Cooperative Approaches in Waste Management

Discussions on the effectiveness of different approaches to waste management are often disputed. On the one hand, there are those that claim that environmental protection regulations are beneficial to the economy and encourage technological innovation, more efficient processing and the use of resource input information that leads to less energy consumption and better products in the long run. On the other hand, there are those arguing that compliance costs have led to an unfavourable market position and have undermined innovation. Activities related to helping companies contribute to the economy through the effective use of resources include raising awareness of environmental and energy-related issues, law implementation support, assessment of their environmental and energy efficiency, as well as initiatives to improve the skills and qualifications of their workforce. This paper presents the results of empirical research into the awareness and attitudes of the public concerned with a collaborative approach in waste management. Qualitative and quantitative methods of collecting and processing the research material were used. The results of the research confirm significant differences among the respondents of the target groups, given the level of awareness and attitudes to the collaborative approach to waste management.