Achievements of Waste Indicators of Sustainable Development Goals 6, 7, 11, and 12 in Italy from 2015 to 2020

Meetha Ram (), Enrico Bracci and Bakhtawar Nizamani
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Meetha Ram: Department of Economics and Management, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Enrico Bracci: Department of Economics and Management, University of Ferrara, 44121 Ferrara, Italy
Bakhtawar Nizamani: Department of Economics and Business Sciences, University of Sassari, 07100 Sassari, Italy

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 9, 1-31

Abstract: Many developed countries face an increasing crisis of waste management, especially regarding inadequate disposal capacities and insufficient systems for waste sorting and recovery. These insufficiencies harmfully affect environmental quality, human health, and overall urban life. Waste management is largely linked with disposal, collection, and recycling. Instead of being a critical public utility, solid waste management often goes unnoticed—until it fails. The complete system failure can escalate into a global crisis. Italy presents a critical case to evaluate waste management’s role in achieving Sustainable Development Goals, given the diversity of the country and its adherence to strict EU regulations. The country has taken important steps to adopt the principles of the circular economy, mainly through recycling and waste-to-energy initiatives. The Sustainable Development Goals are also linked to waste management, and there are specific goals with targets and indicators that focus on waste management outcomes. This paper has assessed the national achievement of Italy in waste management concerning the SDGs. SDGs 6, 7, 11, and 12, with a specific focus on the targets impacted by integrated waste management in Italy, are the focus of this paper, and the achievement of waste indicators under SDGs 6, 7, 11, and 12 is analyzed. The paper also assesses the relationship between social, economic, and geographical variables in the achievement of the mentioned SDGs, and also the impacts of the social, economic, and geographical contexts of inhabitants on the achievements of the SDGs. The paper has utilized the national dataset on SDGs and available data on socio-economic and geographic variables. The paper applied descriptive statistics, Pearson’s Correlation, Partial Least Square Regression (PLSR), and Elastic Net Regression, emphasizing the relationship between the waste indicators of SDGs and social, economic, and geographical factors. The paper resulted in a significant association between the outcomes of waste management indicators of SDGs and demographic variables.

Keywords: waste management; sustainable development goals (SDGs); circular economy; Italy; socioeconomic; geographical context (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
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