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• Inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) is a strategy to improve waste management. • A typology of IMC differentiates the type of collaboration of municipalities. • Municipalities in the Cuenca-Azogues region invested in three types of IMC. • Complex IMC types achieved a more sustainable waste management performance. There is an increasing awareness that effective waste management is essential for transitioning towards a circular economy and achieving sustainable development goals. Scholars have studied inter-municipal cooperation (IMC) as a governance solution with the potential to generate economies of scale and reduce financial costs in waste management. However, previous research has not yet focused on measuring the effectiveness of different types of cooperation on social and environmental outcomes. We analyse the effect of different types of IMC, ranging from indirect to collaborative, on Integrated Solid Waste Management (ISWM) indicators. Our embedded qualitative case study in the emerging metropolitan region of Cuenca-Azogues (Ecuador) found that municipalities that invested in more complex cooperation types achieved better integrated waste management performance, particularly on final disposal, citizen participation, inclusion of recyclers and environmental sustainability. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Poor quality onsite sanitation causes drinking water contamination and diseases in cities in sub-Saharan Africa. In this article, we consider to what extent regulation reduces onsite sanitation-related health and environmental risks. We examined regulatory standards and how they are enforced in Greater Maputo, the capital of Mozambique. Standards for the construction of pit latrines and management of faecal sludge are incomplete. Reforms in the sanitation sector complicate the enforcement of standards. Responsibilities have not been clearly divided between the organisations in charge of regulation. We are sceptical that regulation can be effectively implemented in lower-income areas without a (cross-)subsidy mechanism. • In Mozambique, national regulations do not include standards for pit latrines. • Regulatory standards for the construction and emptying of pit latrines are unenforceable in poor high-density urban areas. • Regulation may be ineffective in poor areas if all costs of implementation are passed on to users. • Where residents cannot afford to comply with standards, regulation should be combined with public support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]