NEW EUROPEAN UNION MEMBER STATES TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE WASTE MANAGEMENT, INVOLVEMENT OF INDIVIDUALS INTO THE SYSTEM

This paper provides a study focused on the new Member States and their experience in the development of sustainable waste management system and involvement of individuals into it. Almost all countries have achieved the first stage construction of new infrastructure, and closure and recultivation of old sub-standard landfills. The article provides comparison of different methods used to involve inhabitants into the waste management system; the paper concludes with one important aspect deposit system which has been discussed a lot lately. The general aim of the paper is to compare the European Union new Member States in terms of their achievements in the field of waste management and, especially, in the implementation of deposit system in the Baltic States. Tasks, undertaken within the research are, as follows: comparison of the EU New Member State achievements in waste management; and a comparative analysis of economic instruments applied in the field and of deposit system, implemented in the Baltic States. The applied methodology includes a quantitative and qualitative comparative analysis. The main conclusions of the paper state that the society education remains one of the most important aspects to achieve goals set for waste management.