WORK WITH AGENDA 21 IN EUROPEAN CITIES. : A case of study: the waste's management in Barcelona and Gävle

Abstract: Sweden is a long-term world reference country in terms of sustainable development. On the other hand, Barcelona has recently made great efforts in order to improve and to make society aware of the importance of environmental issues. Hence, it would be interesting to investigate if these efforts had succeeded in the waste’s management in Barcelona compared to other leading European cities, and particularly to the case of Gävle. In this work, the operation of the management of the urban solid wastes of the two cities is explained. First, the objectives marked by Agenda 21 of each locality are exposed. Next, a theoretical perspective about management, generation of wastes and types of waste treatment is provided. In the following chapter, the results of the generation of wastes, selective collection and the treatments of the wastes are shown for both the cases of Barcelona and Gävle until the 2006. Finally, the two cities are compared and the results obtained in the management of the wastes are discussed. The conclusion in this study is that Barcelona has improved noticeable in terms of environmentally safe management of the wastes. This has happened thanks to the efforts of the city council and of the citizens. But It is still necessary to make a major effort by the inhabitants of Barcelona.