Compostable Packaging Waste Management—Main Barriers, Reasons, and the Potential Directions for Development

Abstract

The paper aims to identify the main reasons for the low level of compostable packaging waste management and to propose potential directions for development. Based on qualitative research (individual in-depth interviews and focus group discussions using the Social Innovation Lab), these are: (1) the lack of uniform and transparent regulations regarding the planning and organization of a closed-loop system for compostable packaging, (2) insufficient communication between the private and public sectors on how to increase the use of compostable packaging, (3) poorly developed infrastructure for compostable waste recycling, and (4) a lack of financial incentives to support activities for the circular economy of composting packaging at the communal level. Moreover, the portfolio of bottom-up (initiated by consumers, educational institutions, and NGOs) and bottom-down dimension (national, regional programs) proposals are presented. The diagnosis of different view perspectives of the supply chain underlines the crucial role of stakeholder cooperation improvement.