Integrating PAYT and Emerging Technologies for Smart Waste Management: Towards a Circular Economy Framework

This study focuses on an integrated conceptual framework for smart municipal waste management that combines Pay-as-you-throw (PAYT) with digital technologies emerging from the Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intelligence, and blockchain. In the literature, a key limitation has long been recognised: the fragmented implementation of technological solutions and economic instruments in waste management systems. This model is proposed as a multi-layer architecture that integrates user identification, real-time data collection, predictive optimisation, and automated tariff calculation. The framework is expected to reduce mixed-waste volumes and improve operational efficiency while ensuring traceability and transparency in waste management. The framework also provides a practical basis for implementing circular economy principles and advancing climate and urban sustainability goals by linking user behaviour to cost allocation and data-driven monitoring. The findings highlight that measurable environmental benefits depend on the structural integration of behavioural incentives, real-time monitoring, and transparent data governance. The framework demonstrates how PAYT-based incentives, combined with digital monitoring, can reduce mixed waste volumes and associated emissions.