Papers

61,005 results
|
Article Tier 2

Plastic Pollution, Waste Management Issues, and Circular Economy Opportunities in Rural Communities

This review examines how rural communities around the world are both contributors to and victims of plastic pollution, with agricultural plastic waste being a major source of microplastics in farmland. Poor waste management in rural areas, especially in low- and middle-income countries, leads to plastic contamination of soil, water, and the food supply. The authors argue that involving rural communities in circular economy solutions is essential for reducing plastic pollution and protecting public health.

2021 Sustainability 291 citations
Article Tier 2

Solid Waste Management in Rural Communities of Developing Countries: An Overview of Challenges and Opportunities

This review examines the challenges of managing solid waste in rural communities of developing countries, where lack of infrastructure and knowledge often leads to dumping and uncontrolled burning. Researchers identified opportunities for turning waste into resources through composting, recycling, and community-based management programs. The study emphasizes that proper waste management in rural areas is essential for reducing environmental pollution, including plastic contamination, and protecting public health.

2022 Clean Technologies 87 citations
Article Tier 2

Circular Transitions in Island Regions: Overcoming Waste Management Challenges Through Community-Driven Solutions

This review examines how small island communities can apply circular economy principles to overcome waste management challenges driven by spatial constraints, limited infrastructure, and tourism-driven waste generation, drawing on comparative case studies from Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Pacific.

2025 Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Introductory Chapter: Rural Waste Management Issues at Global Level

This introductory chapter draws attention to solid waste management challenges in rural areas globally, highlighting how expansion of waste collection services and improved agricultural and municipal waste diversion are priorities for reducing public health risks.

2017 InTech eBooks 36 citations
Article Tier 2

Circularity in Practice: Review of Main Current Approaches and Strategic Propositions for an Efficient Circular Economy of Materials

This review proposes a structured framework for classifying circular economy strategies — including reuse, remanufacturing, recycling, and biological cycles — and evaluates their current adoption and barriers to scaling toward genuinely circular material flows.

2022 Sustainability 24 citations
Article Tier 2

Solid waste management in the context of the waste hierarchy and circular economy frameworks: An international critical review

This review evaluates global solid waste management practices through the lens of the waste hierarchy (reduce, reuse, recycle) and circular economy principles. The authors found that while high-income countries have advanced waste systems, low- and middle-income nations face major challenges including inadequate infrastructure and plastic pollution. The study highlights how poorly managed plastic waste contributes to environmental contamination, including the generation of microplastics.

2023 Integrated Environmental Assessment and Management 133 citations
Article Tier 2

A systems thinking approach to understanding the challenges of achieving the circular economy

This paper used a systems thinking approach to identify the challenges blocking implementation of circular economy principles, going beyond the commonly discussed benefits to analyze the structural and societal barriers. It found that complex interdependencies between economic actors, infrastructure, regulation, and consumer behavior collectively obstruct circular economy transitions.

2020 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 272 citations
Article Tier 2

Prospective Scenarios for Addressing the Agricultural Plastic Waste Issue: Results of a Territorial Analysis

A study on agricultural plastic waste assessed prospective management scenarios combining stakeholder input with life cycle analysis to identify sustainable pathways for reducing farm plastic pollution. Results highlighted the need for integrated approaches spanning plastic reduction, reuse, and improved collection systems.

2023 Applied Sciences 21 citations
Article Tier 2

Removing barriers to plastic waste valorisation in Africa: Towards policies for value creation and capture in business ecosystems

This review examines the barriers preventing plastic waste valorisation in Africa and analyses why policy interventions have not yet led to substantial value creation and capture within low-income country business ecosystems. The authors propose policy frameworks targeted at stimulating circular economy approaches to plastic waste that account for the specific economic and institutional contexts of African markets.

2023 Business Strategy & Development 3 citations
Review Tier 2

Recycling and Reusing Strategies to Prevent Microplastic Generation: a Review

This review examines recycling and reusing strategies for plastic materials as a means of preventing microplastic generation, grounding the analysis in circular economy principles emphasizing resource efficiency through repair, reuse, and recycling. The authors evaluate current methodologies and propose strategies to reduce plastic waste degradation into microplastics, linking waste management practices to pollution prevention outcomes.

2025 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental
Article Tier 2

Waste Management, Circular Economy and Life Cycle Assessment

This presentation examines research strategies and analytical approaches for integrating life cycle assessment methodologies with circular economy principles and waste management practices.

2024 OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information)
Article Tier 2

Challenges to the Circular Economy: Recovering Wastes from Simple versus Complex Products

This review examines the challenges of recovering materials from complex multi-component products in a circular economy framework, contrasting the relatively straightforward recovery of materials from simple single-material items with the difficulty of separating composite and multi-layer products. The authors identify product design and extended producer responsibility as critical levers for improving material recovery rates across the economy.

2022 Sustainability 54 citations
Article Tier 2

A Circular Economy: Where Will It Take Us?

This review critically examines the circular economy — a model that aims to eliminate waste by keeping materials in use — questioning whether it reliably delivers environmental and social benefits. The author argues that while circular economy approaches can be good for business, definitive evidence that they reduce resource extraction and improve social equity is still lacking.

2021 Circular Economy and Sustainability 44 citations
Article Tier 2

Municipal solid waste management challenges in developing regions: A comprehensive review and future perspectives for Asia and Africa

Researchers reviewed a decade of municipal solid waste challenges in developing countries across Asia and Africa, finding that inadequate infrastructure, cultural barriers, and poor policy enforcement are driving waste crises. The study recommends source-level sorting, improved landfill practices, and stronger community involvement rather than focusing solely on recycling.

2024 The Science of The Total Environment 233 citations
Article Tier 2

Electronic Waste Problem in Developing Nations: Mismanagement, Health Implications, and Circular Economy Opportunities

This review examines the growing problem of electronic waste in developing countries, where informal recycling practices release hazardous materials into soil, water, and air. Researchers found that improper e-waste disposal leads to heavy metal contamination and other pollutants that pose serious risks to both ecosystems and human health. The study highlights circular economy strategies as a path toward safer, more sustainable e-waste management.

2024 JURNAL KESEHATAN LINGKUNGAN 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Individual and Village Level Factors Affect Farmers’ Satisfaction with Sustainable Rural Development Practices: Evidence from Guangdong Province in China

A survey of Chinese farmers examined how individual and village-level factors influence satisfaction with sustainable rural development programs. Factors such as income, community cohesion, and quality of local services significantly affected satisfaction levels. Understanding farmer perspectives is essential for designing rural policies that encourage sustainable land and waste management.

2022 Agriculture 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Plastic Waste and a Circular Economy in China

This review examines China's plastic waste management challenges and the country's progress toward implementing circular economy principles for plastic recovery and recycling. As one of the world's largest plastic producers and consumers, China's plastic waste policies have major global implications for the amount of plastic that ultimately becomes microplastics.

2023 1 citations
Article Tier 2

Turning waste into opportunity: Advancing circular and equitable waste management

This chapter examines global waste management challenges, reviewing circular economy frameworks, equity considerations, and the environmental and social consequences of inadequate waste handling, with emphasis on plastic waste and its downstream microplastic effects.

2025 Indonesian Journal of Applied Environmental Studies
Review Tier 2

Circular economy, bioeconomy, and sustainable development goals: a systematic literature review

Researchers conducted a systematic review of 649 studies examining how circular economy and bioeconomy concepts contribute to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. They found that while these approaches show promise for addressing environmental challenges including plastic waste, most research has focused on a limited set of goals and lacks empirical data. The study identifies key research gaps, including the need for more studies on economic and social impacts in developing countries.

2023 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 74 citations
Review Tier 2

Identifying the Drivers of Circular Food Packaging: A Comprehensive Review for the Current State of the Food Supply Chain to Be Sustainable and Circular

This review identified the key drivers of circular food packaging adoption, examining how circular economy principles applied to packaging can address sustainability challenges related to food safety, shelf life, waste reduction, and environmental impact.

2023 Sustainability 19 citations
Article Tier 2

Strategic pathways for sustainable plastic management through a circular economy approach in India

This paper analyzed strategic pathways for sustainable plastic waste management in India through a circular economy lens, examining the environmental and health risks posed by microplastics from inadequate plastic disposal. The authors identify policy, infrastructure, and behavioral interventions needed to reduce India's microplastic burden.

2025 Discover Sustainability
Article Tier 2

Macro and microplastic pollution in Romania: addressing knowledge gaps and potential solutions under the circular economy framework

This paper identifies knowledge gaps in macro- and microplastic pollution research in Romania and proposes solutions within a circular economy framework, covering issues such as littering rates, agricultural plastic, and freshwater contamination. The authors call for improved monitoring and waste management aligned with EU policy.

2024 PeerJ 6 citations
Article Tier 2

From Waste Pickers to Producers: An Inclusive Circular Economy Solution through Development of Cooperatives in Waste Management

This paper presented an inclusive circular economy framework centered on waste picker cooperatives in developing countries, arguing that integrating informal sector workers into formal plastic recycling systems improves both waste management outcomes and social equity, with case studies from Latin America and Africa illustrating successful models.

2021 Sustainability 66 citations
Article Tier 2

Reconciling Waste Management and Ecological Economics

Researchers examined how the concept of the "circular economy" — designing products and systems to minimize waste — fits within ecological economics, which emphasizes physical limits like energy and material flows. The chapter argues that effective waste management policies, such as landfill taxes, extended producer responsibility, and deposit-refund schemes, must align environmental costs with economic incentives to achieve meaningful sustainability gains.

2023 Studies in ecological economics 1 citations