Papers

61,005 results
|
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 Economy and Sustainable Rural Development

This review examines waste management challenges in rural communities worldwide and the application of circular economy principles to rural contexts, identifying barriers to sustainable resource use and recommending policy and community-level interventions to reduce rural waste generation and improve material recovery.

2023 Sustainability 19 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

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

Urbanization and Waste Generation in India: Examining the Causes and Charting a Sustainable Future

This review examines how rapid urbanization in India has driven increased solid waste generation, exploring the structural causes of municipal waste management failures and proposing strategies for more sustainable urban waste systems as India's cities continue to grow.

2025
Review Tier 2

Waste Mismanagement in Developing Countries: A Review of Global Issues

This review examines the global problem of solid waste mismanagement in developing countries, where open dumping and open burning remain the primary disposal methods. Researchers found that these practices cause severe environmental contamination including microplastic generation, toxic emissions, and groundwater pollution. The study highlights the health risks faced by waste workers and nearby communities and calls for improved waste infrastructure in low-income regions.

2019 International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 2100 citations
Article Tier 2

Environmental Hazards Associated with the Disposal of Municipal Solid Waste

This review examines environmental hazards from municipal solid waste disposal, noting that increasing urbanization and population growth are driving larger waste streams that introduce plastics, metals, and other pollutants into soils and water bodies.

2024
Article Tier 2

Domestic Solid Waste Management- A Public Health Case Report and Review of Municipal Challenges in India!

Researchers surveyed households and waste handlers across 35 municipal wards in Gadag City, India, to assess solid waste management challenges. The study found significant gaps in waste disposal practices, infrastructure, and public awareness, with waste production projected to double in the coming decade.

2024 2 citations
Article Tier 2

Municipal Solid Waste—Addressing Environmental Concerns

This editorial introduction to a special issue addressed approaches to municipal solid waste management and the environmental concerns associated with growing global waste generation. The issue highlights the need for comprehensive and efficient waste management systems to mitigate pollution and climate impacts.

2024 Sustainability 6 citations
Article Tier 2

Design and study of Solid Waste Management in Ranchi, Jharkhand

This paper examines solid waste management challenges in Ranchi, India, linking poor plastic and municipal waste handling to public health problems. It is a regional policy and urban planning study, not a primary research paper on microplastics.

2020 Research Square (Research Square) 4 citations
Article Tier 2

Planning for disposal of COVID-19 pandemic wastes in developing countries: a review of current challenges

Researchers review the acute challenges developing countries face in managing the surge of COVID-19-related medical waste, highlighting how pre-existing deficiencies in waste infrastructure, treatment capacity, and disposal practices create serious risks of accelerating viral spread and environmental contamination.

2021 Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 42 citations
Article Tier 2

Domestic Garbage Classification and Incentive-Based Policies in China: An Empirical Analysis

This study examined domestic garbage classification practices and incentive-based policies in rural China, where increasing household waste poses environmental and health risks. The researchers analyzed whether reward-and-punishment policy frameworks can effectively encourage waste sorting and recycling behaviors among residents.

2023 Water 10 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
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

Management of Contaminated Drinking Water Source in Rural Communities

This review examines strategies for managing safe drinking water in rural communities facing pressures from population growth, pollution, and climate change. While not focused on microplastics specifically, rural water management challenges include microplastic contamination of groundwater and surface water sources.

2020 Journal of Environmental Informatics 12 citations
Systematic Review Tier 1

Alternative Solutions to Environmental Health Issues: A Systematic Review

This systematic review of environmental health solutions emphasizes that the "four Rs" (reduce, reuse, recycle, plus recover) combined with strong regulation and cross-sector cooperation are essential strategies for minimizing waste pollution and its health impacts. The review calls for integrated public health approaches incorporating community diagnosis and environmental waste management.

2025 Syntax Literate Jurnal Ilmiah Indonesia
Article Tier 2

Urban Solid Waste Management: Evaluation of Practices and Contributions to Sustainable Development

This study evaluated solid waste management practices in a Brazilian municipality, assessing collection efficiency, recycling rates, and landfill operations against sustainability goals. It identified key institutional and infrastructural barriers preventing progress toward sustainable waste management.

2024 Revista de Gestão Social e Ambiental
Article Tier 2

Challenges and Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Global Waste Management Systems: A Review

Researchers reviewed the global impact of COVID-19 on waste management systems, focusing on the surge of disposable personal protective equipment and single-use plastics. The study highlights that pandemic-related waste has created novel pollution pathways for air, soil, and water contamination, and discusses the challenges this poses for existing waste management infrastructure worldwide.

2022 Journal of Composites Science 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Transdisciplinary research in industrial ecology a practice with recycling cooperatives of Belo Horizonte for the development of household solid waste management in Latin America countries

This transdisciplinary study engaged recycling cooperatives in Belo Horizonte, Brazil, to develop better household solid waste management approaches for Latin American cities. It addresses plastic waste as part of broader solid waste management challenges in the Global South.

2020
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

COVID-19 and waste management in Indian scenario: challenges and possible solutions

Researchers review how COVID-19 dramatically amplified India's already-strained biomedical waste management challenges, warning that improper disposal of pandemic-associated waste risks food chain contamination and a secondary 'waste disaster,' and calling for automated, mechanized waste management systems to handle current and future health emergencies.

2021 Environmental Science and Pollution Research 43 citations
Article Tier 2

Household Waste Characteristics and Management: A Review

This review evaluates the characteristics and management approaches for household solid waste, examining how reducing waste generation, improving reuse practices, and harnessing waste-to-energy technologies can reduce environmental burdens and recover economic value from discarded materials.

2023 International Journal of Zoological Investigations
Article Tier 2

Challenges and Advances in Tertiary Waste Water Treatment for Municipal Treatment Plants

This review examined the challenges facing small and rural wastewater treatment plants in removing emerging pollutants, including microplastics. The study suggests that most current facilities lack advanced treatment stages, meaning they can serve as sources of microplastic contamination entering natural waterways, and highlights the need for improved tertiary and quaternary treatment technologies.

2024 Processes 7 citations
Article Tier 2

Legal and socio-economic outlook of waste bank: Environmental pollution and public health assessment in sustainable household waste management practices

This study develops a regulatory model for household waste management in Indonesia, analyzing the legal frameworks governing waste banks and assessing their public health and socio-economic implications within the context of sustainable waste management reform.

2023 Corporate Law & Governance Review