Mirjam Agarmaa
Title: COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF WASTE MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS IN TALLINN AND SONGDO
Supervisor: Dr. Ralf-Martin Soe
Opponent: Kadri Tillemann, MA
Defense: 5 June 2020
Abstract: Waste management is a difficult task that includes various stakeholders in the system, and the numerous parties make the challenge even harder. The systems must keep up with time. This means that also the technology used in waste management systems must adapt to the consumer culture of today’s world. This thesis investigates the waste management systems in Tallinn (Estonia) and Songdo (South Korea). The author conducted qualitative research for this analysis, and the emphasis in this thesis is on stakeholders and their engagement in the waste management system. The roles of stakeholders help to identify if innovative technological solutions are more useful for waste management in the given cities. Songdo focuses on technology and Tallinn more on the general public. In the evolution of a technology, Songdo’s pneumatic waste collection system has entered the initial optimization phase. In Tallinn, the implementation of the pneumatic waste collection system not recommended because the now used door-to-door system is superior in environmental aspects and costs; therefore, using innovative solutions in waste management is not always more effective.
Keywords: Tallinn, Songdo, municipal waste management, smart city, technological trajectories, stakeholders.
