In Denmark, municipalities are struggling to effectively implement waste prevention initiatives due to funding constraints and regulatory barriers. To make progress, changes are needed at both the European and Danish regulatory levels. This includes updating the definition of waste prevention and waste, enacting more comprehensive policies, and setting clear targets for waste reduction. The lack of consistency in plans presented by The Danish Government is also hindering progress.
A case study with Hjørring Municipality where two radically different waste fractions; textiles and electrical and electronic equipment, was identified for analysing. Using a stakeholder analysis in collaboration with representees from Hjørring Municipality, relevant stakeholders were identified, interviewed and the result where use to identify possible waste prevention initiatives.
The study concluded that initiatives could be done for textiles but not for electrical and electronic equipment due to regulatory barriers in place. However, this issue may over time spill over to textiles. Overall, the regulatory definitions and legislations are hindering waste prevention.