Waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens

This discussion brief examines the intersections of waste management, gender equality, social equity, and poverty in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH). It highlights systemic gaps in waste collection, particularly in rural areas and Roma communities, and discusses how the waste sector is characterized by gender imbalances and a reliance on informal labor by marginalized groups.

• Waste collection coverage in Bosnia and Herzegovina is uneven, with significant disparities between urban and rural areas. While urban coverage is approximately 90%, rural coverage is only around 40%, leading some rural households to use illegal dumpsites. Overall, about 77% of the population has access to these services.
• The waste management sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina faces several systemic challenges, including high operational costs, insufficient investment financing, and very low rates of waste separation. Landfilling is the primary disposal method, with 75% of waste going to formalized landfills and approximately 23% ending up in about 2,300 illegal dumpsites.
• Medical waste management is severely deficient in Bosnia and Herzegovina due to a lack of treatment infrastructure and registration systems. This results in untreated bio-hazardous waste being placed on unsecured dumpsites. In the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina, only 42% of health care institutions have a Medical Waste Management Plan.
• Roma communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina experience disproportionate challenges and rely heavily on the informal waste sector for survival. In Zavidovici, approximately 50% of the Roma community depends on collecting and selling garbage as their primary income, contributing over 50% of the recyclables market to middle dealers in the Zenica-Doboj Canton.
• A survey of Roma waste collectors at the Brčko landfill found that men and women are equally represented in this informal work. However, their average monthly income of 200 BAM is roughly half of the national minimum wage, and they lack alternative income sources should the landfill close.
• The waste management industry is heavily masculinized, though gender influences waste behavior differently. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, women are more likely to feel guilt when discarding food and plan purchases to avoid waste, yet they remain underrepresented in paid professional roles within the sector.

APA

Strambo, C., Segnestam, L., & Jahović, B. (2021). Waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens. Stockholm Environment Institute. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/bih-esap-waste-brief-10-aug-2021-eng.pdf

Chicago

Strambo, Claudia, Lisa Segnestam, and Belma Jahović. Waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens. Stockholm Environment Institute, 2021. https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/bih-esap-waste-brief-10-aug-2021-eng.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Strambo |first1=Claudia |last2=Segnestam |first2=Lisa |last3=Jahović |first3=Belma |title=Waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens |publisher=Stockholm Environment Institute |date=August 2021 |url=https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/bih-esap-waste-brief-10-aug-2021-eng.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{strambo2021waste, author = {Strambo, Claudia and Segnestam, Lisa and Jahović, Belma}, title = {{Waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina: a gender equality, social equity and poverty reduction lens}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2021}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/bih-esap-waste-brief-10-aug-2021-eng.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }