Networks of recyclable material waste-picker’s cooperatives: An alternative for the solid waste management in the city of Rio de Janeiro

The objective of this study is to discuss the role of networks formed of waste-picker cooperatives in ameliorating problems of final disposal of solid waste in the city of Rio de Janeiro, since the city’s main landfill will soon have to close because of exhausted capacity. However, it is estimated that in the city of Rio de Janeiro there are around five thousand waste-pickers working in poor conditions, with lack of physical infrastructure and training, but contributing significantly by diverting solid waste from landfills. According to the Sustainable Development Indicators (IBGE, 2010a, IBGE, 2010b) in Brazil, recycling rates hover between 45% and 55%. In the municipality of Rio de Janeiro, only 1% of the waste produced is collected selectively by the government (COMLURB, 2010), demonstrating that recycling is mainly performed by waste-pickers. Furthermore, since the recycling market is an oligopsony that requires economies of scale to negotiate directly with industries, the idea of working in networks of cooperatives meets the demands for joint marketing of recyclable materials. Thus, this work presents a method for creating and structuring a network of recycling cooperatives, with prior training for working in networks, so that the expected synergies and joint efforts can lead to concrete results. We intend to demonstrate that it is first essential to strengthen the waste-pickers’ cooperatives in terms of infrastructure, governance and training so that solid waste management can be environmentally, socially and economically sustainable in the city of Rio de Janeiro.     

Solid wastes integrated management in Rio de Janeiro: input-output analysis

This paper analyzes the socioeconomic aspects of solid waste management in Rio de Janeiro. An "input-output" methodology was used to examine how the secondary product resulting from recycling is re-introduced into the productive process. A comparative profile was developed from the state of recycling and the various other aspects of solid waste management, both from the perspective of its economic feasibility and from the social aspects involved. This was done analyzing the greenhouse gas emissions and the decreased energy consumption. The effects of re-introducing recycled raw materials into the matrix and the ensuing reduction of the demand for virgin raw materials was based on the input-output matrix for the State of Rio de Janeiro. This paper also analyzes the energy savings obtained from recycling and measures the avoided emissions of greenhouse gases.     

Recovery and recycling practices in municipal solid waste management in Lagos, Nigeria

The population of Lagos, the largest city in Nigeria, increased seven times from 1950 to 1980 with a current population of over 10 million inhabitants. The majority of the city's residents are poor. The residents make a heavy demand on resources and, at the same time, generate large quantities of solid waste. Approximately 4 million tonnes of municipal solid waste (MSW) is generated annually in the city, including approximately 0.5 million of untreated industrial waste. This is approximately 1.1 kg/cap/day. Efforts by the various waste management agencies set up by the state government to keep its streets and neighborhoods clean have achieved only minimal success. This is because more than half of these wastes are left uncollected from the streets and the various locations due to the inadequacy and inefficiency of the waste management system. Whilst the benefits of proper solid waste management (SWM), such as increased revenues for municipal bodies, higher productivity rate, improved sanitation standards and better health conditions, cannot be overemphasized, it is important that there is a reduction in the quantity of recoverable materials in residential and commercial waste streams to minimize the problem of MSW disposal. This paper examines the status of recovery and recycling in current waste management practice in Lagos, Nigeria. Existing recovery and recycling patterns, recovery and recycling technologies, approaches to materials recycling, and the types of materials recovered from MSW are reviewed. Based on these, strategies for improving recovery and recycling practices in the management of MSW in Lagos, Nigeria are suggested.     

Private sector participation in municipal solid waste service: Experiences in Latin America

Preliminary case studies have been carried out on private sector provision of municipal solid waste services in four large Latin American cities (Buenos Aires, Caracas, Santiago, and São Paulo). A parallel study of a metropolitan solid waste company in Rio de Janeiro provided a comparison. These experiences substantiate that private service provision can be successful in terms of cost containment and quality of service as long as the conditions for contestable markets are met. In the four cases studied, private collection firms have exclusive right to service specific areas of the city and contracts are awarded by competitive bidding. These and other studies in the region suggest that local authorities should establish operational and environmental regulations and standards to guide private contractors, and have the capacity to oversee these activities. Supervision and payment should be based on specific performance measures. More attention needs to be given to cost recovery, financial stability and improved disposal practices. There appears to be substantial scope for expanded private sector involvement in the region.     

Analysis of potential for reducing emissions of greenhouse gases in municipal solid waste in Brazil,in the state and city of Rio de Janeiro

This paper examines potential changes in solid waste policies for the reduction in GHG for the country of Brazil and one of its major states and cities, Rio de Janeiro, from 2005 to 2030. To examine these policy options, trends in solid waste quantities and associated GHG emissions are derived. Three alternative policy scenarios are evaluated in terms of effectiveness, technology, and economics and conclusions posited regarding optimal strategies for Brazil to implement. These scenarios are been building on the guidelines for national inventories of GHG emissions (IPCC, 2006) and adapted to Brazilian states and municipalities’ boundaries. Based on the results, it is possible to say that the potential revenue from products of solid waste management is more than sufficient to transform the current scenario in this country into one of financial and environmental gains, where the negative impacts of climate change have created a huge opportunity to expand infrastructure for waste management.     

广州市建筑垃圾资源化的必要性分析

摘要：随着广州市城市化进程的不断加快，城市建筑垃圾的排出量也在快速增长，如何应对和处理建筑垃圾所带来的“垃圾围城”困境，已经成为人们不得不面对的重要问题，推进建筑垃圾资源化是开展建筑垃圾综合治理的有效途径。论述了建筑垃圾资源化再生利用的必要性、紧迫性，指出了广州市建筑垃圾资源化过程中存在的问题，为推进广州市建筑垃圾综合处理实践提供了参考。     

An assessment of the current and future options for domestic waste management in Kaunas, Lithuania.

The main purpose of this study was to carry out a retrospective analysis of solid waste generation in Kaunas city from 1994 to 2003 and to calculate the theoretical waste generation in the future. This paper also presents measurements of the annual variations of waste amounts and calculations on a theoretical waste incineration facility. Two waste treatment scenarios were considered. Scenario A: waste deposit at the landfill with 'implementation of domestic waste separation and recycling'. Scenario B: waste removal to a landfill with 'multi-treatment: household separation, recycling and energetic recovery'. Three levels of waste treatment were proposed. The first level was implementation of the recycling system, which included household waste separation. The next step involved mechanical-biological treatment. The third level was the construction and operation of a new waste incineration plant in Kaunas. Two sites in Kaunas city were proposed; however, more detailed analysis, including the economic factors, will need to be done.     

Solid Waste Recycling And Reuse In Bangkok

Materials recovered from solid waste in Bangkok are mainly glass bottles, paper and paper products, plastic products and metals. Materials are separated at three different stages of the collection process: at the source, prior to collection; by the crews of the collection vehicle; and by the scavengers at the dump site. The total daily tonnage of recyclable garbage collected at the source by the waste pickers is estimated at 286 tonnes, about 5% of the garbage collected by the city. There are small scale recycling shops (SSR) located around the main disposal sites where collected materials are sold by the collection crews and the scavengers. The quantity of materials delivered to the SSR shops by the collection crew vary between 1-6 tonnes per day. The amount of materials recovered by the scavengers (at the dump site) varies between 50-150 kg person^-1 day^-1. Therefore around 7.5% of the solid waste is recycled. In Bangkok both formal and informal sectors manufacture paper pulp, cardboard boxes and magazines from the recyclable paper. Paper products which account for 55% of the total waste stream are considered as the largest "product group" in the municipal solid waste. Recyclable glass (1-3% of the total waste stream) or cullet is used to manufacture plain glasses or cups. Plastics constitute about 10-15% of the waste stream. The benefit/cost ratios of production of most of these industries were reported to be higher than 1.5. In order to enhance recycling, legislative measures need to be introduced and enforced. In Thailand, there is, however, no law concerning recycling. There is no incentive for the consumer to separate solid waste for recycling, as the prices of waste in Bangkok are low and inconsistent. Therefore the pricing system should be more organized for recycling to be more effective.     

Assessment of solid waste generation and greenhouse gas emission potential in Yangon city,Myanmar

Due to booming economy, growing population and rapid urbanization, solid waste generation in the cities of developing countries has significantly increased. Yangon is the largest and most densely populated city, with over five million residents in Myanmar. Open dumping is the major waste disposal method and recycling sector remains at an early development stage. With increasing waste generation, current waste management activities in Yangon have significant environmental impacts. Therefore, the study developed two linear models to predict annual solid waste generation, regarding per capita waste generation, population growth scenarios, literacy rates and gross domestic products. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and Institute for Global Environmental Strategies calculation methods were used for greenhouse gas (GHG) emission prediction from recycling, waste transportation and final disposal sites (FDSs). As a result, the total annual waste generation and GHG emission in 2015 may double over the next decade. Two major FDSs, Htawe Chaung and Hteinpin, may contribute waste disposal of 272–797 kilotons per year and emit 177–518 Gg of CO₂-eq per year by 2025. The assessment of annual solid waste generation and GHG emission potential may offer advantages in assisting development of waste management plans in Yangon.     

Pilot project of mechanical-biological treatment of waste in Brazil

By mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) of residual municipal solid waste the behaviour of landfills can be significantly improved. After MBT the organic content (COD and BOD5), total organic carbon, and total nitrogen in the leachate, as well as the gas production rate, are reduced to values lower than 90% of the fresh untreated waste. The volume of the stabilized material to be disposed on landfills decreases enormously, by up to 70%. The monitoring effort for a landfill constructed under these conditions is reduced to a minimum and the stabilized material can be used in other ways, as material for reforestation, for cover material or for thermal utilization to produce energy. Environmental conditions are important in MBT, as well as waste characteristics. This paper describes the results of a pilot project of MBT performed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The results have shown that this technology can be used successfully in developing countries, with economy for the society and important results for the environment.     

Managing post-conflict demolition wastes in Gaza Strip: a case study on May 2021 conflict

Gaza Strip is considered as one of the armed conflicts prone areas in Middle East. Several intensive conflicts occurred in Gaza Strip in 2008, 2012, 2014 and 2021. These conflicts caused massive destroying the infrastructures, facilities, and buildings, which affected all services and activities in Gaza Strip. One of the major post-conflict issues in Gaza strip is the management of resulted demolition waste including its removal, sorting, recycling, and material recovery. In May 2021, over than 370,000 tons of demolition waste composed of rubbles and debris was generated during 11 days of armed conflict. The accumulated previous experience of rubbles and debris removal and recycling in Gaza Strip supported to perform a quick management approach for safe removal of the post-conflict demolition waste and reuse/recycle the resulted waste materials in various applications. The sorting and transporting process of concreate and non-concreate rubble elements of the waste were carried out in cooperation between local and international agencies as emergency recovery-funded projects. The most proportion of rubbles are concrete aggregates, thus, the material recovery was conducted through crushing process for concrete rubbles and then reusing it for road rehabilitation or producing concrete building blocks. The large concrete blocks reused to be placed for shoreline protection for specific area along Gaza beach. The recycling of post-conflict demolition waste management projects in Gaza Strip brought economic and social benefits through the reuse and recycle of resources and creation of job opportunities. In conclusion, although the post-conflict demolition waste management is quite different from municipal/industrial waste management in Gaza Strip, it is conducted through applying similar techniques of disaster waste management in waste removal, and those of construction and demolition (C&D) waste management in sorting, crushing, and sieving for recycling.

     

Estimation of construction waste generation and management in Thailand

This study examines construction waste generation and management in Thailand. It is estimated that between 2002 and 2005, an average of 1.1 million tons of construction waste was generated per year in Thailand. This constitutes about 7.7% of the total amount of waste disposed in both landfills and open dumpsites annually during the same period. Although construction waste constitutes a major source of waste in terms of volume and weight, its management and recycling are yet to be effectively practiced in Thailand. Recently, the management of construction waste is being given attention due to its rapidly increasing unregulated dumping in undesignated areas, and recycling is being promoted as a method of managing this waste. If effectively implemented, its potential economic and social benefits are immense. It was estimated that between 70 and 4,000 jobs would have been created between 2002 and 2005, if all construction wastes in Thailand had been recycled. Additionally it would have contributed an average savings of about 3.0 x 10(5) GJ per year in the final energy consumed by the construction sector of the nation within the same period based on the recycling scenario analyzed. The current national integrated waste management plan could enhance the effective recycling of construction and demolition waste in Thailand when enforced. It is recommended that an inventory of all construction waste generated in the country be carried out in order to assess the feasibility of large scale recycling of construction and demolition waste.     

建筑垃圾循环利用实践

建筑垃圾的循环利用是今后建筑垃圾处理的必经之路。在对国内外建筑垃圾循环利用的相关政策、法律法规及回收现状进行比较分析的基础上,对目前建筑垃圾循环利用的案例进行调查整理,总结出建筑垃圾循环利用的一般过程;并在对目前建筑垃圾循环利用的方法进行研究后,介绍了一种先进实用的建筑垃圾循环利用方法;最后对我国建筑垃圾循环利用存在的问题进行剖析并提出解决问题的建议,以期对我国建筑垃圾循环利用的发展有所裨益。     

The German packaging ordinance: the questionable effects of a fragmentary solid waste management approach

Germany seems to be one of the leading nations in solid waste management, especially in the case of packaging waste; success stories about the ongoing increase in recycling strengthen this impression. However, enormous costs and questionable ecological benefits are the result of Germany's packaging ordinance and the formation of the recycling organization Duales System Deutschland (DSD). This article shows that similar progress in the reduction and recycling of packaging could have been realized without the packaging ordinance and dual system, with lower costs. This regulatory impact analysis of the German packaging ordinance covers all the effects on the different life-cycle stages of packaging, from production to recycling or disposal. The conclusion is that a fragmentary solid waste management approach – one that is based, like the German packaging ordinance, more on ideology than on facts – leads to enormous costs and questionable ecological benefits. To improve this situation, there is a need for an integrated solid waste management approach, based on evaluation of the economic, environmental, and social effects of different waste management options for the materials involved. Received: February 4, 1999 / Accepted: April 30, 1999     

Incorporation of gypsum waste in ceramic block production: Proposal for a minimal battery of tests to evaluate technical and environmental viability of this recycling process

Civil engineering-related construction and demolition debris is an important source of waste disposed of in municipal solid waste landfills. After clay materials, gypsum waste is the second largest contributor to the residential construction waste stream. As demand for sustainable building practices grows, interest in recovering gypsum waste from construction and demolition debris is increasing, but there is a lack of standardized tests to evaluate the technical and environmental viability of this solid waste recycling process. By recycling gypsum waste, natural deposits of gypsum might be conserved and high amounts of the waste by-product could be reused in the civil construction industry. In this context, this paper investigates a physical property (i.e., resistance to axial compression), the chemical composition and the ecotoxicological potential of ceramic blocks constructed with different proportions of clay, cement and gypsum waste, and assesses the feasibility of using a minimal battery of tests to evaluate the viability of this recycling process. Consideration of the results for the resistance to axial compression tests together with production costs revealed that the best formulation was 35% of plastic clay, 35% of non-plastic clay, 10% of Portland cement and 20% of gypsum waste, which showed a mean resistance of 4.64 MPa. Energy dispersive X-ray spectrometry showed calcium and sulfur to be the main elements, while quartz, gypsum, ettringite and nacrite were the main crystalline compounds found in this formulation. Ecotoxicity tests showed that leachate from this formulation is weakly toxic toward daphnids and bacteria (EC_20% = 69.0 and 75.0, respectively), while for algae and fish the leachate samples were not toxic at the EC_50% level. Overall, these results show that the addition of 20% of gypsum waste to the ceramic blocks could provide a viable substitute for clay in the ceramics industry and the tests applied in this study proved to be a useful tool for the technical and environmental evaluation of this recycling process, bacterial and daphnid tests being more sensitive than algae and fish tests.     

Economic potential of recycling business in Lahore, Pakistan

The state of household waste recycling in Lahore city, Pakistan with a population of 7.2 million was analyzed. Data on solid waste recycling were gathered from residents of low-, middle- and high-income groups, as well as from scavengers and junkshops. The recycling activities in Lahore exert a significant impact on resource conservation, creation of jobs, provision of economic opportunity and reduction in the magnitude of waste disposal problems. A cost analysis is presented to show the income that can be generated through a well-planned recycling program. It is shown that 21.2% of all recyclable waste in Lahore is recycled, and it generates an amount of Rs. 271 million (US dollars 4.5 million) per year through the informal sector. However, if the recycling practice is owned by the formal sector, it can save an amount of Rs. 65 million by reducing the collection cost. If recycling is adopted as an industry, it can generate revenues of Rs. 530 million (US dollars 8.8 million) per year and can also save enormous amount of energy, as well as the natural resources.     

Comparing urban solid waste recycling from the viewpoint of urban metabolism based on physical input-output model: A case of Suzhou in China

Investigating impacts of urban solid waste recycling on urban metabolism contributes to sustainable urban solid waste management and urban sustainability. Using a physical input-output model and scenario analysis, urban metabolism of Suzhou in 2015 is predicted and impacts of four categories of solid waste recycling on urban metabolism are illustrated: scrap tire recycling, food waste recycling, fly ash recycling and sludge recycling. Sludge recycling has positive effects on reducing all material flows. Thus, sludge recycling for biogas is regarded as an accepted method. Moreover, technical levels of scrap tire recycling and food waste recycling should be improved to produce positive effects on reducing more material flows. Fly ash recycling for cement production has negative effects on reducing all material flows except solid wastes. Thus, other fly ash utilization methods should be exploited. In addition, the utilization and treatment of secondary wastes from food waste recycling and sludge recycling should be concerned.     

大力推进城市资源循环利用基地建设——以北京市朝阳区资源循环利用产业基地为例

资源循环利用基地的建设是破解城市固体废弃物“邻避效应”的创新道路,有助于新型城市功能区的建设,是推进资源循环利用的主要方式。以北京市朝阳区资源循环利用产业基地为例,研究其基地建设的优势基础及制约因素,通过探索基地建设模式,分析了基地建设的总体思路和重要举措,以期为其他地区资源循环利用基地建设提供经验。     

Solid recovery rate of food waste recycling in South Korea

Source-separated collection system of household food waste has been implemented national wide in South Korea. Food waste recycling rate that means conversion rate to recycle is over 90 % in present. However, over the value of 90 %, we need to enhance the efficiency of food waste recycling process. We analyzed material flow of 24 food waste recycling facilities and calculated solid recovery rate to key-process. We found that 3–13 % of the solids from food waste outflows with foreign materials and 27–33 % of the solids outflow with wastewater. As a result, solid recovery rates are 65.3, 60.9, and 56.3 % in wet feed facility, dry feed facility, and composting facility, respectively. Alternative ways to recovery solid from wastewater or collection tools to exclude plastic bags, salt, and moisture content are required to make food waste recycling more efficient.     

Minimax regret optimization analysis for a regional solid waste management system

Solid waste management (SWM) facilities are crucial for environmental management and public health in urban regions. Due to the waste management hierarchy, one of the greatest challenges that organizations face today is to figure out how to diversify the treatment options, increase the reliability of infrastructure systems, and leverage the redistribution of waste streams among incineration, compost, recycling, and other facilities to their competitive advantage region wide. Systems analysis plays an important role for regionalization assessment of integrated SWM systems, leading to provide decision makers with break-through insights and risk-informed strategies. This paper aims to apply a minimax regret optimization analysis for improving SWM strategies in the Lower Rio Grande Valley (LRGV), an economically fast growing region in the US. Based on different environmental, economic, legal, and social conditions, event-based simulation in the first stage links estimated waste streams in major cities in LRGV with possible solid waste management alternatives. The optimization analysis in the second stage emphasizes the trade-offs and associated regret evaluation with respect to predetermined scenarios. Such optimization analyses with multiple criteria have featured notable successes, either by public or private efforts, in diverting recyclables, green waste, yard waste, and biosolids from the municipal solid waste streams to upcoming waste-to-energy, composting, and recycling facilities. Model outputs may link prescribed regret scenarios in decision making with various scales of regionalization policies. The insights drawn from the system-oriented, forward-looking, and preventative study can eventually help decision-makers and stakeholders gain a scientific understanding of the consequences of short-term and long-term decisions relating to sustainable SWM in the fast-growing US-Mexico borderland.