Waste problem in European Union and its influence on waste management behaviours

Highlights

• In EU significant differences was observed in terms of municipal waste generation.

• The level of waste generation significantly depended on economic development.

• The relationship between recycling behaviour and waste generation was significant.

• Attitudes to personal waste generation influenced reducing and recycling behaviours.

• Efforts to reduce waste influenced only waste recycling behaviour

Abstract

Waste generation is a critical problem globally and even in the European Union (EU). In EU countries, significant differences have been observed in terms of municipal waste generation. The level of waste generation significantly depended on economic development. The most effective tools for solving the waste problem should be the enhancement of reducing, reusing, and recycling behaviours. However, our results revealed that the level of reducing and reusing behaviours insignificantly influenced waste generation. Thus, countries seeking to minimize waste generation should also pay more attention to the promotion of sustainable consumption and production. Meanwhile, the relationship between recycling behaviour and waste generation was positive and statistically significant. Analysing the determinants of waste management behaviours, attitude to personal waste generation significantly contribute to all waste management behaviours. Meanwhile, attitudes to general waste management significantly but negatively influence waste reducing and recycling behaviours. Thus, only these respondents who understand that they personally contribute to waste problem, more perform waste management behaviours. Furthermore, the efforts to reduce waste significantly influenced only recycling behaviour while attitude to resource efficiency insignificantly determined all waste management behaviours, revealing that people in the EU have a lack of knowledge about the relationship between waste reduction and resource efficiency.

Introduction

The waste problem, due to the growing global population, consumerism and the linear approach to industrialisation, has become an increasingly severe issue in the 21st century (Stoeva and Alriksson, 2017; D'Amato et al., 2016; Feo et al., 2019). As people's lives become more affluent, the amount of waste increases (Malinauskaite et al., 2017) and global solid waste generation is expected to triple by 2100 (World Bank, 2013). The reduction of waste contributes to the natural resource depletion, environmental pollution, for which treatment in recent years is paid so much attention (Zhang et al., 2017a; Huang et al., 2018; Liu et al., 2018, Zeng et al., 2016). Furthermore, globally, and even in European Union (EU) countries, landfill rates are still high; meanwhile, waste prevention and recycling rates are too low (Pietzsch et al., 2017; Samadder et al., 2017). Therefore, the efficiency and success of waste management are more important than ever.

The priorities of EU waste management policy, in ascending order is the disposal of waste, energy recovery, recycling, reuse, and waste prevention (Stoeva and Alriksson, 2017). Authors agreed that waste reducing, reusing, and recycling (3R) behaviours have been widely accepted tools of waste management (Ma et al., 2018; Pandey et al., 2018; Matsuda et al., 2018). This waste management hierarchy also plays a central role in greening the household waste sector by minimizing waste generation and in achieving a circular economy (Pandey et al., 2018; Stoeva and Alriksson, 2017; Awasthi et al., 2018; Pietzsch et al., 2017; Millward-Hopkins et al., 2018). However, EU waste policies mostly defined targets for waste reduction (reducing waste mostly by recycling) despite waste prevention (avoidance of waste) being at the top of the ‘waste solution hierarchy’ (Cecere et al., 2014; Wilts et al., 2013). The European Commission proposed targets to reuse and recycle municipal waste at least by 70% before 2030 (including a minimum of 5% of total municipal waste for reuse) (Malinauskaite et al., 2017). Thus, EU targets on waste prevention are very recent and waste management is in its initial stages (Pietzsch et al., 2017).

In this paper we examine the waste problem in EU. The main attention is paid to impact of waste management behaviour on waste generation. Thus, referring to Eurostat waste generation database and the Eurobarometer survey “Attitudes of Europeans towards waste management and resource efficiency” conducted in 2014, we analyse the tendencies of waste 3R behaviours in EU countries, and we reveal whether the gap between declared behaviour and real changes in waste generation exists or not. Considering that only a few of authors have analysed the determinants of all three waste management (i.e. waste 3R behaviours) behaviours (Barr et al., 2001; Barr, 2007; Tonglet et al., 2004), and also the effects of attitudes on waste generation as the problem, to the best of our knowledge, have not been analysed yet, we provide new insights into the subject.