Guidelines for National Waste Management Strategies

The objective of this guidance document is to improve upon the approach to waste management, which in most developing countries is disorganised, haphazard and under-resourced. This document aims to remedy the problem by establishing a clear rationale for making waste management a national priority, and by providing an organised, logical set of steps to tackle that priority through the creation and implementation of a national strategy.

Given the many different interests and aspects of government policy that are affected, this strategy must be carefully
coordinated with other national policies and plans. A successful national strategy can be measured by how well it meets the challenges and delivers the benefits from the opportunities presented by waste management, and in particular the extent to which it realizes these gains on a national scale.

This document provides a conceptual and methodological framework that countries may apply and adapt to their particular circumstances. It outlines a possible process and poses questions that countries may wish to consider as they develop integrated national waste management strategies. Part I of the document is an introduction providing context, an overview and an examination of preliminary issues, including the rationale for a national waste management strategy. Part II explores the challenges and opportunities waste management presents. Part III deals with the major considerations influencing the policy choices involved in a national strategy, while Part IV outlines the process of strategy development, monitoring, and implementation. To support the methodology, the document provides additional information resources in the annexes.