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

The document examines waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina through the lens of social equity, highlighting that while collection coverage has expanded, rural areas and Roma communities remain underserved. It identifies a strong reliance of Roma populations on informal waste collection for income and notes that the formal waste sector is heavily male-dominated. The brief argues for the integration of informal collectors into formal systems and the use of gender-based quotas and targeted training to diversify the workforce.

• Waste collection coverage in Bosnia and Herzegovina is uneven, with urban areas reaching approximately 90% coverage while rural areas remain at around 40%. Roma households are more likely to lack access to these services compared to non-Roma households.
• The waste management sector in Bosnia and Herzegovina faces systemic challenges, including a low waste recovery rate of approximately 7% and a reliance on landfills, with 75% of waste disposed of in formalized landfills.
• Many Roma communities depend on the informal waste sector for survival due to limited economic opportunities. In Zavidovici, about 50% of the Roma community relies on collecting and selling garbage as their primary household income, contributing over 50% of the recyclables market to middle dealers in the Zenica-Doboj Canton.
• Informal waste collectors, particularly those from the Roma community, earn significantly below the national minimum wage. A survey at the Brčko landfill showed collectors earn an average of 200 BAM (approximately €100) per month, which is about half of the national minimum wage.
• The formal waste management industry is characterized as a male-dominated and 'masculinized' sector across Europe and Bosnia and Herzegovina, creating a need for gender-based quotas and targeted training to increase women's representation in roles such as engineers and truck drivers.
• Gender and age influence waste disposal and recycling behaviors. In the EU, women are more likely to prioritize waste reduction and sorting at home; similarly, in Bosnia and Herzegovina, women are more likely to plan food purchasing to avoid waste and feel guilt when discarding food.
• Medical waste management in Bosnia and Herzegovina is deficient, lacking a registration system and treatment infrastructure. Consequently, bio-hazardous waste is often disposed of untreated on unsecured dumpsites, and only 42% of health care institutions in the Federation have a Medical Waste Management Plan.

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} }