Improving the Sustainability of Regional Development in the Context of Waste Management

Abstract

Waste generation and use is one of civilization’s main problems. Realizing the goals of the concept of sustainable development is one solution to this issue. Sustainable waste management is impossible without measurements and without assessing compliance with economic, environmental, and social criteria; therefore, quantitative information and indicators play an important role in solving these issues. Methods used to diagnose the sustainability of waste management should include both an assessment of indicators and a diagnosis of the reasons for changes. The approach proposed in this paper is based on the development of an integrated indicator which includes social, economic, and environmental factors, reflects the state of legislative and executive initiatives in the field of sustainable waste management through specific macroeconomic indicators, which should make it possible to identify the causes of sustainable/non-sustainable waste management.