Keywords
network analysis
environmental and economic efficiency
SME’s profitability
waste cycle
How to Cite
Accepted 2026-05-27
Published 2026-10-10
Abstract
Purpose. This paper aims to contribute to the debate on waste management with the intention of considering the waste cycle as a network of environmental services, which are vital and necessary to the industry. At the same time it wants to emphasize the concept of the sustainable landfill, that finds a new role whenever it is collocated at the end of the cycle.
Design/methodology/approach. A simple model shows that the lifespan of a landfill, in the absence of economic constraints, depends on the actions put in place upstream of the final storage phase, which will have to be all the more incisive the greater the community's aversion to the creation of landfills. The various phases of the waste cycle are detailed, together with an economic exploration of the economic dimension of the waste sector, also outlining organization and ownership structures.
Findings. The sustainable landfill, a necessary building block that cleanly closes the material cycle, imposes the constraint that produces backward effects throughout the supply chain, even to the point of changing the structure of the entire network. Within a circular economy framework, the potential for SMEs, in terms of new market space, turnover and economic profits is enormous.
Practical and Social implications. The waste sector, extremely relevant for its economic dimension, is very parcelled out, characterized by the presence of a large number of SMEs and exhibits very interesting margins of profitability whenever a sustainable landfill is taken into consideration.
Originality of the study. It intends to fill a gap in the literature, emphasizing the concept of sustainable landscape and presenting the waste cycle as a network of services for the environment, that is a specific management model (Integrated Waste Management As A Service or IWaMAAS)
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