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Open research questions in Municipal Solid Waste Management

292 unresolved questions extracted from the limitations and future-work sections of 1,603 Municipal Solid Waste Management papers in our library. Each links back to the study that raised it.

What the literature leaves open

  • The relationship between gamification in solid waste management and Quality of Life (QoL) has been sparsely explored.

    A total interpretive structural modelling (TISM) framework for gamification in solid waste management and its influence on quality of life (QoL) · 2026 · DOI

  • However, earnings remain insufficient for resilient livelihoods, and they face significant challenges including resource scarcity, institutional neglect, social stigma, child labour concerns and exposure to violence.

    Rural women as place-makers through informal waste collection in QwaQwa, South Africa · 2026 · DOI

  • While existing research focuses predominantly on the hospitality sector, the role of public administrations remains underexplored.

    Tourism intensity and plastic waste management: insights from European capital cities · 2025 · DOI

  • Furthermore, it remains unclear whether RA 9003 effectively reaches rural and remote areas of the country.

    Act and reality of the ecological solid waste management act on barangay-level waste management in Barbaza, the Philippines · 2025 · DOI

  • This study bridges a notable gap in the literature by combining economic and socio-technical analyses within the Iranian municipal context.

    Municipal waste management in developing contexts: lessons from islamshahr’s waste separation project · 2025 · DOI

  • Despite growing research on this group, psychosocial work factors are underexplored, particularly in low-and middle-income countries.

    Psychosocial work factors influencing health, safety, well-being and productivity of waste collectors in developing countries: a scoping review · 2025 · DOI

  • To prevent landfilling’s detrimental impacts on the ecosystem, alternative methods of disposing of organic waste need to be investigated.

    Environmental performance analysis of three organic waste disposal scenarios: landfilling, composting, and EP-50 · 2024 · DOI

  • There is a need for an integrated approach that combines AI-based waste prediction with MPC-based routing optimization. Many IoT-based systems focus primarily on real-time monitoring without integrating predictive analytics. Most existing studies rely on static datasets or simplified routing assumptions.

    AI-Driven Model Predictive Control for Smart Waste Collection Routing in Urban Environments · 2026 · DOI

  • Future work will focus on enhancing the proposed framework through multi-vehicle and traffic-aware routing, incorporation of uncertainty-aware and reinforcement learning models for improved prediction and control, and validation using real-world smart bin and municipal waste dataset REFERENCES [1] N.

    AI-Driven Model Predictive Control for Smart Waste Collection Routing in Urban Environments · 2026 · DOI

  • Combining Artificial Intelligence with modern technologies such as robotics and automation, - The use of Internet of Things to support real-time information on waste containers, - The implementation of edge computing to offer decentralized data computing

    Advancements in waste management: a comprehensive review of Artificial Intelligence applications in smart cities · 2026 · DOI

  • The conventional waste management practices are not effective, - There is a need for further research in the application of AI in waste management

    Advancements in waste management: a comprehensive review of Artificial Intelligence applications in smart cities · 2026 · DOI

  • High intra-class variability and inter-class similarity in waste images. Limited labeled datasets for waste classification. The need for real-time inference on resource-constrained devices. Strong texture overlap among materials.

    Image-Based Waste Classification Using a Hybrid Deep Learning Architecture with Transfer Learning and Edge AI Deployment · 2026 · DOI

  • Limited exploration of multi-backbone fusion tailored to material classification in realistic sorting contexts. Scarce deployment metrics, hindering the assessment of embedded viability in edge scenarios. Insufficient statistical rigor, with many studies reporting point estimates without hypothesis testing or confidence intervals.

    Image-Based Waste Classification Using a Hybrid Deep Learning Architecture with Transfer Learning and Edge AI Deployment · 2026 · DOI

  • Traditional MCDM approaches lack the ability to integrate both preference strength and performance dominance within a unified dual-perspective framework. The existing fuzzy MCDM methods rely primarily on aggregated or maximum utility measures.

    BiAPPSS: an enhanced bipolar fuzzy APPSS framework for sustainable solid waste management · 2026 · DOI

  • The BiAPPSS framework incorporates both positive and negative membership information with satisfaction levels for conflicting criteria in SWM planning; however, the scalability of this bipolar fuzzy representation to decision problems with more than six alternatives or significantly expanded criterion sets (beyond the current six criteria ε1-ε6) has not been evaluated.

    BiAPPSS: an enhanced bipolar fuzzy APPSS framework for sustainable solid waste management · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a gap in the existing research on policy implementation communities. The study notes that prior research has focused on macro-level policy analysis, neglecting the micro-level dynamics of policy implementation.

    Diagnosing the structure of policy implementation community in waste sorting: a grounded theory analysis from a China’s case study · 2026 · DOI

  • The paper identifies the lack of dynamic feedback and debugging mechanisms as causing institutional rigidity in policy implementation communities, but does not propose what specific adaptive management protocols, monitoring intervals, or performance threshold triggers should be designed and tested to enable self-renewal in waste sorting systems.

    Diagnosing the structure of policy implementation community in waste sorting: a grounded theory analysis from a China’s case study · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of evidence-based regional policies for sustainable FABA management. The study identifies a need for integrated policy recommendations that consider both environmental and social aspects.

    Integration of Life Cycle Assessment and Policy Analysis for Improving Sustainable Coal Ash Management: A Case Study in South Sumatra, Indonesia · 2026 · DOI

  • Traditional waste management systems rely on manual monitoring, which is inefficient and often leads to overflowing bins - There is a need for a smart waste management system that can improve efficiency and reduce manual effort

    Autobin: Automated Waste Collection and Alert System · 2026 · DOI

  • Improper handling and disposal of hazardous materials. Lack of reliable monitoring and tracking systems. Increasing waste volumes and difficulties in tracking waste-related activities.

    Tox Track: Blockchain-Enabled Tracking and Management System for Hazardous Waste in Madridejos · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of reliable monitoring and tracking systems in hazardous waste management. The need for a more efficient and reliable system to manage hazardous waste.

    Tox Track: Blockchain-Enabled Tracking and Management System for Hazardous Waste in Madridejos · 2026 · DOI

  • Investigating the social and cultural factors that influence waste management behaviors. Understanding community attitudes toward waste segregation and recycling. Examining the economic models and financing mechanisms for waste management in developing countries.

    Waste management in developing countries: a systematic literature review of policy implementation · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a lack of understanding of the role of policy integration and multi-stakeholder collaboration in waste management outcomes. The paper identifies a gap in the literature on the implementation of waste management policies in developing countries.

    Waste management in developing countries: a systematic literature review of policy implementation · 2026 · DOI

  • Existing systems have limitations in handling real-world scenarios. There is a need for more efficient techniques that can handle complex waste classification tasks.

    Deep Learning for Waste Classification · 2026 · DOI

  • The study identifies a knowledge gap in understanding the complex interplay between developmental aspirations and environmental sustainability. The research highlights the need for a refined understanding of the relationship between public-private partnerships, renewable energy, and urban development.

    Assessing the environmental impacts of engineering strategies and sustainable infrastructure: a study on solid waste utilization in China · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Municipal Solid Waste Management

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292 open questions have been extracted from the limitations and future-work passages of 1,603 Municipal Solid Waste Management papers in our library. Each one below links back to the study that raised it, so you can read the original claim in context.

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