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Circular Economy in Waste Management: Challenges and Opportunities

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A special issue of Environments (ISSN 2076-3298).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 March 2026) | Viewed by 10197

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Dr. Charisios Achillas

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Guest Editor

Department of Supply Chain Management, International Hellenic University, 60100 Katerini, Greece
Interests: reverse logistics; circular economy; environmental engineering
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Dr. Dimitrios Aidonis

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Guest Editor

Department of Supply Chain Management, International Hellenic University, 60100 Katerini, Greece
Interests: operations research; supply chain management; sustainability
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

The transition to a circular economy has emerged as a critical pathway to addressing the growing challenges of resource depletion, environmental degradation, and waste generation. By rethinking traditional linear models of “take–make–dispose”, the circular economy emphasizes the importance of closing material loops, extending product lifecycles, and minimizing waste through reuse, recycling, and regeneration. Waste management, as a cornerstone of this transition, plays a pivotal role in enabling the efficient recovery and reintegration of resources into the economy. Innovative strategies in waste management not only reduce environmental impacts but also unlock economic opportunities, fostering sustainable development and resilience.

This Special Issue, entitled “Circular Economy in Waste Management: Challenges and Opportunities”, seeks to explore the latest advancements, challenges, and opportunities in aligning waste management practices with circular economy principles. This Special Issue aims to provide a platform for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers to share insights, evidence, and innovative solutions that contribute to the circular economy agenda. We invite contributions that address topics such as waste valorization, circular design, resource recovery technologies, policy frameworks, and behavioral interventions that promote sustainable waste management practices. Additionally, we welcome case studies, reviews, and interdisciplinary research that highlight the integration of circular economy principles into waste management systems.

The intersection of the circular economy and waste management offers fertile ground for transformative change, driving the shift towards sustainable consumption and production patterns. By fostering collaboration and knowledge exchange, this Special Issue aims to advance scientific understanding, inform policy development, and inspire practical solutions that accelerate the transition to a circular economy.

We encourage researchers, industry experts, and policymakers to contribute their expertise to this collective effort. Together, we can deepen our understanding of circular waste management systems and pave the way for a more sustainable, resource-efficient future.

Warm regards,

Dr. Charisios Achillas
Dr. Dimitrios Aidonis
Guest Editors

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Keywords

waste management
circular economy
closed-loop systems
resource efficiency
resource recovery
sustainable development
digital innovation
policy frameworks

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Published Papers (7 papers)

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Research

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20 pages, 5869 KB

Open AccessArticle

Sustainability Indicators for Evaluating a Municipal Solid Waste Management System

by Mirna Castro-Bello, Denisse Peralta-Rojo, Carlos Virgilio Marmolejo-Vega, Cornelio Morales-Morales, Daniel Angeles-Herrera, Areli Barcenas-Nava, Sergio Ricardo Zagal-Barrera and Yanet Evangelista-Alcocer

Environments 2026, 13(4), 222; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13040222 - 18 Apr 2026

Viewed by 124

Abstract

Inadequate Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) management constitutes a critical environmental challenge, as approximately 40% of waste reaches uncontrolled disposal sites where open-air incineration generates significant air, soil, and water pollution. The objective of this study was to evaluate the MSW Environmental Management System (EMS) in Chilpancingo de los Bravo, Guerrero, Mexico, through sustainability indicators and applicable Mexican environmental regulations to identify operational and structural deficiencies that guide a comprehensive improvement in its management. The methodology comprised an analysis of the EMS via the Municipal Development Plan, the identification of environmental indicators and applicable Mexican standards, and an evaluation of the EMS through waste characterization and sustainability metrics. A sample of 208 kg was defined in accordance with standards NMX-AA-015-1985 and NMX-AA-022-1985. The results indicate a generation rate of approximately 350 tons per day (1.2 kg/capita/day), with municipal collection coverage of 70% of the territory across 24 daily routes operated by 30 vehicles. Indicators revealed a recycling rate of 4.86%, collection coverage of 79.66%, a 0% treatment rate due to the absence of composting or material recovery facilities, and 95% of waste directed to the Final Disposal Site (FDS). These findings demonstrate substantial deficiencies in the current EMS, highlighting that the systematic application of indicators is an effective diagnostic tool for identifying gaps and guiding evidence-based improvements in MSW governance. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Economy in Waste Management: Challenges and Opportunities)

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40 pages, 2498 KB

Open AccessArticle

Environmental Impacts of Italian Food Life Cycle Scenarios for Sustainability Management and Decision Making

by Patrizia Ghisellini, Yanxin Liu, Ivana Quinto, Renato Passaro and Sergio Ulgiati

Environments 2026, 13(4), 203; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13040203 - 5 Apr 2026

Viewed by 1015

Abstract

Food waste prevention and reduction are some of the important initiatives to improve the environmental sustainability of food systems. The global agenda of the United Nations provides a framework of targets and actions against food waste to which the European Union (EU), within the “Farm to Fork” strategy, aims to contribute. In this context, evaluating the impacts of food prevention measures is of great importance for supporting policies. This LCA analyzes the impact of classic lasagna from cradle to grave, through a generic food case study, prepared by food shops in Bologna (Northern Italy). Four scenarios are simulated, comparing the impacts of some end-of-life alternatives for the management of leftover lasagna (landfilling, composting, and redistribution with the digital application of the circular start-up “Squiseat”) versus the ideal scenario where no leftover lasagna is assumed. The results show that the preparation of classic lasagna generates non-negligible impacts on the analyzed LCA categories due to some of its ingredients, such as Bolognese sauce and Parmigiano Reggiano, and their associated production processes. For this reason, it is important to prevent classic lasagna leftovers from being wasted. The comparison of the four scenarios shows that redistribution is the scenario with the lowest impacts in all the investigated impact categories, including global warming (6.24 kg CO₂ eq./kg of lasagna). The impacts are also lower than the ideal scenario due to the assumption of more sustainable means of transport. Normalization of characterized results confirms that Global Warming (GW) is only one of the most relevant impact categories in the life cycle of classic lasagna. The results have practical implications for raising awareness concerning the impacts of food production throughout the whole life cycle and the need for preserving the value of food by avoiding waste. Moreover, this study also shows that a reduction in the impact is a shared outcome that could be achieved by the joint efforts of all the stakeholders involved in the life cycle of food. In this regard, urban centers are confirmed to be important hubs of circular and more sustainable innovation. Finally, the LCA enriches the current research by investigating redistribution through the relationship of the food shop–virtual intermediate–consumer. So far, the prevalent focus of the LCA research allows us to assess the redistribution of collected surplus food from retailers and its delivery to the consumers by means of physical intermediaries and related infrastructures (e.g., food hubs, food banks, and food emporiums). Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Economy in Waste Management: Challenges and Opportunities)

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23 pages, 707 KB

Open AccessArticle

Evaluating Circular Economy Performance in Municipal Solid Waste Management: A Hybrid Structural Equation Modeling and Explainable Machine Learning Study from Cajamarca

by Persi Vera-Zelada, Emma Verónica Ramos-Farroñán, Alexander Fernando Haro-Sarango, Luis Alberto Vera-Zelada, Julio Roberto Izquierdo-Espinoza, Kevin Litman Florez-Tolentino, Pamela Maidolly Torres-Moya, Roberto Justo Tejada-Estrada and Gary Christiam Farfán-Chilicaus

Environments 2026, 13(4), 201; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13040201 - 5 Apr 2026

Viewed by 660

Abstract

This study evaluates the factors associated with municipal solid waste management performance under a circular economy approach in the municipalities of Cajamarca, Peru. A hybrid analytical design was applied to 120 municipal observations, combining partial least squares structural equation modeling to estimate the measurement and structural properties of four latent constructs—legal-regulatory framework, institutional capacity, operational management, and perceived performance—and XGBoost with SHAP to explore predictive classification of participation in circular economy training. The structural results indicate that operational management plays the central articulating role in linking regulation and institutional capacity to perceived performance, whereas the predictive component showed only modest out-of-sample discrimination (AUC-ROC = 0.519). Overall, the findings suggest that the proposed hybrid pipeline is more informative for explanatory integration and variable-importance analysis than for strong predictive discrimination under the current specification. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Economy in Waste Management: Challenges and Opportunities)

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26 pages, 2307 KB

Open AccessArticle

Ecological and Microbial Processes in Green Waste Co-Composting for Pathogen Control and Evaluation of Compost Quality Index (CQI) Toward Agricultural Biosafety

by Majda Oueld Lhaj, Rachid Moussadek, Hatim Sanad, Khadija Manhou, M’hamed Oueld Lhaj, Meriem Mdarhri Alaoui, Abdelmjid Zouahri and Latifa Mouhir

Environments 2026, 13(1), 43; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments13010043 - 9 Jan 2026

Cited by 5 | Viewed by 1425

Abstract

Composting represents a sustainable and effective strategy for converting organic waste into nutrient-rich soil amendments, providing a safer alternative to raw manure, which poses significant risks of soil, crop, and water contamination through pathogenic microorganisms. This study, conducted under semi-arid Moroccan conditions, investigated the efficiency of co-composting green garden waste with sheep manure in an open window system, with the objective of assessing pathogen inactivation and evaluating compost quality. The process, conducted over 120 days, maintained thermophilic temperatures exceeding 55 °C, effectively reducing key pathogens including Escherichia coli, total coliforms, Staphylococcus aureus, and sulfite-reducing Clostridia (SRC), while Salmonella was not detected throughout the composting period. Pathogen reductions exceeded 3.52-log despite moderate temperature fluctuations, indicating that additional sanitization mechanisms beyond heat contributed to inactivation. Compost quality, assessed using the CQI, classified Heap 2 (fallen leaves + sheep manure) as good quality (4.06) and Heap 1 (green waste + sheep manure) as moderate quality (2.47), corresponding to differences in microbial dynamics and compost stability. These findings demonstrate that open windrow co-composting is a practical, low-cost, and effective method for safe organic waste management. It supports sustainable agriculture by improving soil health, minimizing environmental and public health risks, and providing guidance for optimizing composting protocols to meet regulatory safety standards. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Economy in Waste Management: Challenges and Opportunities)

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18 pages, 1017 KB

Open AccessArticle

Circular Economy Model for Educational Plastics Reprocessing in College Town Communities

by Krista Belisle, Zachary Brown, Max Gonzales, Natalie Lott, Matthew Noti, Jared Stoltzfus and Hao Zhang

Environments 2025, 12(11), 400; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12110400 - 24 Oct 2025

Viewed by 2014

Abstract

Plastic recycling has been a challenge worldwide due to various reasons, including limited profit margins, the demand for high-quality plastic reprocessing techniques to make products comparable to those from virgin materials, and challenges in sorting and processing. This problem became particularly urgent in the small towns in the U.S., where plastic waste was shipped overseas for treatment, but now it is not accepted in some countries. This study aims to understand the plastic value chain and find the necessary factors for a circular economy model of both environmental and economic settings. In this study, an educational plastics reprocessing workspace was developed with manufacturing processes such as shredding, filament extruding, 3D printing, and injection molding. A series of products was developed to increase the value of the recycled polymers. In addition, quality control of recycled polymers such as polylactic acid (PLA), acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polyethylene terephthalate glycol (PETG) was examined. By collaborating with a university manufacturing lab, this work illustrates how plastics can be collected, prepared, and reprocessed, serving as a platform for student learning and community outreach. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by presenting a case-based educational model for community-level plastic recycling and reprocessing in a college town context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Economy in Waste Management: Challenges and Opportunities)

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19 pages, 950 KB

Open AccessArticle

Organization of Chemical Production Based on the Principles of Green Chemistry: Waste Recycling and Resource Chains in the Production of Rubber Products

by Aleksei I. Shinkevich, Tatiana V. Malysheva and Irina G. Ershova

Environments 2025, 12(10), 391; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12100391 - 20 Oct 2025

Viewed by 1446

Abstract

A new look at the concept of green chemistry from the side of the laws of production organization allows for the development of organizational solutions for achieving environmental friendliness of chemical–technological processes without capital-intensive modernization of production lines. The uniqueness of chemical production, unlike most industries, is the maximum possibility of organizing a closed resource–waste production cycle. The purpose of the article is to develop solutions for organizing chemical production based on the principles of green chemistry with an emphasis on waste recycling and resource chains using the example of rubber product production. Analysis and critical assessment of publications and literary sources showed a shortage of research on organizational tools for creating green production systems with minimal resource losses and maximum product yield. Interpretation of the laws of production organization in the projection of “green” chemistry made it possible to identify six vectors for creating sustainable production with a high strength of interrelation between the laws of production organization and the principles of green chemistry. The solutions obtained in most cases are aimed at increasing the closed nature of production and organizing circular resource chains. Using the example of rubber tire and cover production, trends of waste recycling prevalence (69%) were revealed compared to their disposal (31%). Based on artificial neural networks, a model of usefully used waste in circular resource chains was built, where three variables act as factors of sustainable production: the mass of waste returned to its own production cycle; the mass of waste returned to the production cycle of another enterprise, and the mass of waste sent for storage or disposal at landfills. The highest rate of beneficially used waste in circular resource chains is achieved in the third scenario, which prioritizes reintegrating waste back into the production cycle (57.5%). The transition from one scenario to another does not result in a polar shift in this rate, which instead varies within a range of 50–58%. The proposed solutions can be used by enterprises when choosing engineering directions and tools based on the synthesis of “green chemistry” concepts and production organization laws. Prospects for the development of the topic lie in the development of the methodology for organizing environmental engineering in the proposed directions and implementation tools as well as research into the technology of organizing closed low-waste production processes. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Economy in Waste Management: Challenges and Opportunities)

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Review

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22 pages, 2672 KB

Open AccessReview

Mapping Agricultural Sustainability Through Life Cycle Assessment: A Narrative Review

by Konstantinos Spanos, Nikolaos Kladovasilakis, Charisios Achillas and Dimitrios Aidonis

Environments 2025, 12(11), 436; https://doi.org/10.3390/environments12110436 - 12 Nov 2025

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2234

Abstract

Over the past few decades, the concept of sustainable agriculture has gained popularity. However, the notion of sustainable agriculture is highly imprecise and unclear, making its application and execution exceedingly challenging. Moreover, disagreements about what sustainability means can lead to a deeper understanding of the intricate empirical procedures and possibly debatable principles involved in any effort to achieve sustainability in agriculture. Practices to increase crop resilience, lower chemical inputs, and boost efficiency are examples of future developments. This review identifies how agricultural life cycle assessment (LCA) studies engage with climate-related metrics such as GHG emissions and land use changes, offering insights for adaptation and mitigation strategies. This review also addresses the need to synthesize existing research on how agriculture and food systems can become more environmentally friendly through LCA. LCA enables the identification of environmental hotspots within agricultural systems, therefore, guiding efforts to limit resource consumption and emissions. For this purpose, a search of a bibliographic database was carried out and the results obtained were analyzed with the open-source tool bibliometrix. There were 2328 results in total with publication years from 1993 to 2025, the latter of which refers to a pre-publication. Then, a post-processing analysis of 1411 articles was conducted and a narrative review of around 100 publications was carried out, where agricultural practices with LCA, current trends, and research gaps were explored. Finally, this paper contributes by identifying three major research gaps derived from the literature synthesis: firstly, the underrepresentation of dynamic LCA models in agriculture; secondly, the lack of geographical balance in case studies; and thirdly, the insufficient integration of socio-economic dimensions in environmental assessments. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Circular Economy in Waste Management: Challenges and Opportunities)

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