The aim is to provide students with elementary knowledge on how municipal solid waste can be managed in a sustainable manner. The focus herein is set on waste recovery, which implies to reclaim resources from waste through mechanical, technical and logistical operations. In detail, the course will cover the following aspects: Firstly, the analysis will center on the aspect of waste generation in the international context, with particular focus on quantities and composition, thereby highlighting it as result of different socio-economic development patterns. Secondly, the course will address waste management strategies at the national level in regard to the Circular Economy waste hierarchy priorities of reduce, reuse and recycle. In third instance, the initial recovery measures of collection and transfer will be highlighted with particular consideration of cost-effectiveness and technical feasibility. The concluding sections will adopt a comparative approach on the EU and China to evaluate benefits and disadvantages of fraction specific recovery measures and applications in different contexts.