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Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management: Challenges, Innovations, and Resource Recovery

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Waste and Recycling".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 2 September 2026 | Viewed by 3639

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Aleksandra Wdowczyk

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Environmental Protection and Development, Wrocław University of Environmental and Life Sciences, ul. Grunwaldzka 55, 50-357 Wrocław, Poland
Interests: landfill; leachate; toxicity; waste management; municipal landfills; toxicity tests; ecotoxicology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a major concern due to the increasing volume of waste and concerns about its impact on the environment. The circular economy and the concept of sustainable development have changed the approach to MSW management from basic waste disposal to recycling and resource recovery. Producing energy from waste is another solution, but it may have environmental consequences.

This Special Issue welcomes both basic and applied research, which should be related to issues of interest to researchers and decision-makers involved in the management of MSW.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to increase knowledge about sustainable management of MSW.

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Nutrient recovery from municipal solid waste leachate;
  • Challenges for sustainable waste management;
  • Sustainable MSW management approach;
  • Sustainable landfill design;
  • Energy recovery from MSW;
  • MSW treatment (thermal treatment - incineration, pyrolysis and gasification; and biological treatment -anaerobic digestion, composting; sanitary landfills, etc.);
  • Problems related to waste management;
  • Concepts and practices related to waste management and storage technologies in countries;

We believe this Special Issue will shed new light on the topic of the sustainable management of MSW.

Dr. Aleksandra Wdowczyk
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • waste management
  • sustainable development
  • nutrient and energy recovery
  • landfill
  • sustainable resources

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue policies can be found here.

Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

30 pages, 3823 KB  
Article
Valorization of Mineral Wool Waste as a Pozzolanic Supplementary Cementitious Material—Comparative Reactivity in Portland and Calcium Sulfoaluminate Systems
by Beata Łaźniewska-Piekarczyk and Dominik Smyczek
Sustainability 2026, 18(7), 3366; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18073366 - 31 Mar 2026
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 318
Abstract
This study provides new experimental evidence indicating that powdered mineral wool waste traditionally classified as a non-reactive, non-recyclable insulation residue can function as a genuinely pozzolanic supplementary cementitious material when incorporated into Portland cement systems. Unlike previous work that has treated mineral wool [...] Read more.
This study provides new experimental evidence indicating that powdered mineral wool waste traditionally classified as a non-reactive, non-recyclable insulation residue can function as a genuinely pozzolanic supplementary cementitious material when incorporated into Portland cement systems. Unlike previous work that has treated mineral wool exclusively as an inert filler, this research demonstrates that its amorphous silicate–aluminate phase becomes chemically active under high-alkalinity conditions. A combined experimental programme, including mechanical testing, assessment and SEM/EDS microstructural analysis, was used to evaluate replacement levels of 20%, 25%, and 40% in CEM I mortars, with CSA cement employed as a contrasting binder system. The results indicate a potential contribution of powdered mineral wool to strength development; however, this effect cannot be unequivocally attributed to pozzolanic activity alone. It may also be partially related to physical effects such as filler action and particle packing. SEM/EDS observations confirm the formation of secondary C–S–H and C–A–S–H gels, can function as a genuinely pozzolanic supplementary cementitious material. Therefore, the applied assessment approach should be treated as indicative, and further verification using complementary methods is required. This study provides new experimental evidence indicating mineral wool can potentially contribute to cementitious performance as a Supplementary Cementitious Material (SCM). However, these observations should be treated as qualitative and indicative rather than definitive proof of pozzolanic reaction. The study provides an environmentally relevant valorisation pathway for a problematic waste stream, showing that mineral wool residues containing only trace levels of immobilizable formaldehyde can be safely and effectively integrated into low-carbon binder technologies. These findings position powdered mineral wool as a previously overlooked, yet technically viable SCM, offering new opportunities for clinker reduction, waste circularity and sustainable cementitious material design. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management: Challenges, Innovations, and Resource Recovery)
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27 pages, 5659 KB  
Article
Solid Waste Management in a Context of Sustainability in the Sahuangal Community, Ecuador
by Bryan Coello-Choez, Lady Bravo-Montero and Gricelda Herrera-Franco
Sustainability 2026, 18(6), 2811; https://doi.org/10.3390/su18062811 - 13 Mar 2026
Viewed by 657
Abstract
In developing countries, where rural communities face limitations in terms of solid waste management (SWM), they often resort to practices such as prolonged storage and open burning. Proper planning helps reduce environmental, health, and economic impacts and moves towards more sustainable waste management. [...] Read more.
In developing countries, where rural communities face limitations in terms of solid waste management (SWM), they often resort to practices such as prolonged storage and open burning. Proper planning helps reduce environmental, health, and economic impacts and moves towards more sustainable waste management. This study analyses SWM in the rural community of Sahuangal (Ecuador) and proposes a pilot management plan based on community participation. A three-phase methodology was applied: (i) preliminary analysis, surveys, and Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT-TOWS) analysis; (ii) infrastructure design for the pilot plan, integrating the physical characterisation of waste for infrastructure sizing; (iii) economic- and financial evaluation and multicriteria prioritisation using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP). The survey results indicate that 75.86% of households reported a predominance of organic waste, whereas the pilot-level characterisation conducted in a typical household identified an organic fraction of 69.81%. The SWM pilot plan is cost-effective and, by relying on small-scale infrastructure built with local materials and community labour, incorporates social and environmental sustainability criteria. The combination of SWOT-TOWS analysis with AHP emphasised community participation, the viability of composting, and the recovery of recyclables as the predominant criteria, suggesting that the plan can be adapted to other rural communities with similar conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management: Challenges, Innovations, and Resource Recovery)
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25 pages, 1741 KB  
Article
Evaluating Sustainable Plastic Bag Recycling Using Multi-Criteria Decision Making as a Real-Life Study in Thailand
by Virin Kittithammavong, Sivanappan Kumar, Ampira Charoensaeng and Sutha Khaodhiar
Sustainability 2025, 17(21), 9366; https://doi.org/10.3390/su17219366 - 22 Oct 2025
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2163
Abstract
Thailand generated 27.2 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2024, of which 12% was plastic waste, predominantly single-use plastics. The mismanagement of plastic waste can lead to significant long-term environmental issues, including the release of toxic chemicals through open burning and air [...] Read more.
Thailand generated 27.2 million tons of municipal solid waste in 2024, of which 12% was plastic waste, predominantly single-use plastics. The mismanagement of plastic waste can lead to significant long-term environmental issues, including the release of toxic chemicals through open burning and air pollution, posing risks to human health. Effective and efficient plastic waste collection and recycling are therefore essential to address the reduction and management of plastic waste, as well as to support a low-carbon energy transition. This study assessed three community-driven initiatives by conducting a comparative sustainability assessment of plastic bag recycling under real-life conditions in Thailand using a multi-criteria decision-making framework. The results of the assessment in three municipalities showed that the actual collection rates in all initiatives remained extremely low (0.0014–0.1555%). The highest rankings were observed with recycling initiatives driven by superior collection rates and favorable economic returns. The hindrances to promoting sustainability are found to be due to policy inconsistency, ineffective leadership, and behavioral barriers. The practical collection rates should increase to at least 25% to be more sustainable in terms of economic, social, and environmental aspects compared to those without the recycling initiative. These findings, thus, provide specific targets for improving plastic waste separation and management strategies in all regions facing similar challenges. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Integrated Approaches to Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management: Challenges, Innovations, and Resource Recovery)
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