Title:
Comparative Waste Management Analysis of Four EU Regions; Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Yorkshire and Humber (England), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Amsterdam (Netherlands) (EU EP7 Regions of Knowledge WasteKIT Project)
Author(s):
Wu, C., Richardson, J., Robb, A., Williams, P.T.
Document(s):
Paper
Abstract:
WasteKIT is an EU FP7 Regions of knowledge project based on research into ‘Waste management focussing on: Knowledge and Integration to create Transnational economic development’. Each region is represented via a triple helix of stakeholders, regional/local authority or related organisation, knowledge institution and business. There are four EU regions involved; Emilia-Romagna (Italy), Yorkshire and Humber (England), Sofia (Bulgaria) and Amsterdam (Netherlands) with a total of 19 partners. The main purpose of this paper was to analyse municipal solid waste management of the four studied regions based on research & technical development (RTD), innovation and infrastructures, in order to indentify regional and inter-regional strengths and barriers to waste management related economic development. The Netherlands are recognized throughout Europe as an “advanced” country in terms of its waste management practice. As such, the Amsterdam region boasts the best overall performance, making the region ideally placed to tutor on most aspects of sustainable waste management practice. The Emilia-Romagna Region has a heavy and concentrated cluster of facilities and infrastructure processing bio-waste and agri-wastes. The Yorkshire and Humber region has a well established waste materials market and provides a high level of business support. In contrast, the Sofia region is uniquely placed to learn from the other regions. Therefore, Sofia has the most potential to innovate through business practice and RTD. Lack of environmental awareness from the public, conflicts between planning authorities and the challenge of access to finance have been found as the most common inter-regional barriers to municipal solid waste management. As a result, five thematic areas (technology waste to energy, options for plastics, knowledge transfer, funding & spin-off projects and public perception & understanding of waste) have been identified to generate action plans to facilitate the economic development towards sustainable waste management.
Keywords:
economics, industry, management, waste
Topic:
Biomass Policies, Markets and Sustainability
Subtopic:
Biomass utilisation concepts
Event:
19th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
OE6.1
Pages:
2535 - 2539
ISBN-13:
978-88-89407-55-4
ISBN-10:
88-89407-55-7
Paper DOI:
10.5071/19thEUBCE2011-OE6.1
Price:
FREE
