Transition Towards Circularity in Municipal Solid Waste Management: Analysis of Barriers and Drivers Through the Multi-Level Perspective Framework

Reducing reliance on landfilling and increasing recycling of municipal solid waste—driven today by goals of circularity and climate action—remains a challenge in many countries. Like other sustainability transitions, it is a complex, multifaceted process, which now unfolds in an increasingly changing environment, often in parallel with transitions in other sectors such as the green energy transition. This study draws on sustainability transition theory, particularly the Multi-Level Perspective (MLP), rarely applied to waste management previously, to show how the transitions in municipal solid waste management (MSWM) may be influenced by dynamics beyond the waste sector itself. Using qualitative methods, including in-depth expert interviews and document analysis, it identifies key factors shaping the MSWM transitions in Turkey and Russia—two countries relying on landfilling but actively working to reduce its use. An MLP-based analysis reveals that many barriers originate outside MSWM, including fully systemic barriers such as corruption, barriers rooted within MSWM but closely linked to external conditions (e.g., fuel prices and recyclables markets), and barriers arising from other systems, such as the energy system. These barriers constrain MSWM actors to influence transition outcomes and contribute to slow transition progress. However, several barriers located within MSWM—such as deficiencies in legislation and coordination—are comparatively more manageable and may accelerate transitions. By applying MLP and building on insights from transition literature, this study shows how transitions toward circularity may be accelerated in the two case countries, while also contributing new empirical insights to sustainability transition research.