Das Projekt "Handbuch fuer den Umgang mit festen Abfaellen im Bezirk Varese" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Universität Trier, European Association for Environmental Management Education - Focal Point Trier -, Europäisches Diplom in Umweltwissenschaften durchgeführt. In any industrial society the serious problem of waste production - both its quantity and quality - is rapidly involving the population's consciousness. The project is based on the 'Provincial Plan for the Municipal Assimilable Solid Waste in the Varese District' which addresses the problem of municipal solid waste (MSW) in one of the most industrial districts of Italy. The aim of this project is to produce a handbook containing practical and operative indications for correct waste disposal, respecting both public health and the natural environment. This project is undertaken while public opinion is focused on the legislative and technical aspects of waste treatment and disposal in Italy as well as in the rest of Europe. The handbook, easy to read and apply, is address to the users most concerned with the problem. It is organised in technical sections, each of which analyses a different aspect of waste disposal. The most important items can be synthethised at follows: - reduction of the waste production at source, - increate of the economical importance of the waste materials by considering them as a potential energy source or as raw material. The complex nature of the problem is therefore quite high because of its interaction with other factors. Social, political, legislative, administrative and welfare aspects are involved and these strongly influence people's behaviour. These aspects require a sense of responsibility and involvement by every citizen which cannot be underestimated.