Urban solid waste generation and GDP per capita: a global analysis through the lens of the environmental Kuznets curve

This study aimed to analyze the relationship between daily per capita solid waste generation and per capita GDP of 192 countries. The ordinary least squares method was employed to test the hypothesis of the Environmental Kuznets Curve. The results suggest an inverted N-shaped relationship between the variables, revealing distinct patterns among the countries analyzed. In the first part of the curve, comprising 164 countries with a per capita GDP of up to $36,191, there is a positive association between per capita GDP and solid waste generation. As the per capita GDP increases, so does the generation of solid waste. In the second part of the curve, 26 countries fall within the per capita GDP range of $36,191 to $82,786. In this segment, there is a negative relationship between the variables, indicating that as per capita GDP rises, solid waste generation decreases. Finally, in the third part of the environmental curve, two countries exhibit a per capita GDP above $82,786. In this segment, a positive relationship between solid waste generation and per capita GDP reemerges.