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Abstract

As waste formation rates rising and environmental sustainability becoming more and more important, the circular economy (CE) offers a revolutionary method to waste management, especially in developing countries. This study assesses waste management’s role in the CE using bibliometrics of 148 articles published in developing countries between 2013 and 15 February 2024. Bibliometric data analysed using Scopus tools and VOSviewer and R Biblioshiny packages. The result show that the number of publications gradually increased during study periods. Findings also indicated that waste management, municipal waste management, recycling and sustainable development represent the current CE ‘hotspots’. The conceptual analysis indicates strong linkage between CE, developing countries and sustainable development from key findings. A CE in waste management is a significant opportunity to reduce waste and promote environmental sustainability by implementing circular principles in developing countries. Subsequently, developing countries should benefit from CE practices through new economic opportunities, reducing environmental impact, emerging technology and improving resource efficiency. Likewise, this study provides insights into potential pathways for enhancing CE initiatives in waste management, emphasizing the importance of collaborative efforts, policy frameworks and community engagement.

Keywords

Circular economy bibliometric analysis Scopus waste management developing country

Introduction

Supporting the design of items for longevity, reparability and recycling, the circular economy (CE) concept encourages sustainable practices. Adopting the concepts of the CE is reduce environmental effects (Phdungsilp, 2022), and CE sustain economic returns and strength quality of life (Ilić et al., 2022). Growing trash paired with poor infrastructure poses serious dangers to the environment and human health (Ferronato et al., 2020; Saifi and Jha, 2023). Inadequate waste management is the main issue in developing countries, and municipal solid waste management is a major problem in developing countries all over the world (Kadhila and de Wit, 2022; Mpingana and Nambahu, 2023). In many metropolitan areas, it is a quickly growing problem that is seriously causing pollution and environmental destruction (Ferronato et al., 2018; Haraguchi et al., 2019). Inadequate waste management in poor countries demonstrates that trash generation is mostly correlated with societal economic standing (Bekchanov and Mirzabaev, 2018; Ili and Nikoli, 2016).

Plastic waste has become a major contributor to global environmental pollution (Apriadi et al., 2024). An important environmental worry is the improper handling of plastic garbage, particularly in the southern areas of the world. Plastic trash has increased as a result of the world’s expanding plastic production and inadequate waste collection (Winterstetter et al., 2021). The manufacture of steel and automobile parts can both benefit from advanced thermoplastic impregnation techniques (Wegmann et al., 2022). Waste tyres’ high combustion content and potential for valuable materials and energy resources made them a significant environmental, economic and technological problem (Mmereki et al., 2017). Additionally, developing countries will see significant increases in energy use and greenhouse gas emissions (Anyaoha and Zhang, 2021). Energy usage and greenhouse gas emissions have increased in tandem with the growth in vehicle battery cell manufacture (Degen and Schütte, 2022). To prevent the threat of catastrophic climate change, carbon dioxide emissions must be drastically reduced worldwide (Worrell and Boyd, 2022).

In addition to reducing environmental issues, municipal solid waste management boosts employment and the local economy (Bening et al., 2022). In emerging countries, a sustainable waste management development strategy was required (Ferronato et al., 2019). An essential component of industrial operations, waste recycling is growing increasingly problematic due to its handling of potentially hazardous materials without considering the requirements of occupational health and safety (Raghupathy and Chaturvedi, 2013). For example, by supplying the raw materials required for renewable energy infrastructure systems, a sustainable metal supply was crucial to achieving climate and sustainability goals (Alvarenga et al., 2022). In underdeveloped countries, anaerobic digestion is a waste-to-energy generation method that is socially, economically and environmentally viable (Khan and Kabir, 2020). In the present situation, managing e-waste has emerged as the primary concern of both industrialized and developing countries, particularly those undergoing transition (Sharma, 2020).

Specifically, the CE is a new paradigm for economic development that encourages the greatest amount of material, product and component reuse or recycling in order to minimize waste production (Ghisellini et al., 2017). An alternate paradigm for sustainable development that can combat resource waste, pollution and poverty while accomplishing the sustainable development goals (SDGs) is the CE concept in waste management (Kadhila et al., 2023). There is currently debate regarding CE’s relationship to and contribution to sustainable development and, consequently, to a more sustainable society (Schöggl et al., 2020). It is imperative to provide an overview of an integrated solid waste management system that adheres rigorously to the waste management hierarchy and is founded on the CE (Ribic et al., 2016). It is necessary to implement and enforce efficient waste management rules and procedures (Oke et al., 2022). Particularly in poor countries, community composting and waste management businesses are a good place to start when trying to get food waste out of landfills (Xiang et al., 2020).

Despite the burgeoning academic scrutiny concerning CE and sustainable waste management, the research landscape remains disjointed, particularly with respect to developing countries. Existing literature has predominantly concentrated on CE implementation within developed contexts (Rosa et al., 2023), offering limited perspectives on the distinctive barriers and facilitators present in resource-constrained settings (Mihai et al., 2022). This space in the scholarly corpus necessitates a dedicated inquiry into the efficacious integration of CE principles within waste management frameworks in developing nations, thereby addressing the socio-economic and policy-related challenges (Awan et al., 2023).

Moreover, although bibliometric assessments have been utilized to investigate CE trajectories (Donthu et al., 2021; Kumar et al., 2023), scant studies have employed thematic mapping methodologies to delineate emerging trends in CE waste management within developing economies. This investigative endeavour seeks to bridge this scholarly gap through a systematic bibliometric and thematic analysis of CE in waste management, ultimately furnishing essential insights for policymakers, practitioners and researchers. Comprehensive bibliometric and network analysis from Scopus, this research presents the urgent problems in CE and waste management from emerging countries. It highlights how crucial it is to combine different scientific contributions under a single framework in order to promote the CE in underdeveloped countries. To achieve the objectives outlined above, this systematic review article seeks to address the following research questions:

RQ1: What are the trends in publications related to circular economy and waste management in developing countries from 2013 to 2022?

RQ₂: What are the most frequently utilized keywords in the literature, and how have their usage patterns evolved over time?

RQ₃: Who are the leading authors and institutions contributing to this field? What are their collaboration patterns?

RQ₄: What thematic clusters emerge from the literature on circular economy and waste management in developing countries?

Theoretical research foundation

This theoretical framework provides a basis for understanding the concept of a CE and its application to waste management. Agamuthu and Babel (2023) stated that for the past 50 years, waste generation has increased in every country. Similarly, waste management is a multifaceted problem that affects many facets of the economy and society (Wilson and Velis, 2015). Sasmoko et al. (2022) stated that, the country’s CE objective is hampered by the environmental effects of trash generation and recycling. The sustainable growth of cities is impacted by environmental effects and high management expenses, which are made worse by a lack of social involvement (Jalalipour et al., 2024). A sophisticated grasp of the diverse global stakeholder responsibilities in regulating CE processes is necessary given the growing adoption of the CE in various industries (Awan et al., 2023).

Mutually beneficial insights can result from connecting industry four and CE topics to global value chain streams (Awan et al., 2022). Similarly, by using resources sustainably, material recovery and CE strategies have a great chance to cut down on building waste (Papamichael et al., 2023). Waste management requires that the integrated sustainable analysis of recycling operations incorporate the concepts of the CE (Jiang and Bateer, 2025). Over the past few decades, the CE has emerged as a major theme in management and natural scientific literature (Alhawari et al., 2021). A paradigm for systemic change and solutions, the CE addresses global issues like pollution, waste, biodiversity loss and climate change (Ellen MacArthur, 2021). By moving from the linear take-make-use-dispose economy to a better resource organization, a CE provides answers to the world’s sustainability problems (Velenturf et al., 2019). The CE concept has proven to have real advantages and be a practical solution to today’s social, environmental and economic problems (Sariatli, 2017). However, the use of the CE concept is highly prioritized by the scientific community and policymakers (Voukkali et al., 2023). Research on the CE and the fourth industrial revolution has become more popular (Awan et al., 2021).

Although previous study has recognized the advantages of CE, integrative studies evaluating CE waste management in developing nations using bibliometric and thematic mapping methodologies are still lacking (Donthu et al., 2021; Kumar et al., 2023). Compared with China’s current development path, a CE trajectory could save businesses and households approximately (EMF, 2018). By identifying CE trends in waste management research through bibliometric and thematic mapping analysis, our study helps close this gap. Secondly, it offers factual understanding of how infrastructure and policy limitations impact the use of CE in poor nations. Additionally, it provides data-driven thematic trend-based strategic recommendations for CE integration. Our study fills in these gaps, improving our theoretical and practical knowledge of CE waste management in environments with limited resources. Likewise, by accessing the theoretical frameworks, researchers can gain a better understanding of the opportunities and complicated hindrances associated with adopting a CE in waste management in developing countries. Some significant changes were reported in different periods in a different way is scattered. Besides, CE of waste management in developing countries are faced many challenges, such as limited infrastructure and resources, there is also immense potential for growth and innovation in this area. This study aimed at providing a comprehensive bibliometric and network analysis of CE waste management, focusing on developing countries.

Research design and methodology

The Scopus collection offers a range of records, such as the journals, citations, author details and institutions. Systematically analyses existing academic literature was produce a structured quantitative summary of the study field (Pickering and Byrne, 2014). Through a systematic literature review (SLR), both qualitative and quantitative research methods were used. SLRs employ a transparent, scientific and reproducible process in contrast to conventional narrative reviews (Linnenluecke et al., 2020). An SLR uses a methodical process that is openly disclosed and reproducible to lessen review uncertainty and bias (Kumar et al., 2023). According to Linnenluecke et al. (2020), finding a larger pool of publications in-depth and carefully selecting a smaller set of studies that fit inclusion requirements and can inform research objectives can be balanced by a systematic review. Therefore, the SLR technique is being used in this study to investigate the topic of CE in waste management in developing countries.

Numerous methods, including content analysis, bibliometric analysis and meta-analysis, can be used to conduct an SLR (Kumar et al., 2023). For this study, bibliometric methodology was selected in order to objectively examine a significant amount of data. We have organized the field, described, evaluated and monitored published research through bibliometric reviews based on publication and citation data. Additionally, we can draw conclusions regarding emerging patterns and research opportunities (Glinyanova et al., 2021). Moreover, the bibliometric approach facilitates the accurate identification of the quantitative and qualitative characteristics required to develop a reliable and relevant knowledge structure (Fagerberg et al., 2012). A step created by Linnenluecke et al. (2020) was included study setup, inclusion and exclusion criteria, data cleaning, analysis and synthesis are the step followed in this study.

Data collection and searching strategies

The aim of the current study is to investigate the CE’s waste management thematic mapping in developing countries. This has been accomplished by combining systematic analysis with bibliometrics. There have been attempts at both performance analysis and scientific mapping. The research on the CE’s topic analysis, with a particular focus on waste management, was the main focus of our assessment. A thorough Scopus database search was done to find all relevant works in this area. This systematic review was based on the quantitative bibliometric methods of topic analysis and scientific mapping. WoS and Scopus are two of the most widely used databases. Because of its larger database, Scopus has more coverage of peer-reviewed literature than WoS. This demonstrates how the viewership for Scopus is larger than that of WoS (Kumar et al., 2023). For this search, the Scopus database was selected. In line with the aim of the study, we then looked at the document relevancy of search queries from database searching engines. The following search terms are added to the database after the proper keywords have been chosen; ‘circular economy’ OR ‘green economy’ AND ‘waste management’ OR ‘sustainable waste’ OR ‘management waste’ AND ‘developing country’ OR ‘developing countries’.

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

To sort through articles that are essential to the topic of study, inclusion and exclusion criteria must be used. Keywords that are present in a document’s abstract, article title and keywords sections are probably significant to that document and will aid in focusing the study (Kumar et al., 2023). In total, 4,759 documents published up until the end of 2023 were found in the initial search. Afterward, exclusion criteria were used. Following that, exclusion criteria were used. A total of 260 documents remain once the study’s scope is later reduced to developing countries. There were still 156 articles after limiting the publication era to 2013–2024. After eliminating all other documents journal articles excluded, we now have 159 documents. This is because journal articles often undergo a rigorous peer-review procedure, unlike other document forms like editorials and notes (Kumar et al., 2023). Finally, publications published in languages other than English were excluded from the analysis. Due to the fact that English is the language most frequently used in worldwide scientific publications (Wang et al., 2024). Ultimately, the analysis in Table 1 employed 148 journal articles.

Table 1.

Searching strategies and criteria.

Refinement category	Inclusion and exclusion criteria	No. of articles excluded	No. of refined articles
Search string in the first search	‘Circular economy’ OR ‘green economy’ AND ‘waste management’ OR ‘sustainable waste’ OR ‘management waste’	—	4, 759
Add search field string in the second search	‘Developing country’ OR ‘developing countries’	4499	260
Publication period	Articles published 2013 to 15 February 2024	4	156
Document type	All other documents except journal articles have been excluded	7	149
Language	Articles written in other than English languages excluded	1	148

Table 1 provides a detailed explanation of the search methodology used in this study. At the end of the search procedure, the final sample of articles was exported in RIS and Bib.text file formats, respectively, as required by the R Biblioshiny (Aria and Cuccurullo, 2016) and VOSviewer application.

Data cleaning

Because a literature study that merely offers a random selection of evidence is often not entirely indicative of the state of existing knowledge, the data cleaning procedure is required. This preference for some studies over others is referred to as sample selection bias in statistical analysis (Linnenluecke et al., 2020). Similar to the triangulation process in qualitative research, when two or more researchers act as reviewers and evaluate the literature found through the search process, the data cleaning procedure can be conducted in a way that determines whether the studies are appropriate for inclusion in the review (Linnenluecke et al., 2020). Consequently, the literature has been critically assessed by two reviewers. The complete text will be examined if the two reviewers cannot agree. To ensure that only articles published in credible and high-quality channels are included for review, more care should be made by passing the documents via quality filtering, even with Scopus’ stringent indexing criteria and corrective actions to remove predatory sources from their database (Kumar et al., 2023).

Data analysis and syntheses

The software package VOSviewer, the R package of R Studio (Allaire, 2009) and the Biblioshiny packages were utilized. The study uses a number of bibliometric markers to offer a thorough perspective and perceptive analysis. Performance analysis and science mapping are the two primary methods required for bibliometric analysis (Donthu et al., 2021). Publications and citations are used in the performance analysis to assess the influence and productivity of the literature (Kumar et al., 2023). Using a variety of indicators, performance evaluations give a summary of the information regarding the output and significance of study (Wang et al., 2024). These measures include productivity per active year of publication, citation count, average citation count, most relevant publications, highly cited publications and most relevant source titles. Another measure of production is the quantity of publications that an analysis unit counts (by year, authorship, country, affiliation, etc.). The second part of bibliometric analysis, science mapping analysis, looks at the connections and exchanges of ideas between research constituents (Donthu et al., 2021). The dynamic and structural organization of knowledge for the research subject or issue under examination can be identified thanks to this method (Iwami et al., 2020).

The study determines the journal’s topic organization using both descriptive analysis and bibliometric coupling analysis (Mejia et al., 2021). Through the identification and mapping of the main author groups, themes and topics in the literature, science mapping offers an unbiased comprehension of the nomological network of knowledge in a discipline (Kumar et al., 2023; Mukherjee et al., 2022). The following instances are part of scientific mapping techniques, as per Donthu et al. (2021): co-citation analysis, co-authorship analysis, bibliographic coupling and the co-occurrence of keywords.

The statistical software R Studio (Allaire, 2009) was used to process the data that was retrieved. R is a very powerful statistical programming language that has become quite popular among researchers, data analysts and analytical professions worldwide, even though Bibliometrix offers many more capabilities, such as thematic maps and the thematic evolution of concepts (Aria and Cuccurullo, 2017). Therefore, we clustered author and keyword co-occurrences using VOSviewer version 1.6.17 (van Eck and Waltman, 2009). An R-based bibliometric tool, the ‘visualization of similarities’ (VOS) methodology and a methodical snapshot of the scientometric results are used to conduct a scientometric study focused on unstructured ontological discovery (Kaur, 2024). VOSviewer was initially used to carry out the mapping analysis, co-authorship, bibliographic coupling and keyword co-occurrences analysis. Secondly, R Studio (Allaire, 2009) has been used to analyse the most important scientific actors, productivity, conceptual structure and issue trend (Mejia et al., 2021). In terms of scientific output, the top 4 countries are China, Brazil, Italy and India. Italy, Bolivia, China, the United Kingdom, India and Brazil are among the countries that collaborate with one another the most. Figure 1 visualizes the geographical distribution of CE of waste management in developing country.

Figure 1.

Global geographical distribution of circular economy of waste management in developing country.

Results

Performance analysis

Excluding non-journal publications and non-English Language, a total of 148 records were obtained for this investigation. The number of published publications on the CE of waste management in developing countries increased between 2017 and 2022, based on the yearly production of scientific literature. From 2013 to 2022, the number of publications on the CE of waste management in developing countries has steadily increased. Figure 2 graphically represents the distribution of articles published annually and the annual citations per year. The average citations per year were decreased from 2016 during study period. The quantity of publications indicates each nation’s scholarly prowess and focus on the subject (Liu et al., 2022). The fact that environmental issues, especially waste management, have become much more widely recognized may also be the reason of this.

Figure 2.

Annual scientific production of articles and average citations per year.

Table 2 illustrates the top journals, keywords, citations, occurrences and relevant words. The most productive journal was Journal of Cleaner Production, followed by Waste Management and Research and Resources, Conservation and Recycling. The journals listed cover a range of disciplines including environmental science (e.g. Resources, Conservation and Recycling), economics and management (e.g. Sustainable Production and Consumption) and multidisciplinary, for example, Journal of Cleaner Production. This reflects that a strong interest in creating concrete strategies and technologies to promote circularity in waste management practices within developing country contexts is indicated by the fact that research on the CE and waste management is interdisciplinary and requires insights from various fields to address complex challenges. Businesses, governments and individuals are looking for ways to manage the growing environmental impact of trash. For instance, Shenzhen, China, created a successful waste CE by means of robust government initiatives, a flourishing recycling industry, cutting-edge recycling technologies and responsive information (Bao and Lu, 2020). Taiwan has efficiently transformed its plastic waste business into a CE through the application of adaptive institutional governance and network-based collaborative (Wu et al., 2021). There was a 73% rise in the quantity of trash collected separately when Brescia adopted the CE in waste management (Bertanza et al., 2021). This implies that many national and international organizations have put laws and policies into place that are intended to promote CEs and improve waste management practices.

Table 2.

Top journals, keywords, citations, occurrences and relevant words.

S.no	Journal name	No. articles	Keywords	Occurrences	Country	Total citations	Most relevant authors	No. of articles
1	Journal of Cleaner Production	11	Circular economy	87	China	764	Ferronato	15
2	Waste Management and Research	8	Developing countries	33	India	250	Torretta	14
3	Resources, Conservation and Recycling	7	Sustainable development	15	Brazil	172	Gorritty Portilloo	8
4	Sustainability (Switzerland)	6	Waste management	33	Australia	135	Guisbert Lizarazu	7
5	Environmental Science and Pollution Research	5	Solid waste management	11	Germany	127	Ragazzi	5
6	Science of The Total Environment	5	Recycling	12	Serbia	100	Conti	4
7	Waste Management	4	Latin America	5	France	91	Liu	4
8	Journal of Environmental Management	3	Sustainability	8	Ghana	87	Ali	3
9	Journal of the Air and Waste Management Association	3	Life cycle assessment	6	Chile	85	Chen	2
10	Sustainable Production and Consumption	3	Municipal solid waste management	9	Morocco	73	de Wit	2

The occurrences of keywords CE, developing countries, sustainable development and waste management were the highest occurrences, respectively. Particularly, CE is a foundational to the study, emphasizes minimizing waste and maximizing the reuse, recycling and recovery of resources. In terms of the overall strength of links and the total number of citations, China, India and Brazil were in the lead. The importance of some countries in the publication of research on waste management and the CE can be attributed to a variety of variables, including academic infrastructure, governmental regulations, economic progress and environmental concerns.

During the research period, authors published a greater number of publications: Gorritty Portilloo, Ferronato and Torretta were discovered atop scholars. The work of these distinguished scholars on the topic of CE in developing countries has significantly improved our understanding of how CE principles may be applied and optimized in resource-constrained situations. Further exploration of the significance of each of the leading authors and their contributions to the study of waste management in the developing world’s CE would be helpful. Ferronato, for instance, is a well-known author in the fields of CE and waste management. His research often focuses on novel ways to resource recovery, waste reduction and sustainable development, particularly in poor countries. Torretta is also well known for her research on sustainable waste management and the ideas of the CE, with a focus on developing countries. The research frequently examines how waste management techniques affect society and how CE programmes might promote sustainable development and inclusive growth in low- and middle-income countries. Furthermore, especially in the context of developing countries, Gorritty Portillo’s study touches on sustainability, CE and environmental management concepts. Likewise, the research focuses on topics like circular supply chains, waste valuation and legislative frameworks that support sustainable resource management in areas with environmental and economic difficulties.

Scientific mapping of keyword analysis

The network’s top author keywords and their co-occurrence are depicted in Figure 3. Only 15 out of 491 all keywords reach these criteria with at least 5 keywords, according to a map on bibliographic data of co-occurrence with all keywords using the full counting approach. The link strength indicates how frequently a keyword appears. CE (87, 116), developing countries (33, 71), sustainable development (15, 45), waste management (33, 43), solid waste management (11, 31) and recycling (12, 22) were the top 6 keywords associated with the study issue (co-occurring and total link strength), respectively. Out of all the terms, CE, developing countries and sustainable development showed the strongest correlations. They were closely linked to the idea of a CE and the framework for waste management in developing countries. To see the connections between phrases based on their patterns of co-occurrence, use network analysis. This can give a deeper understanding of the author’s keywords by highlighting important ideas and the degree of correlation between them.

Figure 3.

Co-occurrence with author’s keywords (491 authors’ keywords co-occurrences, occurrences ⩾5; 15 keywords meet the threshold).

The terms CE, sustainable development and waste management have the strongest overall links, visualizes in Figure 3. Thus, the four clusters that were identified are as follows: (1) the impact of waste management and the CE on sustainability in developing countries; (2) solid waste management and sustainable development; (3) the principles of sustainable development in recycling and solid waste management and (4) the life cycle assessment (LCA) of municipal solid waste and e-waste.

Thematic analysis

As demonstrated by Agbo et al. (2021) that, the thematic map of the field can be divided into four sections. The upper right quadrant (Q₁) represents driving themes, the lower right quadrant (Q₄) represents underlying themes, the upper left quadrant (Q₂) represents extremely specialized themes and the lower left quadrant (Q₃) represents emerging or fading themes presented in Figure 4. Notably from the figure, a theme such as ‘Waste management, developing countries and the well-developed CE, which falls between Q₁ and Q₄, can organize the topic of study’. To put it another way, the field’s core themes continue to be waste management, developing countries and the CE. Q₄’s themes, which include ‘Sustainable development goals, electronic waste, and composting’, are fundamental and crucial to the advancement of the industry. Emerging titles were defined as ‘environmental impact, life cycle, and life cycle analysis’, which were identified between Q₃ and Q₄ themes. According to this research, themes in Q₂, such ‘Fertilizers, nonhuman, organic wastes and mining metal recovery, wastewater treatment’, may need to be more closely related to waste management, developing countries and the CE.

Figure 4.

Thematic map: Q₁ contains the main theme, Q₂ contains highly developed and specialized themes building ties with the leading theme; Q₃ contains disappearing or emerging themes; Q₄ consists of foundational and transversal theme.

The centrality, or the strength of external linkages to other themes, is measured by the density, which measures the strength of internal ties (i.e. between the keywords associated with a particular subject). The themes can be divided into the following four quadrants based on these two-network metrics (Khan et al., 2021). Researchers or analysts can learn more about the distribution and importance of different themes within the dataset by examining the content and connections between documents in each cluster. This can aid in identifying patterns, trends or knowledge gaps pertaining to the topic domain.

Discussions

This article presents a comprehensive thematic mapping of the CE principles applied to waste management in developing countries and determines the patterns and future directions of study by quantifying and visualizing the thematic progression of a CE of waste management in developing countries. The study indicated that, the themes categorize into four quadrants (emerging or declining themes, isolated themes, basic or transversal themes and motor themes). Co-word analysis (Figure 6) is used in a longitudinal framework in order to detect the different themes treated by the research field across the given time period (Cobo et al., 2011). In addition, bibliometric analysis of CE research in the region is to identify critical areas of development, influential authors, organizations and future research trends (Ospina-Mateus et al., 2023).

The number of publications addressing waste management and the CE is steadily increasing. This could be the result of scholars and policymakers paying more attention to these crucial topics. Government initiatives that encourage innovation and research in this area lead to a rise in publications. Scholars are investigating cutting-edge technology, corporate strategies and legal frameworks to address waste management concerns and advance circularity. Previous studies also indicated that CE research has been increasing exponentially with an uneven average growth rate of 47.1% per year (Alnajem et al., 2021). Howevere, CE has gained momentum in the political, economic and scientific fields (Schöggl et al., 2020).

Being among the world’s developing economies and significant contributors to CE on waste management, China, India and Brazil are very interested in the concepts of the CE indicated in Table 2. Due to the country’s growing industrialization, waste management and resource efficiency are critical areas for study and policy development since they provide significant environmental issues. This causes the academic communities to prioritize this topic. CE, developing countries, sustainable development and waste management are among the top keyword co-occurrences shown in Figure 4. One of the study’s most common topics was waste management, highlighting the importance of handling, treating and disposing of waste items properly. Because the CE offers a promising paradigm for sustainable development, waste management systems in developing countries sometimes confront substantial hurdles as a result of insufficient infrastructure, financial resources and institutional capacity.

The co-authorship analysis indicates that Ferronato, Torretta and Gorritty Portilloo authored a higher number of articles. Through research on waste management, recycling systems, sustainable manufacturing practices, environmental engineering and CE initiatives, these authors contribute to the study of the CE in developing countries. Additionally, a variety of related topics are covered by these studies, such as waste management, sustainable production, socio-economic growth and policy creation. Through an analysis of the unique obstacles and prospects encountered by developing countries, these writers offer significant perspectives and pragmatic remedies to foster ecological sustainability, economic growth and social equity worldwide.

The CE emerged as an alternative model to the linear system to foster sustainable development (Suchek et al., 2022). The CE could represent the answer for improving current solid waste management activities worldwide (Ferronato et al., 2019). Theory in the CE by enhancing it with the use of new technologies and advance a resources value loop that adds to the product life cycle theory (Ajwani-Ramchandani et al., 2021). The successful implementation of circularity, whose basic principles include waste reduction, reuse and recycling, requires a change in the behaviour of all the parties involved and is expected to lead to industrial urban symbiosis schemes (Angelis-Dimakis et al., 2022). Recycling is the most referred to reduce strategy, followed by re-manufacturing, repair and reuse, which, however, occur one order of magnitude less frequently (Schöggl et al., 2020). Household waste recycling has been widely considered the key to reducing the pollution caused by municipal solid waste and promoting sustainable development (Shi et al., 2021).

Waste management is the CE approach most associated with climate change, mitigation is the climate action most impacted by CE, and food is the most reported greenhouse gas emitting material (Romero-Perdomo et al., 2022). Rural communities must involve in the future plastic pollution and CE research to help decision-makers reduce environmental and public health threats (Mihai et al., 2022). Policymakers and stakeholders to identify the significant barriers towards a sustainable CE and mitigate them when implementing internet of things enable waste practices (Yadav et al., 2023).

Because of their potential for sustainable resource utilization and environmental preservation, specialized themes like fertilizer production, organic waste management, mining by-product recovery and wastewater treatment are common in CE studies of waste management in developing countries. Open dumping and open burning are the main implemented waste treatment and final disposal systems, mainly visible in low-income countries (Ferronato and Torretta, 2019), the necessity of innovative technologies in mining waste management (Makhathini et al., 2023) and the recovery of fertilizer-used nutrients from wastewater is a sustainable approach for wastewater management and helping social sustainability (Ye et al., 2020). For example, the mining industry’s waste management initiatives support a ‘zero-waste’ aim, and hydrothermal carbonization offers a futuristic strategy to handle organic-rich wet waste (Thanh Thao et al., 2023).

Due to the pressing need for sustainable practices, concepts like composting, SDGs and electronic waste are fundamental themes in the study of CE waste management in developing countries (González-Sánchez et al., 2023). Through encouraging responsible consumption, recycling and recovery procedures, CE principles provide answers to these problems. The SDGs can be met, industrial infrastructure sustainability can be increased and municipal waste management can be improved in developing countries by implementing circularity. Sustainability of development is based on the 17 SDGs, with the CE being one of the areas in growth and development of solutions for sustainability (Rosa et al., 2023).

Based on the keyword co-occurrence analysis, the first cluster is about ‘the role of CE and waste management on sustainability in developing countries’. According to the cluster, encouraging sustainability in developing countries requires a strong emphasis on waste management strategies and the concepts of the CE. Because of the frequent resource constraints that emerging economies encounter. Reusing materials as much as possible by employing techniques like recycling, renovating and remanufacturing is the focus of CE practices. As study stated by Avilés-Palacios and Rodríguez-Olalla (2021) findings, which indicated that waste management systems and the CE encourage sustainability by converting waste into resources and lowering inefficient resource consumption, corroborate this finding. According to Fernando and Zutshi (2023), the concepts of the CE can enhance the management of solid waste in underdeveloped countries, supporting the goals of sustainable development. Thus, it is also crucial to integrate CE with waste management practices to enhance the sustainability in developing economies.

Cluster 2 shows the integration of solid waste management with sustainable development. Sustainability is established by solid waste management that adheres to the ‘reduce’, ‘reuse’ and ‘recycle’ principles (Das et al., 2019). Prior research, municipal solid waste management has become one of the most important environmental management issues around the world (Ndou and Rampedi, 2022). In addition, Das et al. (2019) mentioned that by emphasizing the ‘reduce’, ‘reuse’ and ‘recycle’ concepts, SDGs are connected with recycling and solid waste management. Above all, according to Ndou and Rampedi (2022), waste management directly advances SDG 11 through lowering waste generation, encouraging recycling and reuse and improving the efficiency of resource usage.

The fourth cluster shows a theme of ‘municipal solid waste life cycle assessment and e-waste’. The themes highlighted the significance of incorporating e-waste into life cycle assessments of municipal solid waste. Research like that conducted by Iqbal et al. (2020) indicates that the best approach to managing municipal solid waste is to integrate recycling, treatment and disposal technologies. Additionally, by evaluating a variety of factors such as waste kinds, system technologies and impact assessment methodologies, the application of LCA in e-waste management offers insightful information that can be used to improve environmental sustainability in waste management practices (Biancini et al., 2022).

The trending topic shows that the hottest subjects including hazardous mining, economic analysis and environmental analysis are among the primary subjects covered in 2018. For instance, the study of Matinde et al. (2018) indicates that improper management of mining wastes can cause permanent harm to the environment and health issues for people, but waste can be reduced by incorporating a CE model. According to Pinchuk et al. (2019), the adoption of CE principles in mining regions can result in the profitable exploitation of natural resources and the convergence of social, environmental and economic growth. Furthermore, concern over the mining of commodities such as minerals, metals and coal many of which included hazardous and environmentally harmful processes grew.

Studies on the CE of waste management progressed later in 2021 cover subjects like recycling, developing countries and sustainable development. A discernible shift towards more sustainable behaviours occurred during this time, especially when it came to recycling and sustainable development. Because by emphasizing green jobs, investing in recycling infrastructure and placing a higher priority on decentralization and localization, a CE approach to solid waste management can aid in the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Sharma et al., 2021). Beyond mining, the complete product lifecycle including reuse and disposal was included in the focus.

The studies that were just published in 2022 addressed waste management and solid waste management. These studies clarified that waste management, particularly solid waste management took centre stage. A heightened awareness emerged regarding the pressing necessity to tackle the global waste crisis, propelled by factors such as population expansion, urbanization and consumption trends. The shift from dangerous mining practices to the management of waste highlights the significance of progressing towards a circular economic framework, where resources are utilized with greater effectiveness, and waste generation is reduced through activities such as recycling, reusing and responsibly disposing of materials. Therefore, there exists a requirement for capacity-building initiatives and assistance to enact efficient waste management strategies that prioritize environmental preservation and socio-economic progress, particularly in developing countries.

The thematic change from researching China to e-waste suggests a change driven by technology advancements, economic developments and environmental concerns. The initial focus of research on China was on its international, political, cultural and economic facets. However, as the use of electronic devices increased worldwide, particularly in China, by 2022, focus shifted to the effects that e-waste had on the environment. Besides, urbanization issues, regulatory impacts and the need for practical implementation are driving the move from pre-2021 CE studies to 2022 municipal solid waste management and sustainable development. Theoretical investigation of CE concepts, with an emphasis on resource regeneration and waste reduction, was the initial focus.

By 2022, with the interdependence of environmental, social and economic sustainability realized, focus switched to using these principles to address the problems associated with urban waste. This change was in line with the worldwide SDGs, which prompted legislative actions to encourage the CE and improve the infrastructure for waste management. The evolution from life cycle assessment studies before 2021 to a focus on sustainable development in 2022 reflects a broadening of environmental assessment methodologies. By 2022, the focus widened to take into account not only environmental factors but also social and economic repercussions. This all-encompassing strategy upholds the fundamentals of sustainable development, seeking to strike a balance between the social, economic and environmental. Moreover, the thematic evolution from focusing solely on municipal solid waste before 2021 to a broader consideration of waste management in 2023 signifies a shift towards recognizing interconnected challenges and opportunities within the waste management domain. Technological advancements and policy integration further influenced this thematic evolution, reflecting maturation in research focus towards addressing complex waste management challenges sustainably.

Limitations and future work

Bibliometric analysis is a valuable tool for SLR, but it has certain limitations. Specifically, in the context of analysing the CE in relation to waste management, this research primarily relies on data from Scopus databases. Besides, the thematic mapping of the CE in waste management highlights both the challenges and possibilities for developing countries. Traditional waste management approaches are no longer sufficient; a shift towards circular practices is essential for sustainable waste management. However, there is a need to review more studies for developed countries to make sufficient comparison for the current situations in countries. For future research, it is recommended to incorporate detailed business models to facilitate a deeper scientific exploration of the relationship between the CE and sustainable waste management practices in both developed and developing countries. In addition, the research will be expanded to include the application of machine learning techniques.

Conclusion

The conclusion emphasizes that the CE is an emerging economic model aimed at maximizing material reuse and recycling to minimize waste. It highlights the importance of implementing solid waste management systems based on CE principles, particularly in developing countries, where these topics are gaining significant attention among scholars and policymakers. Distinguished contributions in this field originate primarily from authors in China, India and Brazil, with key researchers focusing on various aspects of CE and waste management. Current research trends rotate around areas like recovery and recycling, with specialized themes such as organic waste management and nutrient recovery from wastewater receiving particular focus. The thematic evaluation delivers insights that can guide sustainable waste management strategies informed by technology, economic growth and environmental sustainability. The most relevant terms were waste management, recycling, developing countries, sustainable development, solid waste and CE. It stresses that adopting CE principles can mitigate environmental issues while creating economic opportunities. Four clusters identified through co-word analysis highlight the intersection of CE and waste management with sustainability, solid waste management integration and the consideration of e-waste in LCAs. The conclusion sounds for future research to delve deeper into these identified themes to enhance understanding and implementation of CE practices in waste management. The conclusion suggests the need for further exploration of concepts like composting and electronic waste within the context of developing countries’ waste management practices. Implications of the findings can influence societal practices, policies and awareness regarding waste reduction and sustainable resource management.

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank all research assistants and participants for their contributions and participation in this study. The authors would like to express their heartfelt gratitude to reviewers for their ongoing insightful remarks and important input, which have significantly improved the article’s quality and clarity.

Author contributions

Each author made a contribution to the design and conceptualization of the study. TW wrote the initial draft of the article, and YSH provided feedback on earlier iterations. YSH, BC, AK and TW revised the comments, and final manuscript has been read and approved by all authors.

Declaration of conflicting interests

The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

Funding

The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

ORCID iD

Tadesse Weyuma Bulto

Data availability

This is a systematic review article. There are no experimental data or analytical data generated.

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Thematic mapping of circular economy of waste management in developing countries: Challenges and future perspectives

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Theoretical research foundation

Research design and methodology

Data collection and searching strategies

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Data cleaning

Data analysis and syntheses

Results

Performance analysis

Scientific mapping of keyword analysis

Thematic analysis

Trending topics and thematic map word clouds

Discussions

Limitations and future work

Conclusion

Footnotes

Acknowledgements

Author contributions

Declaration of conflicting interests

Funding

ORCID iD

Data availability

References