The impact of public awareness, infrastructure, and technological development with economic growth on solid waste management of European countries: does governance quality matters

• Published in: Environmental science and pollution research international Vol. 30; no. 53; pp. 113442 - 113456
• Main Authors: Yasmeen, Rizwana, Sarfraz, Muddassar, Shah, Wasi Ul Hassan, Ivascu, Larisa, Cifuentes-Faura, Javier
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Berlin/Heidelberg Springer Berlin Heidelberg 01.11.2023; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Aquatic Pollution; Atmospheric Protection/Air Quality Control/Air Pollution; Earth and Environmental Science; Economic Development; Economic growth; Economics; Ecosystem; Ecotoxicology; Effectiveness; Environment; Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Health; Humans; Impact analysis; Infrastructure; Method of moments; Municipal wastes; Perceptions; Public awareness; Refuse Disposal - methods; Research Article; Solid Waste - analysis; Solid waste management; Solid wastes; Waste management; Waste Management - methods; Waste Water Technology; Water Management; Water Pollution Control; Environmental sanitation; Government effectiveness index; Municipal waste; Education; European Union; Research and development; Bias-corrected method of moments
• ISSN: 1614-7499; 0944-1344; 1614-7499
• DOI: 10.1007/s11356-023-30356-4

Solid waste generation is a significant problem affecting the ecosystem, human health, and safety. However, the issue is not given the attention it truly deserves. Consequently, this study is aimed at assessing the impact of various factors, such as economic growth, public awareness, infrastructure, and technological advancements, on generating municipal waste in the European Union (EU) for the period 1995–2020. Furthermore, the study incorporated the mediating effect of economic growth and government effectiveness with public awareness, infrastructure, and technological development to reduce waste generation. By employing the bias-corrected method of moments, the study finds that overall waste generation does not decrease over time in EU economies. Furthermore, Denmark is the top-ranked country among the sampled countries to generate waste. However, Finland is at the top in government effectiveness. The empirical findings showed that economic growth is the significant reason for the increase in solid waste production. Additionally, the interaction effects of economic growth with public awareness, infrastructure, and technological development are positive. However, the individual impact of public awareness, infrastructure, and technological development is positive in reducing waste generation. Governance effectiveness is a significant tool to lower waste generation in European economies.