Analyzing key drivers for a sustainable waste management system in Ethiopia: An interpretive structural modeling approach

•Twenty-six potential drivers for a sustainable waste management system were identified.•The drivers were categorized into five groups.•The interaction of the drivers was analyzed.•Twenty-three key drivers were determined.•Institutional drivers are found the most impactful. Ethiopia is experiencing fast economic growth and urbanization while facing multiple problems due to poor waste management (WM) practices. These growths, along with many other related factors, have been driving improvements in the WM sector. However, the factors are mutually in conflict, and their driving role is either not recognized or clearly defined, hindering policy responses. Thus, this research aimed to determine key drivers relevant for developing a sustainable WM system in Ethiopia. Initially, twenty-six potential drivers were identified through a systematic literature review and consultation of experts and categorized into five groups: human, economic, environmental, institutional, and physical. Then, the interaction of these drivers was analyzed using the interpretive structural modeling (ISM) approach. As a result of the analysis, twenty-three key drivers were determined. The drivers are diversified, highly interactive, and concurrently occurring. Above all, it is found that demographic changes due to population growth and urbanization, institutional arrangement and the effectiveness of WM organizations, responsibility share between consumers and producers, the attraction of investment and tourism, and economic growth are the dominant drivers in the current system. Furthermore, the five driver groups were ranked according to their degree of influence to prioritize policy planning and intervention. Hence, institutional drivers were found to be the most impactful in accelerating the development of a sustainable WM system.