ORIGINAL RESEARCH
Evaluating the Efficiency of Solid Waste
Management in Municipalities of Slovakia
Incorporating Information on Waste
Targets: A DEA AR-I Approach
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Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of European Studies and Regional Development,
Institute of Law and Sustainable Development, Tr. Andreja Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
Submission date: 2024-10-27
Final revision date: 2025-04-04
Acceptance date: 2025-04-19
Online publication date: 2025-07-24
Corresponding author
Peter Fandel
Slovak University of Agriculture in Nitra, Faculty of European Studies and Regional Development,
Institute of Law and Sustainable Development, Tr. Andreja Hlinku 2, 94976 Nitra, Slovakia
KEYWORDS
TOPICS
ABSTRACT
This paper analyzes municipal solid waste management (MSWM) performance across
all 2,887 municipalities in Slovakia, introducing a novel approach to estimate composite efficiency
indicators that incorporate EU and Slovakia waste targets into an efficiency assessment model.
The analysis covers data from 2017 to 2021 and is conducted in 2 stages. In the first stage, technical
efficiency and Malmquist indices are estimated using DEA AR-I models, where waste targets are
converted into output weights. The results indicate significant improvements in MSWM performance
over the analyzed period, with an overall performance improvement in MSWM expressed by
an average Malmquist productivity index of 76.4%, primarily driven by a technical efficiency
improvement of 89.4%. The second stage examines the impact of external factors on MSWM efficiency.
Findings reveal statistically significant differences in MSWM efficiency between municipalities with
and without access to incineration technology, favoring those with access. Among the 3 pricing methods
for waste collection, volume-based pricing outperforms alternative methods. Among 10 municipality
size classes, the highest efficiency scores are achieved by municipalities with over 100,000 inhabitants.
Furthermore, the research indicates variations in MSWM efficiency across 8 distinct regions
of Slovakia, suggesting a considerable influence of region-specific MSWM programs. Additionally,
a positive correlation is identified between the education level of the municipal population and MSWM
performance. These findings, along with the methodology that considers waste targets, provide
a substantial theoretical framework for assessing, formulating, and executing future governmental
strategies and policies aimed at enhancing the efficiency and sustainability of MSWM in Slovakia.
CONFLICT OF INTEREST
The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.
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