Barriers that affect the financial sustainability of integrated management systems of urban solid waste

Abstract

The integrated management of urban solid waste (IMUSW) is considered a challenge by cities due to several factors, the main one being the high financial demand of the process. Inefficiency in providing this service is associated with a lack of understanding about the various elements that affect the entire management system, making decision-making difficult for managers. Therefore, this article aims to identify the barriers that affect financial sustainability in IMUSW. The bibliographic research selected 48 articles in the Scopus and Web of Science databases, using the Smart bibliometrics method to support the systematic analysis. The elements were presented and discussed about the potential influence on the waste management system, in which countries due to the level of development had the most published works in the area and a discussion about each element highlighted. The results identified research gaps such as the absence of an analysis that considers the interrelationship between the elements raised, and the absence of studies on the methods that can be used for this. This study provides important contributions in order to plan, change or implement IMUSW systems in cities, providing information on the critical elements that affect the financial sustainability of USW management..

Keywords:  Municipal solid waste management; financial self-sufficiency; economic analysis