management (SWM) a growing wicked challenge for developing country like Pakistan. The SWM is marked by systemic inefficiencies and significant ecological dangers, is a significant socio-economic concern in Pakistan. With huge amount of waste improperly disposed of in open fields, waterways, and roadsides, the country faces significant environmental and public health threats. This comprehensive review examines the current state of SWM in Pakistan, such as open dumping and landfilling. Analyzing the multidimensional barriers to successful waste SWM and discovering potential strategic interventions. The research shows that Pakistan's SWM is fundamentally inhibited by inadequate legislative frameworks, narrow political commitment, minimal public awareness, and insufficient technological infrastructure. Despite the considerable potential of solid waste as a resource for energy generation and recycling, current practices remain predominantly linear and unsustainable. Key systemic challenges include outdated regulations, financial limitations, and a lack of coordinated stakeholder engagement across municipal, private, public, and informal sectors. The study identifies critical determinants of effective SWM, emphasizing the importance of employment generation, local governance, public-private partnerships, and technological integration. These factors are intrinsically linked to achieving sustainable development goals. The analysis suggests that comprehensive policy reforms, including supportive investment frameworks, educational initiatives, financial incentives, and strict waste disposal regulations, are essential for transforming SWM network. Finally, it emphasizes the need for improved public participation and government commitment to transition towards a circular economy and substantial potential for generating greener energy from waste, which could be harnessed through better planning and investment.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":54269,"journal":{"name":"Environmental Development","volume":"55 ","pages":"Article 101182"},"PeriodicalIF":4.7000,"publicationDate":"2025-02-23","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Environmental Development","FirstCategoryId":"93","ListUrlMain":"https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S221146452500048X","RegionNum":2,"RegionCategory":"环境科学与生态学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0

Abstract

A substantial rise in solid waste (SW) generation coincides with socioeconomic development, making solid waste management (SWM) a growing wicked challenge for developing country like Pakistan. The SWM is marked by systemic inefficiencies and significant ecological dangers, is a significant socio-economic concern in Pakistan. With huge amount of waste improperly disposed of in open fields, waterways, and roadsides, the country faces significant environmental and public health threats. This comprehensive review examines the current state of SWM in Pakistan, such as open dumping and landfilling. Analyzing the multidimensional barriers to successful waste SWM and discovering potential strategic interventions. The research shows that Pakistan's SWM is fundamentally inhibited by inadequate legislative frameworks, narrow political commitment, minimal public awareness, and insufficient technological infrastructure. Despite the considerable potential of solid waste as a resource for energy generation and recycling, current practices remain predominantly linear and unsustainable. Key systemic challenges include outdated regulations, financial limitations, and a lack of coordinated stakeholder engagement across municipal, private, public, and informal sectors. The study identifies critical determinants of effective SWM, emphasizing the importance of employment generation, local governance, public-private partnerships, and technological integration. These factors are intrinsically linked to achieving sustainable development goals. The analysis suggests that comprehensive policy reforms, including supportive investment frameworks, educational initiatives, financial incentives, and strict waste disposal regulations, are essential for transforming SWM network. Finally, it emphasizes the need for improved public participation and government commitment to transition towards a circular economy and substantial potential for generating greener energy from waste, which could be harnessed through better planning and investment.

Abstract Image

求助全文
约1分钟内获得全文 求助全文
来源期刊
Environmental Development
Environmental Development Social Sciences-Geography, Planning and Development
CiteScore
8.40
自引率
1.90%
发文量
62
审稿时长
74 days
期刊介绍: Environmental Development provides a future oriented, pro-active, authoritative source of information and learning for researchers, postgraduate students, policymakers, and managers, and bridges the gap between fundamental research and the application in management and policy practices. It stimulates the exchange and coupling of traditional scientific knowledge on the environment, with the experiential knowledge among decision makers and other stakeholders and also connects natural sciences and social and behavioral sciences. Environmental Development includes and promotes scientific work from the non-western world, and also strengthens the collaboration between the developed and developing world. Further it links environmental research to broader issues of economic and social-cultural developments, and is intended to shorten the delays between research and publication, while ensuring thorough peer review. Environmental Development also creates a forum for transnational communication, discussion and global action. Environmental Development is open to a broad range of disciplines and authors. The journal welcomes, in particular, contributions from a younger generation of researchers, and papers expanding the frontiers of environmental sciences, pointing at new directions and innovative answers. All submissions to Environmental Development are reviewed using the general criteria of quality, originality, precision, importance of topic and insights, clarity of exposition, which are in keeping with the journal''s aims and scope.
×
引用
GB/T 7714-2015
复制
MLA
复制
APA
复制
导出至
BibTeX EndNote RefMan NoteFirst NoteExpress
×
提示
您的信息不完整,为了账户安全,请先补充。
现在去补充
×
提示
您因"违规操作"
具体请查看互助需知
我知道了
×
提示
确定
请完成安全验证×
copy
已复制链接
快去分享给好友吧!
我知道了
右上角分享
点击右上角分享
0
联系我们:info@booksci.cn Book学术提供免费学术资源搜索服务,方便国内外学者检索中英文文献。致力于提供最便捷和优质的服务体验。 Copyright © 2023 布克学术 All rights reserved.
京ICP备2023020795号-1
ghs 京公网安备 11010802042870号
Book学术文献互助
Book学术文献互助群
群 号:481959085
Book学术官方微信