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Negotiations for a global treaty on plastic pollution 1 will shape future policies on plastics production, use and waste management. Its parties will benefit from a high-resolution baseline of waste flows and plastic emission sources to enable identification of pollution hotspots and their causes 2 . Nationally aggregated waste management data can be distributed to smaller scales to identify generalized points of plastic accumulation and source phenomena 3 – 11 . However, it is challenging to use this type of spatial allocation to assess the conditions under which emissions take place 12 , 13 . Here we develop a global macroplastic pollution emissions inventory by combining conceptual modelling of emission mechanisms with measurable activity data. We define emissions as materials that have moved from the managed or mismanaged system (controlled or contained state) to the unmanaged system (uncontrolled or uncontained state—the environment). Using machine learning and probabilistic material flow analysis, we identify emission hotspots across 50,702 municipalities worldwide from five land-based plastic waste emission sources. We estimate global plastic waste emissions at 52.1 [48.3–56.3] million metric tonnes (Mt) per year, with approximately 57% wt. and 43% wt. open burned and unburned debris, respectively. Littering is the largest emission source in the Global North, whereas uncollected waste is the dominant emissions source across the Global South. We suggest that our findings can help inform treaty negotiations and develop national and sub-national waste management action plans and source inventories. A global macroplastic pollution emissions inventory and methodology is developed using machine learning and probabilistic material flow analysis, to identify hotspots across more than 50,000 municipalities worldwide from five land-based plastic waste emission sources.

A growing global population leads to an increasing demand for food production and the processing industry associated with it and consequently the generation of large amounts of food waste. This problem is intensified due to slow progress in the development of effective waste management strategies and measures for the proper treatment and disposal of waste. Food waste is a reservoir of complex carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, and nutraceuticals and can form the raw materials for commercially important metabolites. The current legislation on food waste treatment prioritises the prevention of waste generation and least emphasises disposal. Recent valorisation studies for food supply chain waste opens avenues to the production of biofuels, enzymes, bioactive compounds, biodegradable plastics, and nanoparticles among many other molecules. Food supply chain waste is an abundant resource with significant potential to be used as raw material for fuel production and other industrially viable compounds. The latest legislation on waste management places much emphasis on the valorisation of food industry waste and the technologies associated with it. Biorefinery is a novel concept analogous to the petroleum refinery where all components of the raw material are converted into commercially important products (e.g., biofuel, enzymes, oils, nutraceuticals). This review discusses the latest developments in the use of food supply chain waste with emphasis on the most innovative products developed from such waste.

Medical wastes are considered hazardous because they may possess infectious agents and can cause unsafe effects on the environment and human health. This study is to analyze and evaluate the current status of medical waste management at Jenin’s district in light of medical waste control regulations recommended by the World Health Organization. The results demonstrated that the average hazardous healthcare waste generation rate ranges from 0.54 to 1.82 kg/bed/day with a weighted average of 0.78 kg/bed/day. There was no established waste segregation of healthcare waste types in all hospitals, and these wastes were finally disposed of in a centralized municipal sanitary landfill, namely Zahrat Al-Finjan. The results suggest that there is a need for activation and enforcement of medical waste laws. This can be achieved through cooperation among key actors: Ministry of Health, Environmental Quality Authority, Ministry of Local Government, and Non-Governmental Organizations working in related fields. Additional remediation measures proposed to tackle the problematic areas of medical waste management in Jenin’s district hospitals are addressed. Some recommendations to minimize potential health and environmental risks of medical waste are also introduced.

To promote sustainable development, the Chinese government launched a new municipal solid waste (MSW) classification strategy in 2017. Shanghai was selected as one of the first pilot cities for MSW classification. The Shanghai municipal government first established the new MSW classification policy in 2017. The Shanghai Municipal Solid Waste Management Regulation was published in 2019 and came into effect on 1 July 2019. This short communication reports on Shanghai’s new MSW classification policy and its implementation. The main content and measures adopted by Shanghai’s government to ensure the effective implementation of the new MSW classification policy are introduced. Besides, a SWOT (i.e., strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis on the present policy and measures is conducted, and based on the results, some discussions and suggestions regarding the implementation of MSW classification in Shanghai and the whole of China are presented.

Inadequate waste management poses a critical environmental challenge worldwide, particularly affecting global South Countries where limited infrastructure intensifies environmental degradation. Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) is a potential strategy that holds manufacturers accountable for their products’ end-of-life management. While EPR has proven successful across Global North countries and is gaining traction in emerging markets, Lebanon has yet to embrace this approach despite its ongoing waste crisis. This study explores EPR’s potential in Lebanon through in-depth interviews with stakeholders from the plastic and electronics industries, government bodies, and NGOs. While international companies demonstrated familiarity with EPR principles, many local electronic retailers showed limited understanding. Several obstacles hinder EPR adoption: the pervasive informal waste sector, economic instability, substantial recycling infrastructure costs, knowledge gaps, and weak governance marked by corruption and bureaucratic inefficiency. Despite these challenges, industry stakeholders express keen interest in sustainable waste practices, with some companies already launching voluntary take-back initiatives. Effective EPR implementation in Lebanon requires coordinated efforts among government agencies, manufacturers, NGOs, and communities, supported by strong legislation and enforcement. The findings highlight how EPR can be tailored to assist Lebanon and other Global South countries in overcoming common waste management challenges.

With the development of the construction industry, increasing concern over construction and demolition waste (CDW) has initiated a wave of environmental regulation by the government in order to reduce the environmental impact and ensure sustainable development. Research on behavioral decision-making can offer a theoretical basis for the government and individuals. This paper aims to study the behavioral decision-making of stakeholders in CDW recycling under environmental regulation. Considering the limited rationality of stakeholders and the difference in reference points, an evolutionary game model including contractors and manufacturers of construction materials is proposed based on the prospect theory of behavioral economics. The results indicate that, only when the perceived benefits of one or both stakeholders for participation under the environmental regulation exceed those for non-participation, can the CDW recycling system eventually evolve to a stable state in which both stakeholders choose to participate. In addition, factors such as the initial strategy, production cost, technology, subsidies, recycling benefits, and the degree of perception of the stakeholders, exert certain influences on the stable state. To attain the required stable state, the government should increase the subsidies for the stakeholders and strengthen the publicity regarding recycling effects to improve the perceived benefits.

Plastic waste poses a significant challenge to achieving sustainable production and consumption of resources, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa where effective governance and waste management systems are lacking. In this paper, we develop an empirical understanding of the influence of public governance system on promoting circular economy (CE) for plastic actions among individuals. Through a survey of 1475 participants across five sub-Saharan African countries, we tested five hypotheses drawing on New Governance Theory and CE Action Recipe to explore the relationship between governance and individual’s actions supporting CE for plastic. We found that a governance system that supports CE practices and exhibits governance efficiency is positively associated with individuals’ actions supporting CE for plastic. The awareness of government policies, laws and regulations, institutions, processes, and programmes have a significant impact on individuals’ engagement in plastic circularity practices. The paper’s theoretical and governance implications highlight the relevance of public governance in shaping action towards a CE for plastic at the individual level.

This study uses Xi’an as a case to explore incentive mechanisms and optimization pathways in construction waste management. Drawing on policy text analysis, semi-structured interviews, and the Delphi method, and employing the SWOT-TOWS framework, the research systematically evaluates the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of current policies. The findings indicate that while Xi’an benefits from fiscal support and standard-setting, inefficiencies in policy enforcement and low market trust continue to hinder effective resource utilization. To address these challenges, the study proposes a phased strategy: in the short term, improve regulatory closure and enforcement mechanisms; in the medium term, strengthen capacity building, establish market-supporting measures, and stabilize demand; and in the long term, promote institutionalization, financial diversification, and large-scale development. Such measures aim to facilitate the transition from “policy-driven pilot projects” to “market-driven normalization.” This study provides practical insights for Xi’an and other cities at a similar stage of development in building more comprehensive policy support frameworks for sustainable construction waste management.

Plastics drive twin crises: persistent pollution and greenhouse gas emissions. Bio-based approaches using enzymes and microorganisms to depolymerise plastics and valorise monomers show promise but raise societal, ethical and regulatory questions central to Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI). In this Perspective, we reflect on RRI implications of bio-based plastic degradation, informed by stakeholder discussions across the plastics value chain and public engagement. We identify broad support alongside concerns about scalability, interaction with existing recycling, governance and containment of genetically modified organisms, management of additives and contaminants, and the roles of regulation and economic incentives in enabling adoption. Bio-based approaches to plastic degradation have been an intense area of research in recent years, and although they show great promise, they also raise societal, ethical and regulatory questions. Here the authors reflect on the Responsible Research and Innovation (RRI) implications of this growing field, sharing insights they have gained through engagement with stakeholders and the broader public.

Although asbestos has been banned in the European Union since 2005, asbestos-containing materials, such as brake pads and clutch linings, may still occur in waste streams due to the long service life of vehicles, legacy equipment, and international trade in spare parts. The persistence of these materials raises environmental and occupational health concerns, particularly in waste management systems. This study aims to assess the presence, temporal trends, and sectoral distribution of asbestos-containing friction materials in the Hungarian waste management system two decades after the EU ban, and to evaluate the associated regulatory and occupational risk implications. The analysis is based on national hazardous waste datasets classified under EWC code 16 01 11* (asbestos-containing brake pads), with a specific focus on this waste category rather than on the full range of asbestos-related waste streams recorded in the national database. The results indicate that asbestos-containing friction materials are still present in the waste stream, with measurable quantities recorded annually. Despite regulatory control, identification challenges and potential misclassification may contribute to underreporting. The continued occurrence of asbestos-containing materials highlights the persistence of legacy hazardous materials within circular economy systems. Strengthened monitoring, improved identification protocols, and enhanced occupational safety measures are necessary to mitigate residual exposure risks. The findings underline that asbestos is not merely a historical issue but remains a contemporary environmental and public health challenge.