Today, urban waste management is closely linked to public health, environmental sustainability, and social equity. To be more precise, poor waste management can cause an array of issues: poor sanitary conditions are fertile ground for infectious diseases, and wrongly discarded chemicals and plastics don’t just look or smell bad – they bring long-lasting harm to the environment. Another important thing when it comes to waste management in cities is social equity: in reality, waste management issues are closely linked to poor neighbourhoods and marginalised urban areas, which are also related to underdeveloped infrastructure and social exclusion.

In the European Union, initiatives like Community-Led Local Development (CLLD) aim to address this imbalance, but many strategies fail to integrate waste management comprehensively. With the urban population estimated to reach 68% by 2050, these challenges are set to become even more complex.

The good news is, governments and cities do not have to tackle them on their own.

In their recent study, a research team from the Technical University of Civil Engineering Bucharest presented a structured framework developed in collaboration with 37 international experts. It focuses on long-term sustainability and community involvement and has already been tested as a pilot project in Reşiţa, Romania.

Based on insights gathered during the pilot, this framework is adaptable and designed to evolve annually based on feedback and monitoring. It emphasises community engagement, institutional coordination, and policy alignment, providing a step-by-step implementation path.

Key objectives include:

  • Engaging local communities, NGOs, and municipal actors to ensure inclusive participation.
  • Tailoring educational programs to raise awareness about sustainable waste practices.
  • Enhancing infrastructure to meet the specific needs of marginalised urban areas.
  • Aligning policies to support equitable waste management.
  • Continuously evaluating and updating the framework to address emerging challenges.

The implementation of this framework in Reşiţa demonstrated its potential for change and adaptability, leading to improved service coverage, enhanced community participation, and more responsive governance. It confirmed that marginalised communities could become proactive agents of environmental improvement when equipped with the right tools and support.

Reference

Iacoboaea, C.; Damian, A.; Nenciu, I.; Aldea, M.; Luca, O.; S, ercăianu, M.; Neagu, A.; Răut,ă, E. Towards Inclusive Waste Management in Marginalized Urban Areas: An Expert-Guided Framework and Its Pilot in Reşiţa, Romania. Sustainability 2025, 17, 5070. https://doi.org/10.3390/su17115070.