In response to the growing urgency for sustainable urban waste management, this project seeks to advance data-driven strategies aligned with circular economy principles. Global municipal solid waste is projected to increase from 2.1 billion tonnes in 2023 to 3.8 billion tonnes by 2050, according to UNEP’s Global Waste Management Outlook 2024. As urban centres grapple with rising waste volumes, resilient systems are essential to achieving global sustainability goals.
Central to the circular economy is effective waste management that prioritises reduction, reuse, and recycling. Legislative frameworks - such as the EU’s Waste Framework Directive, Circular Economy Action Plan, Landfill Directive, and upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation - serve as key levers to reduce landfill reliance, improve recycling rates, and reinforce producer accountability through systems like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR).
This project places data at the heart of the transition to circular waste systems. Reliable metrics - on waste volumes, recycling rates, landfill usage, and material flows - are crucial for informed policymaking, monitoring, and resource optimisation. However, as noted by the European Public Services Union and the European Environment Agency, inconsistencies in reporting methods across countries hinder progress. There is a clear need for harmonised, standardised data infrastructures.
To address this, the project will conduct a comparative analysis of advanced waste data systems in three European countries, as well as South Korea’s Allbaro System (System Properly). By examining how these models collect, standardise, and apply data, the project will identify best practices and propose actionable recommendations to enhance data-centric governance and technology adoption.
Ultimately, this initiative aims to support the implementation of the UN Sustainable Development Goals - particularly SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities) and SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production) - by equipping stakeholders with the insights needed to build smarter, more sustainable waste systems.
This project has been formulated in response to a request by the government of the Republic of Korea and is financed by Korea Environment Corporation (K-eco).
