Strategies to Strengthen Integrated Solid Waste Management in Small Municipalities

Abstract

Many developing countries have problems associated with waste management; therefore, this research aims to propose strategies for waste management in small municipalities (less than 50,000 inhabitants), pointing out the importance of involving the stakeholders responsible for improving each phase of this process. The methodology consisted of carrying out a diagnosis to show the current situation at the national, state, and municipal levels, as well as several strategies. The results revealed that in Mexico the waste management system consists of a collection and final disposal model, while waste recovery and treatment are incipient. To strengthen integrated waste management in small municipalities, the strategies proposed in this research consider higher budgets by the federal government to enable an infrastructure for collection, treatment, and final disposal, allowing waste valorization. Other strategies consist of improving coordination between the different stakeholders involved, based on actions by federal, state, and municipal authorities to promote the participation of the social, service, productive, and educational sectors, through public policies, as well as formal incorporation of scavengers and the formation of inter-municipal associations responsible for waste management. Among the conclusions, it is highlighted that the implementation of these strategies will favor the transition towards a circular economy model for small municipalities.

1. Introduction

The world generates 2.01 billion t of municipal solid waste (MSW) annually, of which at least 33% is not managed in an environmentally safe manner. Global waste is expected to grow to 3.40 billion t by 2050 [1]. All regions worldwide generate approximately 50% or more of organic waste on average, except for Europe, Central Asia, and North America, which generate higher portions of dry waste [2]. Consequently, solid waste management is a priority of governments worldwide. The Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) region where Mexico is located generated 231 million metric t of waste in 2016, which represents a daily per capita generation of 0.99 kg [3].

The lack of specialized treatment procedures, such as recycling, composting, anaerobic digestion, and incineration, within the LAC, is the fundamental cause of waste being disposed of in open dumps and as a consequence, generating greenhouse gases and leachates that release massive pollutants and pathogens into the soil, water, and air, and reducing the quality of recyclable products [4,5]. As a result, recycling rates are very low and predominantly focused on paper, cardboard, plastic, metal, and glass, causing a waste management infrastructure deficit [6]. The Circular Economy (CE) is an economic system that replaces the “end-of-life” concept with reducing, alternatively reusing, recycling, and recovering materials in production/distribution and consumption processes [7]. It strives to address the challenges associated with linear resource management, reduce the environmental impact, and maximize resource efficiency [8]. The primary goal of CE as stated by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation (2012), is to promote the adoption of closed-loop production patterns to improve resource usage efficiency and longevity [9]. Achieving environmental sustainability and transitioning to CE relies on effective waste management and how waste is treated as a potential future resource [10].

The primary challenges in waste management are specifically related to preventing environmental leakage by collecting, sorting, and recycling waste into qualities that can be repurposed within the industry, directly contributing to the energetic valorization of waste, relegating sanitary landfill disposal to a last resort [11]. It is worth mentioning that one of the major issues in solving waste management problems is the deficiency in governance aspects aligned with how society at large participates in and accomplishes complex tasks to achieve a common goal, including stakeholders. MSW management is a good indicator of how well a governing structure works in an urban society [12].

Mexico is the 5th largest country in the Americas and the 14th largest country in the world; politically, it is a representative, democratic, and federal republic, with a territory divided into 32 federal entities or states and 2471 municipalities [13]. Additionally, the country defines six main regions: Northwest; Northeast; West, Central; South; and Southeast [14]. The bulk of solid waste at the national level originates from the Central, Western, and Northern regions. The Southern regions have a population with less income, lower amounts of solid waste are generated, and lesser budgets are designed for investment in collection trucks and personnel, directly resulting in littering in natural areas.

Mexico had 125.3 million inhabitants in 2018, and this is estimated to increase to 148.2 million by 2050 [15]. All economic activities, such as the production and consumption of goods and services, generate different types of solid wastes. To promote integrated waste management, Mexico has built a complex legal framework of public policy, including the “National Programs for Prevention and Integrated Waste Management” [16]. The General Law of the Circular Economy project publication promotes Mexico’s sustainable development while improving waste valorization and minimizing its environmental impacts [17].

The traditional model of waste management includes waste collection and final disposal without valorization, due to the lack of financial resources and infrastructure which means a lag in waste management, impacting the over-exploitation of natural resources.

According to the literature, it has been observed that to address this problem, in most of the studies carried out for municipalities with fewer than 50,000 inhabitants, technical aspects have been emphasized using indicators. Moreover, factors such as citizen participation, inter-municipal cooperation, environmental education, public policies, the influence of economic and political aspects, scavengers, dissemination programs, legislation, and regulations, have been incorporated into management programs in an isolated way without adequate articulation becoming a gap that must be bridged [18,19,20,21,22].

In sum, the primary aim of this research is to propose applicable strategies for waste management in small municipalities, including stakeholders from the government, productive, social, educational, and service sectors, allowing for improvement in each of the phases of integrated waste management.

2. Materials and Method

The development approach of this article largely consists of investigating solid waste management indicators comprising the different stages of waste management: generation and composition, segregation, total generation, collection, transfer stations, treatment, final disposal, valorization, and recovered by-products, as well as the strategies that have been implemented for waste management. Mexico is territorially organized by states and each state is made up of municipalities, and each level of government has its scope of competence regarding waste management [23].

Thus, in the first stage, corresponding information at the national level is presented. This is important to provide a general context for waste generation and management across the country. The data were obtained from official sources published by the Secretary of Environment and Natural Resources (SEMARNAT by its acronym in Spanish), which regulates waste management at the national level.

In the second stage, two states (Jalisco and Veracruz) were selected due to their population size and contributions to the country’s gross domestic product; indicators were also investigated in said states, at various stages of the waste management process. The information in this section was obtained from official state agencies responsible for waste management [24,25].

In the third stage, the results are presented at the municipal level in small municipalities (less than 50,000 inhabitants) of the states of Jalisco and Veracruz mentioned above. Information was obtained from documents published at the state and municipal levels [25,26,27].

In addition, to analyze the waste management problem that occurs in these municipalities, Etzatlán, located in the Valles Region of the state of Jalisco in Western Mexico and has an area of 388 square kilometers [28], because it reflects the current situation in this type of municipality. For this stage of the investigation, the research strategy included anthropological methods and techniques: participant observation and documenting detailed notes; brief conversations with municipal employees during their daily activities; semi-structured interviews with the de Head of the Sanitation Department and the Head of the Environmental Department; three short interviews with local scrap buyers; and a focus group with 14 employees from the de Sanitation Department.

In the fourth stage, strategies for integrated waste management were proposed, articulating actions that must be accomplished by different stakeholders in each stage of waste management. Figure 1 presents the methodology used in this research.

3. Results and Discussion

3.1. The Current Situation of Waste Management in Mexico

3.1.1. Generation and Composition

In 2017, the average waste generation per capita in Mexico was 0.944 kg/cap-d, which is consistent with 0.99 kg/cap-d reported for LAC [4]; the Northwest region had the highest value of 1.083, and the Central region had the lowest at 0.766. The State of Mexico, Mexico City, and Jalisco together generated 28.5% of the total waste of 120,128 t/d. The Central region generated the highest quantity whereas the Southeast had the lowest quantity. There are three main categories of waste composition: susceptible to valorization, organic, and others [29].

Table 1. Waste composition in Mexico.

Category	Percentage (%)
Susceptible to valorization	31.55
Cardboard	4.55
Waxed cardboard containers	1.51
Synthetic fibers	0.34
Rubber	0.54
Cans	0.98
Ferrous material	0.88
Non-ferrous material	0.57
Paper	5.07
Polyethylene terephthalate (PET)	2.63
Rigid plastic and film	7.66
Expanded polystyrene	1.55
Polyurethane	0.55
Colored glass	1.60
Transparent glass	3.13
Organic	46.42
Food waste	33.07
Yard trimmings	10.84
Leather	0.46
Hard vegetable fiber	0.73
Bone	0.52
Wood	0.79
Others	22.03
Cotton	0.15
Earthenware and ceramics	0.46
Construction materials	0.70
Disposable diapers	6.75
Fine residue	2.25
Rag	2.82
Others	8.90

Source: Adapted from [29].

shows percentages of these categories, which do not stray significantly from LAC reported numbers, with values of 32%, 52%, and 16%, respectively (4). Regarding waste production per region, for waste susceptible to valorization, the Northeast and Northwest regions had the highest value and the West the lowest. In terms of the organic category, the Western and Central regions had the highest generation, and the Northeast had the lowest. In the case of the “others” category, the Northeast and Southeast regions had the highest values, and the Northwest had the lowest [29].

3.1.2. Waste Management System

Every day, 100,571 t of waste are collected with an average collection coverage rate of 83.87%, although some federative entities such as Colima, Baja California Sur, Michoacán, Nayarit, Quintana Roo, Sinaloa, and Mexico City, which are all among the largest urban centers in the world, have a 100% rate [29]. In most cases, waste is collected using equipment unsuitable for segregated waste. In Mexico, there are 2516 active waste collection service providers; the segregated waste collection has been introduced in 144 municipalities across 24 states, creating a growing market for sophisticated collection and storage equipment; there are 127 waste transfer stations in the country; in 71 of these, the waste is transferred to larger trucks, whereas in the other 56, it is compressed and/or sorted [30].

In Mexico, waste valorization falls into two scenarios: (a) waste collection centers and (b) valorization plants. In the first one (a), waste collection with valorization potential is performed in facilities established by municipal or state governments to receive recyclable by-products; there are 1060 centers in 21 federal entities that receive an average of 38,431 kg/d; when citizens contribute to these centers, they receive food coupons or money in exchange [29]; these government incentives involve local communities in the waste management system [31].

Table 2. Recoverable materials of MSW at waste collection centers.

Category	Percentage (%)
Paper and cardboard	28.30
PET	22.17
Aluminum	2.53
Iron, metal sheets, and steel	9.96
Copper, bronze, and lead	1.75
Glass	18.46
Electric and electronic	2.32
Plastic	10.25
Laminated cardboard	0.11
Other recyclables	4.15
Total	100

Source: Adapted from [29].

shows the percentages of recoverable MSW materials at the waste collection centers.

According to the percentages of recyclable by-products, Mexico is the leader in plastic waste recovery in the Americas, surpassing its trading partners in the United States and Canada; in regard to PET recycling, it is also a worldwide success story, with a rate of 56%, just behind the European Union, with a rate of 57%; the collection and recycling of PET generate more than 2000 direct jobs and approximately 35,000 indirect jobs [32]. PET is the most notable circular economy in Mexico as 60% of PET bottles are recycled and it focuses on post-consumer recycled plastic bottles to provide an overview of cost-effective strategies for designing and developing an affordable sorting system [33].

For the second scenario (b), 47 plants located in 15 federal entities were dedicated exclusively to waste valorization. Mexico City has the highest number (12), followed by the State of Mexico (7) and Jalisco (6). These plants have different processes for managing the inorganic fraction of MSW, such as separation (38%), trituration (6%), compaction (20%), composting (27%), and anaerobic digestion (8%) [29].

As previously stated, the organic fraction of MSW is predominant, and some of its common treatments include composting and anaerobic digestion [34]. Composting refers to the biological decomposition of organic matter to obtain a final stabilized and free-pathogens product [35]. This technology can diversify the biowaste disposed of in landfills, reducing the environmental impacts to obtain a product (compost) that can add nutrients to the soil [36].

Mexico City has seven composting plants, a major number in the country; in 2019, 422,404 t of organic fraction were processed, from which 79,354 t of compost were obtained; 39.32% of the compost obtained stayed in the plants, 24.48% went to the agriculture sector, 21.56% to parks, public gardens, green areas, and schools, and the remaining 10.64% was used in other destinations; moreover, 2169.80 t of mulch was generated, benefiting the soil [37]. The main difficulty for these plants is the contamination of organic waste with single-use plastics or other inorganic waste [38].

Anaerobic digestion is a biochemical process in which complex organic matter is decomposed by various types of anaerobic microorganisms in the absence of oxygen. Biogas, the product of this treatment, is a clean and renewable form of energy that can be a substitute for conventional sources that cause ecological-environmental problems and are simultaneously depleted at a faster rate [39]. Hence, this treatment has emerged as the preferred treatment over its counterparts for biogas and nutrient-rich digestate production [40].

In Mexico City, there is one anaerobic digestion plant with a surface area of 240 m² and a capacity of 1100 t of organic waste per year coming from a waste collection center; it is also possible to obtain 170 m³ of biogas, which is equivalent to a daily generation of 175 kW/h; this treatment also produces a soil improver known as “biol”, used in crop fields and contributes to local agriculture; in 2019, the biodigester received 1022 t, generating 51,100 m³ [37].

In Mexico, there are two disposal systems approved by environmental laws: (a) landfills, involving methods and engineering works to control leachate leakage and biogas generation; (b) final disposal sites, landfills that do not fulfill the specifications of infrastructure to control leachate runoff. It is worth mentioning that open dumps remain as the most common final disposal site in Mexico [41]. In 2017, there were 2203 final disposal sites; however, only 173 worked properly, which means that more than 92% did not guarantee the protection of human health and a safe environment. Thus, there is at least one open dump in each municipality of the country. Some of these uncontrolled disposal sites are near urban and rural localities, including natural areas and water bodies, where scavengers collect household or commercial waste, and there is also a risk of burning waste due to the lack of security conditions in these areas. The regulation and surveillance of these final disposal sites are neither effective nor have economic resources that have been assigned to build new landfills with a real technical and operative advisory. The incorporation of scavengers into formal work in the recycling industry could improve the waste valorization chain, which is a pending task [42]. However, the confinement of MSW in final disposal sites (sanitary landfills, controlled landfills, and open dumps) is the third source of anthropogenic methane emissions in Latin America due to landfill gas emissions; Mexico is the second country with the largest methane emissions from landfills in the region [43].

All things considered, it is necessary to have a sustainable supply chain design for solid waste in Mexico that aligns its goals with the United Nation’s sustainable development goals. The main task for waste managers is to migrate from the actual linear model of collection–transport–disposal to a model of a CE in which most solid waste goes into new industrial processes [44]. This new vision promotes the recirculation of resources in the ecosystem through three main strategies: narrowing resource flows, slowing resource loops, or closing them; these three strategies go hand in hand with reducing, reusing, and recycling; the reduce principle involves the minimization of non-renewable resource consumption through input substitution, process improvement, and an increase in monitoring and managing of the production and consumption stages; the reuse principle reintroduces end-of-life products into the supply chain in various ways to extend their lifecycle and avoid wasting them; recycling involves reprocessing waste materials into new products, materials, or substances, whether for the original purpose or another [45]. It is necessary to emphasize that Mexico must develop techniques to increase the productivity of collection centers for recyclable materials and to face the challenges of recycling and waste management [33].

3.2. Waste Management at a State Level in Mexico

To analyze the waste situation in Mexico at the state level, two case studies, namely Jalisco and Veracruz, located in the Western and Southern regions, respectively, were selected as representatives. In 2020, the populations in the States of Jalisco and Veracruz were 8,348,151 and 8,062,579, respectively [46]. It is worth mentioning that these states are among the top five that contribute the most to the gross domestic product [47].

Table 3. Generation rate, total generation, and composition of MSW.

State	Generation Rate (kg/cap-d)	MSW Total Generation (t/d)	Organic (%)	Susceptible to Recycling (%)	Others (%)
Jalisco	0.944	7961	50.43	28.50	21.07
Veracruz	1.003	7813	44.05	33.78	22.17

Source: Adapted from [29].

shows the generation rate, MSW total generation, and composition for the states of Jalisco and Veracruz.

These values coincide with the 0.99 kg/cap-d reported for LAC and with the following composition: organic 52%, susceptible to recycling 32%, and others 16% for the same region [4].

Despite the parallels in terms of total generation, the collection coverage in the State of Jalisco was higher than that in Veracruz (93.59% and 78.10%, respectively); this difference is mainly because, in Jalisco, there are a total of 1275 collection vehicles; meanwhile, in Veracruz, there are only 759 (40.5% fewer vehicles than in Jalisco) [29]. Collection coverage in urban areas is, on average, 85 to 95% for LAC [4], so Jalisco meets the required efficiency, while in Veracruz, it is necessary to continue making efforts to improve this indicator. It is important to note that Jalisco has implemented several programs for the separation of organic and inorganic waste, resulting in an organic collection of 172.98 t/d (4.31%); 215.74 t/d of inorganic waste collected (9.51%); in the case of Veracruz, the organic fraction collected was 8.30 t/d (0.24%) and the inorganic fraction was 5.25 t/d (0.20%) [29].

Jalisco has six MSW treatment plants in which the following processes are carried out: separation (5), compaction (2), and composting (3) and in Veracruz, there is only one composting plant; in Jalisco, 78.4% of the municipalities have final disposal sites, whereas, in Veracruz, this is only 66%; these sites receive 7431.7 t/d and 5956.8 t/d in the states of Jalisco and Veracruz, respectively [29]; the difference of 19.85% between these data is due to the higher percentage of collection in Jalisco.

Although Jalisco and Veracruz generate similar amounts of municipal solid waste, their waste management styles vary. The results indicate there are gaps between these two states because Jalisco has an efficient waste management system due to its higher waste collection coverage, several waste separation programs, greater infrastructure for waste treatment and final disposal sites, and a state-level network of inter-municipal associations; this is due to the implementation of public policies, greater investments, and better planning of actions in favor of the environment.

For a decade, Jalisco’s government has formed public inter-municipal decentralized bodies, as well as inter-municipal environmental associations (JIMA, by its acronym in Spanish). They are bodies that “provide technical support to municipalities for the preparation, management, and implementation of environmental projects and programs” and they are integrated between 10 and 16 municipalities. Additionally, the inter-municipal systems for waste management (SIMAR by its acronym in Spanish) were created, which are decentralized public bodies designed as inter-municipal models that operate public sanitation service, collection, transfer, treatment, and final waste disposal in the municipalities. These are relevant associations for advice, technical support, and the operation of programs and actions in favor of waste management. Likewise, waste separation programs have been implemented to increase MSW valorization up to 30%, while in other municipalities of the state of Veracruz, the percentage is 20.66% [27].

3.3. Waste Management at a Municipal Level in Mexico

This section presents data on MSW production and management in municipalities of the states of Jalisco and Veracruz, specifically, the generation per capita, collection coverage, and integrated waste management service cost.

Table 4. Municipal solid waste indicators.

Municipalities	Generation Rate (kg/cap-d)	Collection (%)	Integrated Service Cost (Collection + Final Disposal) (USD/t)
In Jalisco	1.152	94	17.91
In Veracruz	0.880	88	28.98

Source: Adapted from [25,26,27].

shows that there are similarities between the indicators of the municipalities in both states, which reveals that the municipalities must develop an integrated waste management system to reduce and minimize the generation of MSW, public policies, adequate regulations, management programs, and environmental culture, and promote the assessment and recycling of MSW with educational programs, and environmental and social participation.

Most of the collected waste goes to final disposal in open dumps and poorly managed landfills; the main problem is the lack of sufficient financial resources in the municipal budgets; another problem is the lack of poorly trained professional management personnel; finally, environmental education is low; for that reason, residents do not always have proper disposal behavior, and there is not much social concern for integrated waste management [25,26,27].

Solid waste management in municipalities with less than 50,000 inhabitants is relevant because, in the states of Jalisco and Veracruz, the percentages of municipalities corresponding to this category are higher than 80% [48]. This is the case of the municipality of Etzatlán, Jalisco with a population of 20,011 inhabitants in 2020, occupying 5105 dwellings, at a ratio of 3.92 inhabitants per dwelling [48,49].

In 2018–2019, the total waste production in the Etzatlán was 18.3 t/d, with a per capita generation of 922 g/d [50].

Table 5. Waste composition generated in Etzatlán.

Waste Types	Percentage (%)
Food and yard trimmings	48
Sanitary	15
Plastic	15
Paper and cardboard	6
Glass	6
Metal	2
Other	8
Total	100

Source: Adapted from [50].

shows the waste composition in Etzatlán, organic waste presents the highest percentage (48%), as in the cases at the national (46.42%) state level (Jalisco 50.43% and Veracruz 44.05%); the same situation happens with susceptibility to valorization waste (29%), at the national (31.55%) and state level (Jalisco 28.5% and Veracruz 33.78%); for the category “others” (sanitary and others 23%), this figure is 22.03% at the national level and 21.07% and 22.17% for Jalisco and Veracruz, respectively, at the state level [29].

Several thematic focus groups were conducted with one of the topics being local waste management. In said gathering, the inhabitants identified the main problems surrounding garbage, resulting in the following [50]:

• Low citizen participation due to a weak environmental culture.
• The performance of the municipal waste management system is inefficient.
• Their model of waste collection does not contemplate segregated waste for recycling.
• There is no recovery of organic and inorganic waste.
• The final disposal site is a source of contamination because it does not comply with environmental regulations.
• The accumulation and dispersion of garbage on the streets.
• Inadequate disposal and accumulation of garbage.

Due to the lack of control at the final disposal site, the Etzatlán City Council has been subject to two sanctioning procedures by the Jalisco Environmental Prosecutor’s Office (PROEPA): one for not having environmental impact authorization and the other for non-compliance with the criteria established by current environmental regulations.

The main activities for inorganic waste segregation were performed by a group of scavengers and the three main scrap buyers in the town. There is a group of five scavengers working downtown collecting and selling recyclables. They mainly collected PET and HDPE plastics, aluminum cans, cardboard, and other materials with commercial value. Furthermore, a family of scavengers works at the disposal site. This is a family of four members related to the municipal employee responsible for controlling entry to the site. In this municipality, four scrap buyers buy and sell recyclable materials. They deal in a variety of materials, such as different types of plastics, car batteries, radiators, copper, aluminum, bronze, cardboard, and glass.

Municipal solid waste collection service is not efficient because the collection system favors the central area of the municipal capital, vehicle fleets are old models and do not have adequate maintenance, and the municipality does not have a strategic plan to separate municipal solid waste materials. In terms of waste management and disposal, the practice is to bury the waste in an open dump. In general, personnel in waste management do not have systematic training and have limited experience. Finally, they performed a routine waste collection and transport to the local dump [50].

3.4. Strategies to Strengthen Waste Management System in Municipalities with Less Than 50,000 Inhabitants

It is necessary to strengthen citizen participation since they are co-responsible, thus, local legislation must consider this activity as mandatory, its contribution to the segregation of organic and inorganic waste [23]. Moreover, the waste management process must be based on the active participation of citizens and consider the local people and experts’ points of view [21].

For formal environmental education, new strategies must be proposed to implement the content of the study programs, especially at the basic level of waste management. The municipal authorities must manage workshops, education courses, and environmental culture for the population, as well as the implementation of massive dissemination programs for environmental education strategies. Then, the joint action of local institutions and citizens stimulates a convergence process towards better and optimized waste management performance [51].

Municipalities must define local public policies, prioritize activities to minimize the generation, recovery, and recycling of MSW; elaborate their municipal programs for the prevention and integrated waste management in compliance with the legislation; prepare, publish, and keep their local regulations updated on waste management, which include mandatory citizen participation for waste segregation. However, it is necessary to measure the effect on waste separation behavior to upgrade waste management performance [52]. The authorities responsible for management must ensure that the final disposal sites comply with standards established in the legislation regarding the selection of the site, construction, maintenance, and abandonment stage, which allows for minimizing the impacts on the environment; this will also contribute to avoiding fines and closure by federal authorities. It is also necessary to have a comprehensive understanding of stakeholders throughout the whole value chain [53].

Waste treatment facilities should be implemented; in the case of small municipalities, composting plants have shown their technical-economic feasibility to obtain a quality product that can be used by field producers as a soil improver, in local organic orchards, and for those schools that decide to be part of sustainability programs for the organic production of vegetables and the cultivation of medicinal plants, which would complement the content of the study programs in a practical way. Cooperation is also recommended between the community, government, the composting plant, and the environmental agencies to enable environmental sanitation [54].

The municipalities must promote the growth of collection centers for recyclable waste, generating alliances with recycling industries to ensure the commercialization of these by-products. It is worth mentioning, that the location of the collection center has a crucial role in sustainable supply chains, so it is important to identify the better ones, using the main criteria: economic, social, and environmental [55].

To provide an adequate collection service, municipalities are required to have a sufficient vehicle fleet with established preventive and corrective maintenance, and replacement programs [20].

For small municipalities, the formation of decentralized inter-municipal bodies is necessary to provide technical support and strengthen waste management in its different stages and thus, improving the efficiency of collection, treatment, and final disposal processes through the implementation of plans and programs previously designed for this purpose. Consequently, municipalities that invested in complex cooperation types achieved better-integrated waste management performance, especially on final disposal, citizen participation, the inclusion of recyclers, and environmental sustainability [56].

The scavenger role is important in the waste management system because of their contribution to recovering recyclable materials and this activity is generally carried out at the collection stage and in final disposal sites; however, sanitary conditions are of high risk for their health and receive low economic income that is barely enough for them to survive. Hence, it is necessary to formally incorporate them as municipalities’ workers to recognize their work and with a socio-productive inclusion, that includes health, quality, and safety at work [20].

4. Conclusions

Mexico, like many other countries, has seen a drastic increase in waste generation. However, there is a lag in terms of waste management, especially in the separation, treatment, and valorization stages.

At the national level, the waste recovery and treatment processes are very limited, since large investments are required and there is a lack of coordination between the different stakeholders in the waste management system. In the case of final disposal sites, most of them do not comply with environmental legislation, generating environmental impacts continuously. For Mexico’s transition to the CE, modifications to the production processes are required, to reduce waste generation (minimization), including promoting greater participation of those responsible for waste generation and management.

To close the gaps between the states, regarding waste management and towards a CE, it is necessary to strengthen the coordination between the federal government and the states, since these differences may have a multifactorial origin. An important aspect to highlight is the effort that Jalisco State has made to promote citizen participation, especially for waste segregation at source.

In the case of municipalities with less than 50,000 inhabitants, the waste management situation worsens, following the collection and final disposal model without valorization, or treatment. Economic resources are scarce, and collection is deficient due to the lack of adequate vehicles, and final disposal sites do not comply with environmental legislation and have consequently been sanctioned by state authorities. This is the situation that exists in most of the country’s small municipalities, so it is necessary to rethink strategies to improve waste management and reduce the environmental impact generated.

For a new conception of waste management in small municipalities, strategies must contemplate that the authorities take initiative to articulate the efforts of different stakeholders from government, productive, social, educational, and service sectors, as well as assuming their co-responsibility. Among the stakeholders, the scavengers represent a fundamental part, and they must be formally incorporated and recognized in the waste management system.

It is also necessary to improve waste management with appropriate budgets, renewal of old collection vehicles and their maintenance, waste segregation in collection routes, launch large-scale waste separation programs, the composting of organic wastes, increase the recycling of materials, promote environmental education, and move towards inter-municipal landfills to share costs and resources. It is worth highlighting the importance of forming inter-municipal associations (decentralized public bodies) by the municipalities because these favor the administration of resources for integrated waste management.

The strategies to strengthen the waste management system proposed in this research can serve as a reference to be applied in other small municipalities in developing countries, to certainly contribute to the transition towards a CE model.