Policy options for solid waste management
This toolkit summarises practical lessons on solid waste management, from reforming cities across Africa, Asia and the Middle East. It highlights the trade-offs that municipal leaders face between ambition and feasibility, cost recovery and affordability, enforcement and trust.
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Ctw-Cleaner-Cities-Policy-Toolkit.pdf
PDF document • 3.97 MB
Urban waste management is both a practical necessity and a visible reflection of city governance. In low- and middle-income cities, uncollected refuse undermines health, productivity, and public confidence. It clogs drainage, fuels flooding, and contributes to respiratory disease through open burning.
Solid waste management in developing cities already consumes one-fifth of municipal budgets on average, yet service delivery remains uneven and financially precarious.
This toolkit synthesises global evidence and experience to guide policymakers in designing credible, affordable, and politically viable reforms.
Its key messages are:
1. Focus on reliable basic collection, with technologies appropriate to local conditions. Without convenient and predictable collection, no waste system can succeed.
2. Integrating informal collectors strengthens both coverage and efficiency. The informal sector is a critical municipal partner that can be supported rather than displaced.
3. Sustainable funding must balance cost recovery with affordability, while also incentivising proper waste management behaviour. Effective financial design underpins durable reform and sustains compliance.
4. Compliance is sustained by trust and transparency, not penalties alone. Long-term behavioural change requires predictability, communication, and civic legitimacy.