WAYS TO IMPROVE THE COLLECTION AND RECYCLING OF SEPARATE WASTE IN THE SELECTED REGION – CASE STUDY

Abstract

The global shift towards sustainable behaviour is also affecting waste management practices. Recycling is one way to reduce waste. It allows to apply the principles of circular economy by eliminating the single use of different types of materials. The paper deals with waste collection and recycling in a selected region of the Czech Republic and the possibilities of improving these processes. It presents the results of a primary qualitative research conducted in two phases, first in a company engaged in waste collection and sorting, then in a company implementing the recycling process itself. The research involved the collection of primary information through face-to-face interviews according to an interview scenario, which was complemented by observations. The research was aimed at identifying how to implement both the collecting process (in the first phase of the research) and the recycling process (in the second phase of the research), while identifying tools to improve these processes. The revealed tools can be classified into three basic groups, namely tools for the implementation of technical and technological innovations (concentrated mainly on cost savings), improvement of personnel processes (processes related to recruitment and selection of employees, adaptation processes and processes aimed at increasing work-friendliness) and tools enabling the use of optimization methods and models in the management of in-house processes (including the introduction of appropriate information technologies). The research results and their discussion can contribute to improving collecting and recycling not only in the companies where the primary research was conducted, but also in other companies operating in the Czech Republic. They can also be an inspiration for foreign companies, but only after considering the degree of similarity of the conditions under which companies of this type operate.