Building new paths for responsible solid waste management

• Published in: Environmental monitoring and assessment 2021-07, Vol.193 (7), Article 442
• Main Authors: Espuny, Maximilian, Faria Neto, Antonio, da Motta Reis, José Salvador, dos Santos Neto, Sérgio Tenório, Nunhes, Thais Vieira, de Oliveira, Otávio José
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Bibliometrics; Biological treatment; Biological treatment of pollutants; Content analysis; Decision making; Earth and Environmental Science; Ecology; Ecotoxicology; Environment; Environmental health; Environmental impact; Environmental Management; Environmental monitoring; Environmental science; Monitoring/Environmental Analysis; Public health; Solid waste management; Solid wastes; Urban areas; Waste disposal; Waste management; Waste management industry
• ISSN: 0167-6369; 1573-2959
• DOI: 10.1007/s10661-021-09173-0

The amount of solid waste produced across the planet in the past decade was 1.3 billion tons (1.2 kg/year per person). Also, the significant number of publications on solid waste management (SWM) draws attention to the importance of discussing the topic to improve public health and to mitigate environmental impacts. The objectives of this article are to identify the state of the art and the scientific gaps on SWM and to propose a framework to promote it in the coming years. For this, a content analysis was carried out with the support of a bibliometric study, considering articles published in the Scopus database. The field of SWM study was classified into 12 different themes, and from this division, it was sought to identify the evolution of each of them between the 2005 and 2018 period. Content analysis and bibliometric study indicate that thermal and biological treatments are a promising trend to improve the performance of SWM. Its most important applied contribution is the generation of qualified information about SWM that can support the decision-making of public and private managers to reduce environmental impacts and improve life in urban spaces. The main academic contribution of the paper is the articulation of the most important themes on SWM, identifying the individual impact of each one of them in this field of study and the indication of the scientific trends that should guide the development of future research.