The article considers the current situation of the Russian Federation and foreign countries in the issue of solid waste management and shows the current problematic state of this issue. The article also briefly describes the historical path of the problem. The following are statistical data on the volume of solid waste disposed of in different countries of the world and describes the shortcomings of landfill disposal. In addition, the text discusses the benefits of recycling. In conclusion, we suggested a possible way for effective management of solid waste.