Three scenarios for the organisation of MSW management in Europe

The previous chapters have highlighted two important points. The first concerns the numerous observable differences between Member States. It was obvious from the beginning that such differences existed; less obvious was trying to understand these differences and how they emerged. Different historical processes, the varying importance of the categories of actors involved in waste management, the structure of the industry and, more generally, of the economy; many elements lie at the origin of different waste management regimes. Beliefs, routines and conventional principles were reinforced with the passage of time and through the actions of those involved, until they eventually formed a common and coherent framework of action, inscribed within an institutional trajectory (Godard, 1995). The most important point to underline is that, when comparing one regime with another, we cannot ascribe a hierarchy of regimes, or the superiority of one over the others. They represent different sets of compromises; they evolve and constitute coherent and balanced frameworks in which the national actors involved can work