Waste Management Outlook for Mountain Regions

The constraints on biological processes at altitude, therefore, need to be analysed in detail when planning for the application of biological treatment – not only for obtaining compost and/or humus fromorganic waste but also for treating leachates to reduce their potential for pollution prior to discharge into water bodies.

governments is to lay out the national policies pertaining to waste, and to design a strong, robust and transparent institutional framework for SWM. Such a framework should make clear which institutions and actors take on which roles at the different levels of waste governance. It includes both a broad legal framework of waste legislation, as well as more detailed regulations that allow for the effective implementation of the framework. A common feature is that SWM is generally delegated to the government of the smallest territorial entity, usually the municipality. The role of government institutions at the local municipality level is primarily that of a client – the municipal government body takes on the role of a ‘proxy-generator’ of municipal solid waste. It is, therefore, the municipal government body that is responsible for collecting revenues to finance the SWM system, making executive decisions about who delivers SWM services such as waste handling and disposal, and which technologies are implemented. In making these decisions, it is crucial that they take into account efficiency, economy of scale and other relevant factors (Rodic, 2015c). Waste handlers include government bodies responsible for the collection and disposal of waste, as well as private enterprises and stakeholders from the informal sector. Often government institutions issue tenders to private companies to undertake various aspects of thewastemanagement process. Several studies (Rodic, 2015c; Scheinberg, Wilson and Rodic-Wiersma, 2010;

Governance of waste management in mountain cities

The types and characteristics of solid waste in large mountain cities relate more to levels of development rather than to altitude. This is also true for the way solid waste is managed. In general, the overarching structure of waste governance within urban settlements in mountainous regions is similar to that of waste governance in urban areas in other lowland parts of the country. The composition of stakeholders involved in the waste management process, as well as the goals and drivers, are essentially the same. As with any urban area, the stakeholders in the governance of waste management in more mountainous regions consist of legislative bodies, government institutions, management authorities, waste generators, users of waste management services and waste handlers.

Generally, the political and administrative characteristics of a country defines the governance regimes. The role of national

A waste collection truck in Bogota, Colombia. Photo © iStock/#NAME?

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