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Assessment of the applicability of the Pay As You Throw system into current waste management in Estonia

Viktoria Voronova (Institute of Environmental Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia)
Kristjan Piirimäe (Institute of Environmental Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia)
Mailis Virve (Institute of Environmental Engineering, Tallinn University of Technology, Tallinn, Estonia)

Management of Environmental Quality

ISSN: 1477-7835

Article publication date: 2 August 2013

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Abstract

Purpose

This paper aims to assess the current waste management situation in Estonian municipalities and outlines the main constraints hindering the implementation of the Pay‐As‐You‐Throw (PAYT) system into the existing waste management model.

Design/methodology/approach

Data pertaining to the treatment methods of municipal solid waste (MSW) and the ability to implement the PAYT system were gathered from 150 of the 226 local municipalities, whilst statistical data related to the amounts of MSW generated and separately collected at a municipal level were obtained from the Estonian Environmental Information Centre.

Findings

The results of the study showed that 39 per cent of the municipalities sort waste before landfilling. To increase the sorting ability of inhabitants, 43 per cent of those municipalities that responded to the questionnaire suggested enhancing awareness among people in regard to waste handling. It was found that people are not economically motivated to sort their waste due to the fact that differences in charges between separately collected and unsorted waste are negligible. It was estimated that implementing the PAYT system in one rural municipality would increase the cost of emptying containers by approximately 20‐45 per cent.

Practical implications

Results of the study can be used in countries with a comparable economic situation to improve their current economic and legislative context in the field of sustainable waste management.

Originality/value

The novelty is that the authors aimed to assess the possibility of implementation of the Pay‐As‐You‐Throw system in practice, using Estonian municipalities as a case area, including economic feasibility and willingness of stakeholders to apply the system.

Keywords

Citation

Voronova, V., Piirimäe, K. and Virve, M. (2013), "Assessment of the applicability of the Pay As You Throw system into current waste management in Estonia", Management of Environmental Quality, Vol. 24 No. 5, pp. 667-681. https://doi.org/10.1108/MEQ-09-2012-0061

Publisher

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Emerald Group Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2013, Emerald Group Publishing Limited

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