Global Waste Management Trends in the Context of Sports and Recreation Areas: Perspectives from Turkey, Lithuania, Morocco, and Sri Lanka

This study presents a comprehensive approach to the integration of trend practices in waste management processes within sports and recreation facilities, focusing on four countries: Turkey, Lithuania, Morocco, and Sri Lanka. The aim of the study is to identify the social, technological, managerial, and behavioral factors shaping waste management practices and trends in these areas and to provide a comparative cross-country analysis. The research was conducted using a qualitative research design. Data were collected from a total of 96 experts across the four countries through a semi-structured interview form. The data obtained were analyzed using thematic analysis, and findings were classified under the themes of infrastructure, policy, technology, governance, and awareness. Based on the analysis, the findings reveal that Lithuania stands out with its strong digital infrastructure grounded in the EU legal framework; Turkey, despite its high potential, experiences a behavior–intention gap; Morocco exhibits institutional resistance and regime lock-in; while Sri Lanka demonstrates a community-based yet institutionally weak structure. Overall, the research highlights that sustainable waste management depends not only on technical infrastructure but also on the holistic interaction of socio-technical factors such as cultural norms, institutional coordination, and behavioral alignment.