An Integrated Framework for Post-Consumer Plastic Waste Management in Europe: Indicators and Macro-Environmental Barriers

While much of the literature focuses on waste management and end-of-life processes, there is no consensus on the stages that define these systems. Diverging perspectives underscore a lack of agreement on how waste stages should be structured, particularly in reconciling end-of-life processes with circular economy objectives. This inconsistency makes it challenging to attribute specific issues to the malfunction of one or more stages, as their definitions remain unclear. Moreover, the absence of well-defined boundaries highlights the need for a deeper analysis and understanding of the complexities within waste management systems.This article proposes a framework for analysing post-consumer plastic waste (PCPW) management and assessing the influence of Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Environmental, and Legal barriers in Europe. The framework is structured into five key stages: I) Generation and Sourcing Method, II) Collection Method, III) Pre-treatment, IV) End of Waste (EoW), and V) End of Life (EoL). Each stage is linked to a specific material state, from PCPW sourced to PCPW irrecoverable. Quantitative indicators are introduced to evaluate the performance of each stage. Furthermore, a literature review identifies 19 key macro-environmental barriers that directly or indirectly influence the stages, offering insights to enhance the sustainability of PCPW management systems within the European context.