## 2 Materials and Methods
### Specifying the Measurement Model  
There are reflective and formative PLS measurement models [23]. The reflective scheme aims to verify whether the model explains the real phenomenon via observation since each construct has a direct arrow to the indicator. The accuracy of the model can be assessed using the measurements extracted via observation [23]. The formative scheme minimizes or maximizes a target construct through the relationships between factors present in the model, with the real measurements (indicators) being used as a driver [23]. In Table 4, each indicator is followed by the corresponding basis from the literature. To construct the structural model, the fourteen indicators were grouped into five constructs. \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c} \hline \hline
**Hypothesis** & **Basis** \\ \hline H1: Efficiency positively influences performance & [6; 24] \\ H2: Effectiveness positively influences performance & [24; 25] \\ H3: Municipality’s socioeconomic aspects positively influence performance & [21; 26; 27] \\ H4: Municipality’s infrastructure positively influences performance & [28; 29] \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 3: Hypotheses elaborated with basis on the literature. **Source:** Adapted from [1]. It is worth noting that regarding the position in the model, an exogenous construct means that it is independent, while an endogenous one is dependent on other constructs. Remarks from the literature about the indicators are as follows. EFICI-1. The complexity of plastic packaging shapes contributes to losses in the recycling yield after sorting [30]. Manufacturers using less recyclable or poorly designed materials should pay higher environmental fees [28]. EFICI-2. The diversity of materials in the various plastic layers leads to losses in the recycling yield [30]. EFICI-3. Post-consumer packaging contaminated with food causes losses in the recycling yield [30]. Proper separation and clean disposal of plastics by the population are crucial as the steps before mechanical recycling (the most commonly performed) involving separation, sorting, baling, washing, grinding, composting, and palletizing [6]. Pre-treatment may also be required to remove food residues, for example, in yogurt packaging made of HDPE and margarine packaging made of PP [31]. EFICA-1. Environmental concerns, economic gains, and government regulations drive reverse logistics implementation in the plastic manufacturing industry [32]. Global worries about the future of the Earth and highs in oil prices, such as those observed during the COVID-19 pandemic, elevate the demand for recycled products [33]. EFICA-2. The projection of the plastic waste market and the adoption of biodegradable materials to replace conventional plastics can increase the value of plastic waste [34]. EFICA-3. Economically viable sorting and mechanical recycling of new polymers require scale-up in volumes. As the scale of recycling operations increases, the economics of recycled plastics become more analogous to those of virgin plastics [26]. DESEMP-1. A combination of a high collection rate (83%) and improved recyclability of plastic polymers was found to be the only situation in which the recycling rate reached the European Union's 55% target for 2030 [28; 35]. DESEMP-2. The use of WtE (waste-to-energy) facilities reduces both landfill and open dumps usage and encourages better recycling and MSW (municipal solid waste) management practices in communities nearby, which are more likely to be informed and progressive. As cities with WtE facilities handle the MSW stream more often, they have greater options for recycling. Additionally, on-site materials recovery at the WtE plant can be combined with a municipal recycling program [36]. DESEMP-3. When 40 management scenarios of extended producer responsibility (EPR) for plastic packaging waste generated by Italian households were considered, the likelihood of each polymer being profitable was calculated. Recycling clear and light-blue