Technical indicators to improve municipal solid waste management in developing countries: A case in Mexico.

Area of Science:

• Environmental Science
• Public Health
• Urban Planning

Background:

• Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) faces challenges in developing countries due to scarce, low-quality data.
• Existing MSWM indicators often prioritize sustainability and zero-waste goals, which may not align with immediate health protection needs in resource-limited settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a basic set of indicators for analyzing technical aspects of street cleaning, waste collection, and disposal in developing countries.
• To establish reference values and evaluate indicator performance using a traffic light system.
• To develop a method for classifying information quality based on data source, uncertainty, and coverage.

Main Methods:

• Assessment of 66 Mexican municipalities to identify ten feasible indicators.
• Development of reference values and a traffic light system for performance evaluation.
• Application of an information quality classification method considering data source, uncertainty, temporal, and spatial coverage.

Main Results:

• Ten basic MSWM indicators were identified as calculable from available data in Mexican municipalities.
• The traffic light system revealed incipient implementation of MSWM across most studied municipalities.
• Information quality assessment highlighted limitations in data reliability and coverage.

Conclusions:

• The proposed indicator set provides a foundational tool for systematizing MSWM monitoring in developing countries.
• Results underscore the urgent need to expand waste collection services and enhance disposal site conditions.
• This approach can guide improvements in MSWM for municipalities facing similar data constraints and developmental stages.