ABSTRACT The generation of waste causes several problems, the most worrying being environmental damage, causing irreparable damage to ecosystems, polluting water, land and air. In this sense, the research objective is to analyze how urban solid waste management is carried out in the European Union (EU) in the period 2010-2020. The methodology used corresponds to the systematic review, which is part of the evidence-based approach to policy and practice. The results obtained throughout the investigation show that, despite the important effort made by the EU to increase recycling and composting, it is necessary to advance in the treatment of solid waste in various member states (such as Bulgaria, Greece or Romania). In this context, collection-based policies seem not to have been sufficient to promote sustainability in the field of urban waste management. As a proposed recommendation, the development of policies based on human behavior is framed, which influence a change in behavior, social and cultural, to achieve the objectives related to sustainability and the efficient use of resources.

RESUMEN La generación de residuos origina varios problemas, siendo el más preocupantes el daño ambiental, ocasionando irreparables daños a los ecosistemas, contaminando el agua, la tierra y el aire. En este sentido, el objetivo investigativo es analizar de qué manera se realiza la gestión de los residuos sólidos urbanos en la Unión Europea (UE) en el periodo 2010 - 2020. La metodología empleada corresponde con la revisión sistemática, la cual se enmarca en el enfoque de la política y la práctica basada en la evidencia. Los resultados obtenidos a lo largo de la investigación ponen en evidencia que, a pesar del importante esfuerzo realizado por la UE para aumentar el reciclaje y el compostado, se necesita avanzar en el tratamiento de desechos sólidos en diversos estados miembros (tales como Bulgaria, Grecia o Rumanía). En este contexto, las políticas basadas en la recaudación parecen no haber sido suficientes para promover la sostenibilidad en el ámbito de la gestión de residuos urbanos. Como propuesta de recomendación, se enmarca el desarrollo de políticas basadas en el comportamiento humano, que incidan en un cambio de conducta, social y cultural para el logro de los objetivos relacionados con la sostenibilidad y el uso eficiente de recursos.

ABSTRACT Waste management is an issue that involves various sectors of society, whether public or private, in addition to the need for an institutional legal framework for the design of public policies from a comprehensive, holistic and systemic scope, which contribute as an instrument to combat the effects of waste generation and the deterioration of the environment. The document explains the importance of proper waste management and the evolution of environmental policy. Its objectives are based on improving the quality of life, sustainable environmental management and clean production, for which, to achieve them, it proposes environmental improvement actions and institutional actions. The methodology used for this article corresponds to a documentary investigation. The results obtained in the research show that the European Union has come to introduce various policies and objectives regarding the handling and management of waste, achieving that some countries achieve high rates of reuse, recycling and better disposal of waste.

RESUMEN El manejo de los residuos es un tema que involucra a varios sectores de la sociedad, ya sean estos públicos o privados, además de que se hace necesario un marco jurídico institucional para el diseño de políticas públicas desde un ámbito integral, holístico y sistémico, que contribuya como instrumento, para combatir los efectos de la generación de residuos y el deterioro del medio ambiente. En el documento expone la importancia de la adecuada gestión de los residuos y de la evolución de la política medioambiental. Sus objetivos se basan en mejorar la calidad de vida, una gestión ambiental sostenible y una producción limpia, por lo cual, para lograrlos, se propone acciones de mejoramiento ambiental y acciones institucionales. La metodología empleada para el presente artículo corresponde a una investigación documental. Los resultados obtenidos en la investigación demuestran que la Unión Europea ha llegado a introducir diversas políticas y objetivos en cuanto al manejo y gestión de los residuos, logrando que algunos países logren altas tasas de reutilización, reciclaje y mejor disposición de los residuos.

A finite element method-based model of a substrate heated by an electric heating cable buried in a thermal isolated container was experimentally validated with root mean square error values of root zone temperature ranging 0.25 to 0.62 ºC. The two-dimensional transient model allowed variations in the physical properties of the substrate with temperature, water content and depth. The operation of nine configurations of a heating cable buried in sand at different depths (50 to 450 mm, at 50 mm intervals) at 200 mm spacing was simulated and assessed. The validated model was used to perform 24-h simulations applying boundary conditions, and substrate moisture content was experimentally obtained at a mean substrate surface temperature of 13.98 ºC. Such simulations reproduced the operation of the heating system by setting a reference temperature of 20 ºC at the control point in the root zone. Burying the heating cable in the surface layers of the substrate caused large temperature gradients and high heat losses through the substrate surface. Accordingly, average temperature in the root zone increased with heating cable depth, up to the 200 mm depth. For greater depths, temperature in the root zone was constant. The ON/OFF control was most effective with the heating cable buried in the root zone and at control point temperatures of 20 ± 1 ºC. Burying the heating cable in the surface layers required higher energy consumption, up to 28 % at 50 mm. The most efficient heating cable depth was 350 mm, with a daily energy consumption of 6750 kJ m-2.