producer responsibility, and landfill bans for recyclable materials
(UN-HABITAT, 2010; Wilson, 2007). Policies such as the EU Landfill
Directive require reductions in levels of biodegradable material
sent to landfill as a method to recover valuable materials and reduce
methane emissions (Wilson, 2007). This has further increased
recycling and composting rates, which have been on the rise in cities
modernizing their waste systems (UN-HABITAT, 2010). However,
since climate change measures can only have significant
impact if many adhere to this objective, there is no immediate national
gain from reducing greenhouse gas emissions. This is the primary
weakness of this driver, and one of the primary reasons it is
so difficult to gain consensus for a post-2012 convention for reducing
carbon dioxide levels.