Sustainable development and waste management in EU28 countries

Abstract

Sustainable development depends, among other things, on how much waste a particular society generates and how it handles it. The paper relies on Eurostat data on municipal waste management in EU-28 countries. Three diagnostic variables were selected, and then taxonomic development meters (Polish: TMD) were estimated and interpreted. The research has shown that in the European Union, which is sensitive to the issues of environmental protection and sustainable development, waste management models adopted by the different member states are in many cases far from ideal. The aim of this review and empirical research was to evaluate the situation of municipal waste management. According to the authors, the positions assigned to the different countries based on TMD meter can be considered as objective measures of social responsibility for the present and future generations - which is a key aspect of sustainable development.