EVOLUTION OF WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN DEVELOPED AND DEVELOPING CITIES

摘要

Developing countries have historically looked to developed cities for technical advice and as exemplary models for waste management systems and techniques without considering the consequent resources requirements or the key characteristics of local circumstances. This paper reviews the history of urban waste management in London and Kuala Lumpur, representing developed and developing cities, respectively, focusing on the integration of policy changes, social-economic background and waste data trends. We discuss how waste management policies and strategies have evolved and the linkages between policy interventions and chronological waste data trends. A detailed understanding of how waste management systems evolve can provide new perspectives and insights; this is important in the current era as waste management is undergoing a paradigm shift, refocusing on sustainable resource management rather than sustainable waste management.