In low-income countries, collection
services make up the bulk of a municipality’s SWM
budget (as high as 80 to 90% in many cases), yet
collection rates tend to be much lower, leading to
lower collection frequency and efficiency. In highincome
countries, although collection costs can
represent less than 10% of a municipality’s budget,
collection rates are usually higher than 90% on
average and collection methods tend to be mechanized,
efficient, and frequent. While total collection
budgets are higher, they are proportionally lower
as other budget items increase. For further information
on estimated solid waste management costs
according to income level, please refer to Annex E