Disposal of solid waste in Istanbul and along the Black Sea coast of Turkey

The increasing amount of solid waste arising from municipalities and other sources and its consequent disposal has been one of the major environmental problems in Turkey. Istanbul is a metropolitan city with a current population of around 14 million, and produces about 9000 ton of solid waste every day. The waste composition for Istanbul has changed markedly from 1981 to 1996 with large decreases in waste density, much of which is related to decreased amounts of ash collected in winter. In recent years, the Istanbul region has implemented a new solid waste management system with transfer stations, sanitary landfills, and methane recovery, which has led to major improvements. In the Black Sea region of Turkey, most of the municipal and industrial solid wastes, mixed with hospital and hazardous wastes, are dumped on the nearest lowlands and river valleys or into the sea. The impact of riverside and seashore dumping of solid wastes adds significantly to problems arising from sewage and industry on the Black Sea coast. Appropriate integrated solid waste management systems are needed here as well; however, they have been more difficult to implement than in Istanbul because of more difficult topography, weaker administrative structures, and the lower incomes of the inhabitants.     

Assessment and analysis of industrial liquid waste and sludge disposal at unlined landfill sites in arid climate

Municipal solid waste disposal sites in arid countries such as Kuwait receive various types of waste materials like sewage sludge, chemical waste and other debris. Large amounts of leachate are expected to be generated due to the improper disposal of industrial wastewater, sewage sludge and chemical wastes with municipal solid waste at landfill sites even though the rainwater is scarce. Almost 95% of all solid waste generated in Kuwait during the last 10 years was dumped in five unlined landfills. The sites accepting liquid waste consist of old sand quarries that do not follow any specific engineering guidelines. With the current practice, contamination of the ground water table is possible due to the close location of the water table beneath the bottom of the waste disposal sites. This study determined the percentage of industrial liquid waste and sludge of the total waste dumped at the landfill sites, analyzed the chemical characteristics of liquid waste stream and contaminated water at disposal sites, and finally evaluated the possible risk posed by the continuous dumping of such wastes at the unlined landfills. Statistical analysis has been performed on the disposal and characterization of industrial wastewater and sludge at five active landfill sites. The chemical analysis shows that all the industrial wastes and sludge have high concentrations of COD, suspended solids, and heavy metals. Results show that from 1993 to 2000, 5.14+/-1.13 million t of total wastes were disposed per year in all active landfill sites in Kuwait. The share of industrial liquid and sludge waste was 1.85+/-0.19 million t representing 37.22+/-6.85% of total waste disposed in all landfill sites. Such wastes contribute to landfill leachate which pollutes groundwater and may enter the food chain causing adverse health effects. Lined evaporation ponds are suggested as an economical and safe solution for industrial wastewater and sludge disposal in the arid climate of Kuwait.     

A multi-criteria assessment of scenarios on thermal processing of infectious hospital wastes: A case study for Central Macedonia

In Greece more than 14,000 tonnes of infectious hospital waste are produced yearly; a significant part of it is still mismanaged. Only one off-site licensed incineration facility for hospital wastes is in operation, with the remaining of the market covered by various hydroclave and autoclave units, whereas numerous problems are still generally encountered regarding waste segregation, collection, transportation and management, as well as often excessive entailed costs. Everyday practices still include dumping the majority of solid hospital waste into household disposal sites and landfills after sterilization, still largely without any preceding recycling and separation steps. Discussed in the present paper are the implemented and future treatment practices of infectious hospital wastes in Central Macedonia; produced quantities are reviewed, actual treatment costs are addressed critically, whereas the overall situation in Greece is discussed. Moreover, thermal treatment processes that could be applied for the treatment of infectious hospital wastes in the region are assessed via the multi-criteria decision method Analytic Hierarchy Process. Furthermore, a sensitivity analysis was performed and the analysis demonstrated that a centralized autoclave or hydroclave plant near Thessaloniki is the best performing option, depending however on the selection and weighing of criteria of the multi-criteria process. Moreover the study found that a common treatment option for the treatment of all infectious hospital wastes produced in the Region of Central Macedonia, could offer cost and environmental benefits. In general the multi-criteria decision method, as well as the conclusions and remarks of this study can be used as a basis for future planning and anticipation of the needs for investments in the area of medical waste management.     

Status and challenges of hospital solid waste management: case studies from Thailand, Pakistan, and Mongolia

Healthcare waste management is a serious public health concern. In developing countries, compared to developed nations, the management of infectious wastes has not received sufficient attention. Recently, worldwide awareness has grown of the need to impose stricter controls on the handling and disposal of wastes generated by healthcare facilities. This exploratory study attempted in seven selected hospitals to explain the situation of healthcare waste management, with a focus on handling practices, occupational safety, and the implementation status of waste management policy, together with other pertinent policy issues. It was noted that the current system of healthcare waste management was underdeveloped and was in dire need of immediate attention and improvement, especially in Mongolia and Pakistan; the medical waste management practices were better in the hospitals studied in Thailand. This study underscores the importance for improvement of medical waste management of a national regulatory framework, a sound internal management system, and programs to train and ensure the safety of related personnel, as well as programs to estimate quantities of waste generated and to evaluate appropriate techniques of disposal. Once a healthcare waste management plan has been prepared, a regular program of inspection and review can be undertaken within the healthcare institution. A good inspection program can also expose problems and new issues in managing healthcare wastes.     

Monthly variations in solid waste generation

The monthly quantities of residential, commercial, industrial and other wastes generated between 1985–1989 in Brown County, Wisconsin, U.S.A. are analysed. For each month and each waste type, the quantity of waste generated is compared with the monthly average and the difference is computed as a percentage. The means and standard deviations of these percentage differences are computed for each month using the five values computed for each of the five years. The generation patterns for residential, commercial, construction and demolition wastes, and discarded tires show lower than average generation in winter months and higher than average in summer months, with the residential and commercial components being the most predictable. Ash has the opposite pattern with the most produced in winter months. General industrial wastes are produced at an almost constant rate throughout the year, typically varying by less than 10% from the monthly average. Sludge appears to be the least predictable component of the waste stream.     

Environmental and economic analyses of waste disposal options for traditional markets in Indonesia

Waste from traditional markets in Indonesia is the second largest stream of municipal solid waste after household waste. It has a higher organic fraction and may have greater potential to be managed on a business scale compared to household wastes. The attributed reason is that in general the wastes generated from traditional markets are more uniform, more concentrated and less hazardous than waste from other sources. This paper presents the results of environmental and economic assessments to compare the options available for traditional market waste disposal in Indonesia. The options compared were composting in labour intensive plants, composting in a centralised plant that utilised a simple wheel loader, centralised biogas production and landfill for electricity production. The current open dumping practice was included as the baseline case. A life cycle assessment (LCA) was used for environmental analysis. All options compared have lower environmental impacts than the current practice of open dumping. The biogas production option has the lowest environmental impacts. A cost-benefit analysis, which considered greenhouse gas savings, was used for the economic assessment. It was found that composting at a centralised plant is the most economically feasible option under the present Indonesian conditions. The approach reported in this study could be applied for 'a pre-feasibility first cut comparison' that includes environmental aspects in a decision-making framework for developing countries even though European emission factors were used.     

An overview on olive mill wastes and their valorisation methods

Olive mill wastes represent an important environmental problem in Mediterranean areas where they are generated in huge quantities in short periods of time. Their high phenol, lipid and organic acid concentrations turn them into phytotoxic materials, but these wastes also contain valuable resources such as a large proportion of organic matter and a wide range of nutrients that could be recycled. In this article, recent research studies for the valorisation of olive mill wastes performed by several authors were reviewed: second oil extraction, combustion, gasification, anaerobic digestion, composting and solid fermentation are some of the methods proposed. Special attention was paid to the new solid waste generated during the extraction of olive oil by the two-phase system. The peculiar physicochemical properties of the new solid waste, called two-phase olive mill waste, caused specific management problems in the olive mills that have led to the adaptation and transformation of the traditional valorisation strategies. The selection of the most suitable or appropriate valorisation strategy will depend on the social, agricultural or industrial environment of the olive mill. Although some methods are strongly consolidated in this sector, other options, more respectful with the environment, should also be considered.     

Solid waste characterization and recycling potential for a university campus

Integrated waste management systems are one of the greatest challenges for sustainable development. For these systems to be successful, the first step is to carry out waste characterization studies. In this paper are reported the results of a waste characterization study performed in the Campus Mexicali I of the Autonomous University of Baja California (UABC). The aim of this study was to set the basis for implementation of a recovery, reduction and recycling waste management program at the campus. It was found that the campus Mexicali I produces 1ton of solid wastes per day; more than 65% of these wastes are recyclable or potentially recyclable. These results showed that a program for segregation and recycling is feasible on a University Campus. The study also showed that the local market for recyclable waste, under present conditions - number of recycling companies and amounts of recyclables accepted - can absorb all of these wastes. Some alternatives for the potentially recyclables wastes are discussed. Finally some strategies that could be used to reduce waste at the source are discussed as well.     

Determination of the best appropriate management methods for the health-care wastes in Istanbul

Health-care waste management has been a significant problem in most economically developing countries as it is in Turkey. Most of the time, the main reason for the mismanagement of these wastes is the lack of appropriate legislation and effective control; other reasons are: financial strains and a lack of awareness. Being aware of the significance of the subject, in this paper the management of the health-care wastes in Istanbul, as a Metropolitan City of Turkey, was analyzed to create an integrated health-care waste management system in the city. Within the scope of the study, the existing situation and management practices such as the amount of the health-care wastes generated, segregation procedures, collection, temporary storage and transportation of the wastes within and outside of the institution were examined. Deficiencies, inconsistencies and improper applications were revealed. The existing Turkish Medical Wastes Control Regulation and institutional structure of the health-care waste management body were reviewed. After the evaluation and comparison with the requirements of other national and international organizations, items to be changed/added in the Regulation were identified. At the end of the study, the best management methods for the Istanbul City were determined and started to be applied at the institutions. After this study, the existing Regulation has been changed. The modified Regulation was published in 2005 and implementation has started. It is expected that by the application and implementation of the research outcomes, the management of health-care wastes in Istanbul and then in all over Turkey will be improved. The results obtained can also be used in most economically developing countries where there are similar environmental problems and strict budgets.     

Hazardous chemical site remediation through capping: Problems with long-term protection

The capping of waste management units and contaminated soils is receiving increasing attention as a low-cost method for hazardous chemical site remediation. Capping is used to prevent further groundwater pollution by existing waste management units and contaminated soils through limiting the moisture that enters the wastes. In principle, for wastes located above the water table, the construction of an impermeable cap can prevent leaching of the wastes (leachate generation) and groundwater pollution. In practice, appropriately designed and constructed RCRA caps can provide for only short-term prevention of groundwater pollution. Alternative approaches are available for capping of wastes that can be effective in preventing moisture from entering the wastes and concomitant groundwater pollution. These approaches recognize the inability of the typical RCRA cap to keep wastes dry for as long as waste constituents will be a threat and, most importantly, provide the necessary funds to effectively address all plausible worst-case scenario failures that could occur at a capped waste management unit or contaminated soil area.     

Report: biomedical waste management practices at Balrampur Hospital, Lucknow, India.

Biomedical waste has become a serious health hazard in many countries, including India. Careless and indiscriminate disposal of this waste by healthcare establishments and research institutions can contribute to the spread of serious diseases such as hepatitis and AIDS (HIV) among those who handle it and also among the general public. The present study pertains to the biomedical waste management practices at Balrampur Hospital, a premier healthcare establishment in Lucknow, in North India. The study shows that infectious and non-infectious wastes are dumped together within the hospital premises, resulting in a mixing of the two, which are then disposed of with municipal waste at the dumping sites in the city. All types of wastes are collected in common bins placed outside the patients wards. For disposal of this waste the hospital depends on the generosity of the Lucknow Municipal Corporation, whose employees generally collect it every 2 or 3 days. The hospital does not have any treatment facility for infectious waste. The laboratory waste materials, which are disposed of directly into the municipal sewer without proper disinfection of pathogens, ultimately reach the Gomti River. All disposable plastic items are segregated by the rag pickers from the hospital as well as municipal bins and dumps. The waste is deposited either inside the hospital grounds, or outside in the community bin for further transportation and disposal along with municipal solid waste. The open dumping of the waste makes it freely accessible to rag pickers who become exposed to serious health hazards due to injuries from sharps, needles and other types of material used when giving injections. The results of the study demonstrate the need for strict enforcement of legal provisions and a better environmental management system for the disposal of biomedical waste in the Balrampur Hospital, as well as other healthcare establishments in Lucknow.     

Municipal solid waste management in Nepal: practices and challenges

Solid waste management in Kathmandu valley of Nepal, especially concerning the siting of landfills, has been a challenge for over a decade. The current practice of the illegal dumping of solid waste on the river banks has created a serious environmental and public health problem. The focus of this study was to carry out an evaluation of solid waste management in Nepal based on published information. The data showed that > or =70% of the solid wastes generated in Nepal are of organic origin. As such, composting of the solid waste and using it on the land is the best way of solid waste disposal. This will reduce the waste volume transported to the landfill and will increase its life.     

Report: future industrial solid waste management in pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ), Iran.

The Pars Special Economic Energy Zone (PSEEZ) is located in the south of Iran, on the northern coastline of the Persian Gulf. This area was established in 1998 for the utilization of south Pars field oil and gas resources. This field is one of the largest gas resources in the world and contains about 6% of the total fossil fuels known. Petrochemical industries, gas refineries and downstream industries are being constructed in this area. At present there are three gas refineries in operation and five more gas refineries are under construction. In this study, different types of solid waste including municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial wastes were investigated separately. The aim of the study was to focus on the management of the industrial wastes in order to minimize the environmental impact. In the first stage, the types and amounts of industrial waste in PSEEZ were evaluated by an inventory. The main types of industrial waste are oil products (fuel oil, light oil, lubricating oil), spent catalysts, adsorbents, resins, coke, wax and packaging materials. The waste management of PSEEZ is quite complex because of the different types of industry and the diversity of industrial residues. In some cases recycling/reuse of waste is the best option, but treatment and disposal are also necessary tools. Recently a design has been prepared for a disposal site in PSEEZ for the industrial waste that cannot be reused or recycled. The total surface area of this disposal site where the industrial waste should be tipped for the next 20 years was estimated to be about 42 000 m2.     

Rapid assessment of industrial waste production based on available employment statistics

A number of problems arise when trying to ascertain the types and quantities of industrial waste generated by a city or region for waste management purposes. To estimate the amount of industrial waste produced it is often necessary to carry out an industrial waste survey—this can be time consuming and costly and beyond the scope of most authorities in developing countries. INVENT is a computer program developed to predict industrial waste production within an area requiring the minimum of data gathering. It comprises a database containing information on known types and quantities of waste that arise from many different types of manufacturing industry. Using this data amounts of waste for other similar industries in an area can be predicted. Initial predictions are based on waste production per employee in other locations.     

Management of hazardous waste in Thailand: present situation and future prospects

 This paper deals with the present scenario of hazardous waste management practices in Thailand, and gives some insights into future prospects. Industrialization in Thailand has systematically increased the generation of hazardous waste. The total hazardous waste generated in 2001 was 1.65 million tons. It is estimated that over 300 million kg/year of hazardous waste is generated from nonindustrial, community sources (e.g., batteries, fluorescent lamps, cleansing chemicals, pesticides). No special facilities are available for handling these wastes. There are neither well-established systems for separation, storage, collection, and transportation, nor the effective enforcement of regulations related to hazardous wastes management generated from industrial or nonindustrial sectors. Therefore, because of a lack of treatment and disposal facilities, these wastes find their way into municipal wastewaters, public landfills, nearby dump sites, or waterways, raising serious environmental concern. Furthermore, Thailand does not have an integrated regulatory framework regarding the monitoring and management of hazardous materials and wastes. In addition to the absence of a national definition of hazardous wastes, limited funding has caused significant impediments to the effective management of hazardous waste. Thus, current waste management practices in Thailand present significant potential hazards to humans and the environment. The challenging issues of hazardous waste management in Thailand are not only related to a scarcity of financial resources (required for treatment and disposal facilities), but also to the fact that there has been no development of appropriate technology following the principles of waste minimization and sustainable development. A holistic approach to achieving effective hazardous waste management that integrates the efforts of all sectors, government, private, and community, is needed for the betterment of human health and the environment. Received: February 26, 2001 / Accepted: October 11, 2002     

Planning for integrated solid waste management at the industrial park level: a case of Tianjin, China

Industrial parks play a significant role in the production and use of goods and services. The proper management of solid waste is a major challenge for industrial parks due to the large quantity of wastes and the variability of waste characteristics from these types of developments. Therefore, integrated solid waste management has become very crucial to the industrial park managers. Such an approach requires industrial park managers to assess the overall use of resources, and to seek waste reduction, reuse and recycling opportunities both at the individual company level and among different tenant companies. The adoption of this method can bring both economic and environmental benefits. This paper introduces the planning efforts of a real case in China. It first presents the basic information on Tianjin Economic Development Area (TEDA), and then introduces its current practices on solid waste management. The main focus of this paper is to describe how to plan an integrated solid waste management system at TEDA. Benefits and challenges are all identified and analyzed. The experiences and methods from this case study should be applied in other industrial parks so as to improve the overall eco-efficiency of the whole industrial park.     

Poultry Waste Management For Crop Production: Nigerian Experience

Poultry wastes are posing serious environmental pollution problems in Nigeria through offensive odours and promotion of fly and rodent breeding. Farmers normally dispose of their poultry wastes through heaping and burning or dumping on the farm in the fresh state. Experiments were conducted to stabilize the waste for 12 weeks by a bag process similar to static pile composting either singly or amended with sawdust or leaves. Sawdust seems to be ideal for the production of a well stabilized product which is environmentally safe. However, even the raw waste or leaf amended waste if kept for 8 to 12 weeks produced a product which has no adverse effect on the maize yield when applied at 20 tonnes/hectare. The soils were improved through organic matter and retention of plant nutrients.     

Transforming an open dump into a sanitary landfill: a development effort in waste management

Upgrading a crude dump site into a sanitary landfill is a very challenging task; Matuail landfill site in Dhaka posed just such a challenge. From the very beginning, the existing disposal site had been used for the crude dumping of solid wastes. All types of solid wastes were haphazardly disposed of all over the site. The existing drainage channels of the dumping ground were not operational due to blockage by indiscriminate waste dumping. A large amount of leachate oozing out from the waste mixed with storm water and made the site esthetically very displeasing and environmentally unsound. This adverse situation sometimes caused disruption of the waste vehicular movement. Step-by-step improvement measures have been taken in the open dump to make it controlled and sanitary by adopting simple and locally available materials, technical guidelines, and construction techniques.     

The Teshima Island industrial waste case and its process towards resolution

 The worst case of illegal dumping of industrial waste in Japan occurred on Teshima Island. The disputes concerning the removal and treatment of waste material were completely resolved. An outline of the process of arbitration and the terms of the agreement are given. A technological examination committee was organized to resolve the problem of environmental pollution caused by industrial wastes. An impermeable wall has been constructed on the north coast of the disposal area to prevent polluted water from flowing out to sea. A total of 600 000 tons of industrial waste will be excavated and moved to Naoshima Island. This material will be melted down and transformed into slag at a new melting furnace in Naoshima, with a capacity of 200 tons per day. The slag will be reused as aggregate in concrete. Comprehensive environmental preservation measures and full environmental monitoring of sewage and emission gas are planned in Teshima and Naoshima. Received: June 10, 2002 / Accepted: June 10, 2002     

Household waste disposal in Mekelle city, Northern Ethiopia

In many cities of developing countries, such as Mekelle (Ethiopia), waste management is poor and solid wastes are dumped along roadsides and into open areas, endangering health and attracting vermin. The effects of demographic factors, economic and social status, waste and environmental attributes on household solid waste disposal are investigated using data from household survey. Household level data are then analyzed using multinomial logit estimation to determine the factors that affect household waste disposal decision making. Results show that demographic features such as age, education and household size have an insignificant impact over the choice of alternative waste disposal means, whereas the supply of waste facilities significantly affects waste disposal choice. Inadequate supply of waste containers and longer distance to these containers increase the probability of waste dumping in open areas and roadsides relative to the use of communal containers. Higher household income decreases the probability of using open areas and roadsides as waste destinations relative to communal containers. Measures to make the process of waste disposal less costly and ensuring well functioning institutional waste management would improve proper waste disposal.