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In the recent post-pandemic era, the globe has been anxious for the sustainable disposal of healthcare waste to protect public health, protect the environment and enhance future preparedness. Developing countries, in particular, have struggled to dispose of healthcare waste (HCW) to eradicate the hazardous effects of medical waste generated during and after the deadly COVID-19 pandemic. Hence the purpose of the research paper is to develop a hybrid decision-making framework to identify various barriers for sustainable disposal of healthcare waste use of Grey-Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (G-DEMATEL) and Analytical Network Process (ANP).

A hybrid framework of Grey-Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (G-DEMATEL) and Analytical Network Process (ANP) has been used to rank barriers and sub-barriers in the disposal of healthcare waste.

The study’s findings suggest that lack of segregation practices, absence of green procurement policy, obsolete technologies and resistance to adopting change management are the topmost causal barriers influencing the remaining barriers. Lack of commitment among healthcare administrations, lack of standard performance measures and resistance to adopting change appear to be the topmost crucial barriers.

The study’s finding enables all stakeholders to prioritize the barriers systematically for better performance and save resources during the process. The policymakers can use the results to design a clear regulatory framework.

The literature has highlighted the factors and their association with the disposal of healthcare waste mainly in isolation. The results are validated against the Grey-Analytical Hierarchy Process (G-AHP) to ensure the robustness of the proposed framework. This paper is one of the preliminary attempts to propose a framework of the interrelationships of the factors that have a direct role in survival for management education.

The paper focusses on various ways of global circular economies’ resource optimisation. The paper examines corporations’ corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives in bringing circularity. This paper identifies research gaps in waste management in linear economies such as India. It concludes with a proposition for waste management advocating the ADKAR model framework of change.

This paper reviews the academic repositories and reports to find answers to the circularity gaps. Databases such as Emerald, Web of Science and Springer were used to construct the theory. The author used keywords such as “circular economy”, “circular economy and SDG”, “circular economy and CSR”, and “circular economy and waste management” to locate the relevant literature to build the theory. Based on the theory, the waste management gap is identified and analysed.

The paper collates and examines the interdependency factors promoting circularity. An analysis of exemplary circular economies and corporations gives a pathway for linear economies. Finally, a framework is formulated for India’s transition from a linear to a circular economy using the best practices of different circular economies’ waste minimisation techniques. It summarises the findings of circular economies, formulating an ADKAR framework for waste management to aid circularity in India.

This research must be validated with the practical implications of an economy’s ecosystem. The economies’ binding policies and statutory regulations must be gauged through valid metrics for each circular economy, ultimately determining its efficacy in transitioning from linear to circular economy.

The circularity in production and responsible consumption by all the stakeholders leads to sustainability. Embracing new sustainable practices, CSR initiatives will lead to circularity at the nano, micro, meso and macro levels for a populous economy such as India. The ADKAR model proposed can bring a positive change in India.

The United Nations’ sustainability goal 12 (Responsible consumption and production) focusses on resource optimisation. This paper proposes ways to involve stakeholders to minimise waste at the source through a multi-level approach.

This paper attempts to assess an economy’s sustainability by analysing its circularity gaps and highlighting the best practices of circular economies. It also outlines the framework for circularity through waste reduction and minimisation using the ADKAR model.

An efficient e-waste management system is developed, aided by deep learning techniques. Here, a smart bin system using Internet of things (IoT) sensors is generated. The sensors detect the level of waste in the dustbin. The data collected by the IoT sensor is stored in the blockchain. Here, an adaptive deep Markov random field (ADMRF) method is implemented to determine the weight of the wastes. The performance of the ADMRF is boosted by optimizing its parameters with the help of the improved corona virus herd immunity optimization algorithm (ICVHIOA). Here, the main objective of the developed ADMRF-based waste weight prediction is to minimize the root mean square error (RMSE) and mean absolute error (MAE) rate at the time of testing. If the weight of the bins is more than 80%, then an alert message will be sent to the waste collector directly. Optimal route selection is carried out using the developed ICVHIOA for efficient collection of wastes from the smart bin. Here, the main objectives of the optimal route selection are to reduce the distance and time to minimize the operational cost and the environmental impacts. The collected waste is then considered for recycling. The performance of the implemented IoT and blockchain-based smart dustbin is evaluated by comparing it with other existing smart dustbins for e-waste management.

The developed e-waste management system is used to collect the waste and to avoid certain diseases caused by the dumped waste. Disposal and recycling of the e-waste is necessary to decrease pollution and to manufacture new products from the waste.

The RMSE of the implemented framework was 33.65% better than convolutional neural network (CNN), 27.12% increased than recurrent neural network (RNN), 22.27% advanced than Resnet and 9.99% superior to long short-term memory (LSTM).

The proposed E-waste management system has given an enhanced performance rate in weight prediction and also in optimal route selection when compared with other conventional methods.

Poor municipal solid waste management is a major characteristic of urban development in Africa. In Ghana, local governments are mandated to ensure the collection, treatment and disposal of solid waste. However, this has been a herculean task for local governments in Ghana, owing to inadequate resources and weak technical capacities. This has prompted calls for, and actual involvement of the private sector through public-private partnerships (PPPs) in municipal solid waste management, particularly in the urban areas. This study aims to assess the roles, effectiveness and challenges of PPPs in urban waste management in the Sunyani municipality of Ghana.

Adopting a case study design, the study used a qualitative research approach to provide in-depth insights into PPPs in municipal solid waste management in the Sunyani municipality of Ghana. Therefore, key informant interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted.

The study revealed that some policies and actions of the local government (Assembly) do not positively facilitate the effective functioning of PPPs in municipal solid waste management. There is also lack of effective stakeholder consultation, collaboration and grassroot inclusion in the PPPs which affect the effective management of the increasing volumes of solid waste being generated within the municipality.

To achieve the objectives of the PPP arrangements, local authorities should initiate steps to effectively coordinate all the involved private companies. There must also be ways of involving the beneficiaries in the design and implementation of PPPs on waste management to allow for effective grassroots and participatory monitoring and evaluation.

The uniqueness of the case study being a mid-sized and secondary city in a developing country enhances the value of the findings and the application of recommendations in cities with similar characteristics and initiatives in improving PPPs in municipal waste management.

This study aims to fill a knowledge gap about the best ways to execute waste management regulations that support sustainability and environmental responsibility. However, the study seeks to investigate and assess how well waste management systems support sustainability and environmentally friendly behaviors.

Since the quantitative technique was used to discover and generate hypotheses about relationships between variables, it was chosen for the entirety of the study. The data collection from ready-made garments (RMG) in Bangladesh was carried out using a survey strategy that involved the distribution of questionnaires using a cluster sampling approach. The partial least squares structural equation model (PLS-SEM) was used for quantitative analysis with SmartPLS.

However, the results show the importance of waste management, green practice methods and sustainability for the company's goal of maintainable performance. On the other hand, PLS-SEM demonstrated that based on the provided t-statistics and p-values, all of the routes in the structural model are statistically significant at the level of p < 0.05. These routes also appeared to have far broader and more powerful effects. Principles of the circular economy are highlighted, as are the importance of holistic methods, awareness and education, stakeholder participation and fusing these concepts. Furthermore, it seems to affect significantly both short-term and long-term success due to its distinctiveness in sustained performance.

Much time will be required to assess waste management methods and their long-term effects. A healthcare manager may adapt research findings to practice, ensuring the study enhances management and patient care.

This research addresses a significant literature gap by providing managers and policymakers with concrete ideas on integrating sustainability into operational and strategic frameworks. In today's competitive environment, integrating stakeholder engagement and green practices into core company operations is an innovative way to achieve sustainable excellence.

Our study examines how artificial intelligence (AI) can enhance decision-making processes to promote circular economy practices within the utility sector.

A unique case study of Alia Servizi Ambientali Spa, an Italian multi-utility company using AI for waste management, is analyzed using the Gioia method and semi-structured interviews.

Our study discovers the proactive role of the user in waste management processes, the importance of economic incentives to increase the usefulness of the technology and the role of AI in waste management transformation processes (e.g. glass waste).

The present study enhances the circular economy model (transformation, distribution and recovery), uncovering AI’s role in waste management. Finally, we inspire managers with algorithms used for data-driven decisions.

Football tailgating is a focus of campus sustainability in the United States because it produces large amounts of waste. In states where recyclables can be redeemed for cash, this waste also is a resource for earning income. University officials face the challenge of encouraging proper waste disposal, cleaning up efficiently and coexisting productively with income-earning recyclers. This paper aims to understand how bridging formal and informal actors can yield improved campus waste management outcomes.

Using the institutional analysis and development framework this study combines observational data throughout one football season with semi-structured interviews with informal recyclers, tailgaters and campus officials. Data are analyzed using thematic analysis.

The case displays interaction between formal and informal waste management actors and between formal and informal rules of interaction. Campus officials have largely succeeded in encouraging proper waste management by tailgaters, who in turn loosely coordinate with income-earning recyclers under unwritten rules. Officials tolerate recyclers, but waste management could be improved with better communication and coordination and more trust between them. Many recyclers conduct their work with a sense of environmental stewardship that could support waste management efforts.

Uncoordinated coexistence between formal and informal waste management systems is common in the global South. With few studies in the global North, this is the first the authors know of in a campus sustainability context.

This paper aims to explore UAE's transition towards circular economy (CE) through construction and demolition waste (CDW) management in the pre-construction stage. The extent of circularity is assessed by five key aspects of CE, such as policies and strategic frameworks, design for waste prevention, design for disassembly or deconstruction, use of prefabricated elements and CDW management plans.

Multiple case studies were conducted in the context of the Dubai construction industry (UAE). Three significant and unique construction projects were selected as the cases. Semi-structured interviews were carried out to collect data, and the thematic analysis technique and NVIVO 12 software were used for data analysis.

Findings reveal several positive initiatives towards CE in the UAE context; yet it is identified that the transition is still at the initial stage. Selected case studies, the best-case scenarios of UAE (i.e. influential cases), demonstrated adequate measures in relation to four key CE aspects out of five. For instance, (a) policies and strategic frameworks such as lean standards, green building standards and standards developed by the local authorities, (b) design for waste prevention (e.g. adherence to the 3R principle, and construction planning with BIM), (c) use of prefabricated elements and application of innovative construction technologies (e.g. 3DPC, DfMA) and (d) CDW management planning such as 3R principle were evident. However, the selected cases hardly showcase designing for disassembly or deconstruction.

The existing CDW practices are mostly conventional, as most constructions in UAE are procured through conventional building materials and methods. Therefore, there is a necessity of encouraging CE principles in CDW management. Even though the transition towards CE was evident in four key CE aspects out of five, the UAE construction industry has yet to adopt more effective CE-based CDW management practices to accelerate the circularity. Hence, it is necessary to enforce standard waste management guidelines, including the 3R principle, to standardise CDW management in UAE and encourage construction practitioners to adhere to CE principles.

The findings of this study provide valuable insights for decision-making processes around CDW management towards a CE. This paper contributes to the literature by bridging the CE concept with CDW management in the pre-construction stage. The study provides insights for industry practitioners for planning CE in terms of policies and strategic frameworks, CDW management planning, construction planning and application of innovative construction technologies.

The purpose of this study is to solve the problem of healthcare waste management in developing countries. The buildup of medical waste has attracted the attention of all spheres of society due to the expanding population and developing economy. Timely collection and processing of medical waste are extremely important due to its potential hazards. Although the problem of planning medical waste management has been addressed in developed countries, it persists in several developing countries. This research is motivated by an example of a city in India characterized by a dense population, abundant health-care facilities and a lack of planning for managing large medical waste generated daily.

The authors address the problem of designing the network of collection and processing facilities for medical waste and optimizing the vehicle route that collects and transfers the waste between facilities. Due to distinct topographic restrictions in the considered city, the collection and transfer process needs to be conducted in two echelons – from hospitals to collection centers using smaller vehicles and then to the processing facilities using trucks. This work addresses these two problems as a two-echelon location-routing problem.

A mixed-integer programming model is developed to minimize the cost of opening the facilities and transporting medical waste. Several managerial insights are drawn up to assist planners and decision-makers.

This study follows a case study approach to provide a descriptive and prescriptive approach to hospital waste management in the ancient city of Varanasi. The city has witnessed unplanned growth over the years and is densely populated. The health-care facilities in the city have a large catchment area and attract patients from neighboring districts. The situation analysis based on secondary data and unstructured interviews of the stakeholders suggests that the ad hoc approach prevails in present hospital waste management in the city.

A prime objective of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan (SBA; Clean India Mission) is to motivate people to segregate their household waste. The purpose of this study is to assess the ground reality of waste management behaviour of Delhi residents with the help of a modified Value–Belief–Norm (VBN) model. Past researches point the need to include cost as a variable in the VBN model. This study fulfils this need and tests cost as one of the variables on the gathered data.

The research data were gathered by interacting with the people and the civic staff in the jurisdiction of the three Delhi municipalities through a stratified sampling technique (N = 250). The structural equation modelling was used to analyse the collected data.

The modified VBN model explains the waste management behaviour, but the variables do not follow the exact causal chain. Values, awareness of consequences, ascription of responsibility and personal norms all explain the resident's waste management behaviour. However, cost limits the resident's waste management behaviour.

The study could only achieve a moderate model fit; its sample size was small; and data were collected through self-reported questionnaire.

Three main practical implications of the study are: (1) While designing waste management solutions, due importance must be given to the cost to be borne by people for adopting these solutions. (2) Design such interventions that target residents' values to convince them to make the desired behavioural change. (3) People need be educated about the ways to sort waste and made aware of the importance of waste segregation in eradicating the urban waste mess.

The paper is an original contribution to testing a modified VBN model in predicting waste management behaviour. The modified model includes cost as a variable missing in the previous research. This research is useful in the backdrop of the SBA and provides suggestions for policymakers and pro-environment researchers.