Sustainable solid waste management: The German case and lessons for South America

With nearly 80% urbanization, South America faces critical challenges in managing municipal solid waste, particularly the continued reliance on landfilling and the prevalence of open dumps. The region's rapid population growth, high organic waste content and inadequate infrastructure further exacerbate health and environmental risks. In response to increasing international attention on dumpsite closure, this study examines the potential for system transitions by drawing lessons from the evolution of waste management in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern (MV), a rural and less industrialized state in Germany. Following the reunification of Germany in 1990, eastern states, such as MV, were required to adopt national waste regulations that had already been implemented in the west. The transition from dumping and informal practices such as feeding biowaste to pigs, to the establishment of source separation, composting and energy recovery offers relevant insights for mid-sized cities in Latin America seeking sustainable alternatives to open dumping. Using a comparative approach, the study reviews trends in waste dumping across 12 South American countries, alongside a historical and regulatory analysis of Germany's transformation. Key findings transition was driven by policy and regulatory reforms, political will at the national level, harmonization of standards across federal states and a national strategy to reduce methane emissions from landfills. Additional pillars of success included the introduction of a compost quality assurance system, cost-recovery financing mechanisms and differentiated user fees to incentivize source separation.