Open AccessThe waste management sector of Hungary
Author(s) -
Katalin Lipták,
Andrea S. Gubik,
Horváth Ágnes,
Mónika Kis-Orloczki
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
theory, methodology, practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2415-9883
pISSN - 1589-3413
DOI - 10.18096/tmp.2021.02.04
Subject(s) - reuse , raw material , business , waste management , circular economy , secondary sector of the economy , natural resource economics , environmental economics , engineering , economics , economy , ecology , chemistry , organic chemistry , biology
Nowadays, the waste management sector faces a number of challenges. Changes in consumer habits generate huge amounts of industrial and household waste. Today’s trends, which involve a higher use of critical raw materials, such as in the manufacture of batteries and solar cells, make it urgent to extract valuable raw materials from waste. The waste sector as a whole, taking into consideration all levels of the waste hierarchy (prevention, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, landfilling), is a significant branch of the national economy, both in terms of employment and income-generating capacity. In addition, the sector can be considered a major intermediary in industrial value chains as it contributes to the generation of secondary raw materials that can be sold to industries and thus help to achieve a circular economy through the collection, treatment and processing of waste.