Multi-objective reverse logistics model for integrated computer waste management.

This study aimed to address the issues involved in the planning and design of a computer waste management system in an integrated manner. A decision-support tool is presented for selecting an optimum configuration of computer waste management facilities (segregation, storage, treatment/processing, reuse/recycle and disposal) and allocation of waste to these facilities. The model is based on an integer linear programming method with the objectives of minimizing environmental risk as well as cost. The issue of uncertainty in the estimated waste quantities from multiple sources is addressed using the Monte Carlo simulation technique. An illustrated example of computer waste management in Delhi, India is presented to demonstrate the usefulness of the proposed model and to study tradeoffs between cost and risk. The results of the example problem show that it is possible to reduce the environmental risk significantly by a marginal increase in the available cost. The proposed model can serve as a powerful tool to address the environmental problems associated with exponentially growing quantities of computer waste which are presently being managed using rudimentary methods of reuse, recovery and disposal by various small-scale vendors.     

Multi-objective siting planning for a regional hazardous waste treatment center

Considering the trade-offs among the multiple objectives of economic efficiency, environmental risk, equity and administrative ease, the siting of a central treatment facility is attempted—a difficult but essential task in the regional hazardous waste management. For the quantification of each objective, the mathematical equations are formulated. Furthermore, the framework of the multi-objective planning technique in which the WRAP (Waste Resources Allocation Program) and Fuzzy Set theory are utilized is developed, to determine the appropriate alternative for the siting of long life public sector facility. As a case study, the developed technique is applied to the selection of the best site in the southwestern part of Korea, where the third new regional hazardous waste treatment center will be located. The effectiveness of multi-objective planning has been demonstrated, and the social and political factors affecting the siting are successfully quantified in a monetary value.     

Optimization of regional hazardous waste management systems: an improved formulation

The planning and design of regional hazardous waste management system (RHWMS) involves selection of treatment and disposal facilities, allocation of hazardous wastes and waste residues from generator to the treatment and disposal sites and selection of the transportation routes. An improved formulation based upon multi-objective integer programming approach is presented to arrive at the optimal configuration of RHWMS components. This formulation addresses important practical issues like unique characteristics of the hazardous wastes reflecting on waste–waste and waste–technology compatibility. A utility function approach is presented to integrate both cost and risk related objectives. An illustrative case example is presented to demonstrate the usefulness of the improved formulation as a tool which can be used by environmental planning agencies in regional planning for hazardous waste management.     

Using MCDA and GIS for hazardous waste landfill siting considering land scarcity for waste disposal

The main aim of this study was to develop a procedure that minimizes the wasting of space for the siting of hazardous waste landfills as part of a solid waste management system. We wanted to tackle the shortage of land for waste disposal that is a serious and growing problem in most large urban regions. The procedure combines a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) approach with a geographical information system (GIS). The GIS was utilised to obtain an initial screening in order to eliminate unsuitable areas, whereas the MCDA was developed to select the most suitable sites. The novelty of the proposed siting procedure is the introduction of a new screening phase before the macro-siting step aimed at producing a “land use map of potentially suitable areas” for the siting of solid waste facilities which simultaneously takes into consideration all plant types. The issue of obtaining sites evaluations of a specific facility was coupled with the issue of not wasting land appropriate to facilitate other types of waste management options. In the developed case study, the use of an innovative criteria weighting tool (the “Priority Scale”) in combination with the Analytic Hierarchy Process was useful to easier define the priorities of the evaluation criteria in comparison with other classic methods such as the Paired Comparison Technique in combination with the Simple Additive Weighting method.     

Guidelines for the evaluation and assessment of the sustainable use of resources and of wastes management at healthcare facilities.

This paper presents guidelines that can be used by managers of healthcare facilities to evaluate and assess the quality of resources and waste management at their facilities and enabling the principles of sustainable development to be addressed. The guidelines include the following key aspects which need to be considered when completing an assessment. They are: (a) general management; (b) social issues; (c) health and safety; (d) energy and water use; (e) purchasing and supply; (f) waste management (responsibility, segregation, storage and packaging); (g) waste transport; (h) recycling and re-use; (i) waste treatment; and (j) final disposal. They identify actions required to achieve a higher level of performance which can readily be applied to any healthcare facility, irrespective of the local level of social, economic and environmental development. The guidelines are presented, and the characteristics of facilities associated with sustainable (level 4) and unsustainable (level 0) healthcare resource and wastes management are outlined. They have been used to assess a major London hospital, and this highlighted a number of deficiencies in current practice, including a lack of control over purchasing and supply, and very low rates of segregation of municipal solid waste from hazardous healthcare waste.     

Medical waste management in Ibadan, Nigeria: obstacles and prospects

Quantification and characterization of medical waste generated in healthcare facilities (HCFs) in a developing African nation has been conducted to provide insights into existing waste collection and disposal approaches, so as to provide sustainable avenues for institutional policy improvement. The study, in Ibadan city, Nigeria, entailed a representative classification of nearly 400 healthcare facilities, from 11 local government areas (LGA) of Ibadan, into tertiary, secondary, primary, and diagnostic HCFs, of which, 52 HCFs were strategically selected. Primary data sources included field measurements, waste sampling and analysis and a questionnaire, while secondary information sources included public and private records from hospitals and government ministries. Results indicate secondary HCFs generate the greatest amounts of medical waste (mean of 10,238 kg/day per facility) followed by tertiary, primary and diagnostic HCFs, respectively. Characterised waste revealed that only approximately 3% was deemed infectious and highlights opportunities for composting, reuse and recycling. Furthermore, the management practices in most facilities expose patients, staff, waste handlers and the populace to unnecessary health risks. This study proffers recommendations to include (i) a need for sustained cooperation among all key actors (government, hospitals and waste managers) in implementing a safe and reliable medical waste management strategy, not only in legislation and policy formation but also particularly in its monitoring and enforcement and (ii) an obligation for each HCF to ensure a safe and hygienic system of medical waste handling, segregation, collection, storage, transportation, treatment and disposal, with minimal risk to handlers, public health and the environment.     

Siting landfills and incinerators in areas of historic unpopularity: Surveying the views of the next generation

The Campania Region in Southern Italy has suffered many problems with municipal solid waste management since the mid-1990s, leading to significant public disturbances and subsequent media coverage. This paper reports on the current views and knowledge of young people (university students) in this region about waste management operations and facilities, specifically the siting of landfills and incinerators. By means of a structured questionnaire, opinion and knowledge were systematically examined by degree type and course year. The study took place in 2011 at the University of Salerno campus. A sample of 900 students, comprising 100 students for each of the nine considered faculties, and 20 students for every academic course year, was randomly selected. Only about a quarter of respondents were not opposed to the siting of a landfill or an incinerator in their city. This clearly highlights that historic opposition to the construction of waste facilities is difficult to overcome and that distrust for previous poor management or indiscretions is long-lived and transcends generations. Students from technical faculties expressed the most reasonable opinion; opinion and knowledge were statistically related (Chi-square test, p < 0.05) to the attended faculty, and the knowledge grew linearly with progression through the university. This suggests that awareness of waste management practices develops with experience and understanding of environmental issues. There is general acceptance that many stakeholders – technicians, politicians and citizens – all have to be part of the decision process when siting a new waste management facility. The opinions of the young respondents were significantly influenced by their level of environmental knowledge.     

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.     

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     

Effective dialogue: Enhanced public engagement as a legitimising tool for municipal waste management decision-making

The complexity of municipal waste management decision-making has increased in recent years, accompanied by growing scrutiny from stakeholders, including local communities. This complexity reflects a socio-technical framing of the risks and social impacts associated with selecting technologies and sites for waste treatment and disposal facilities. Consequently there is growing pressure on local authorities for stakeholders (including communities) to be given an early opportunity to shape local waste policy in order to encourage swift planning, development and acceptance of the technologies needed to meet statutory targets to divert waste from landfill. This paper presents findings from a research project that explored the use of analytical–deliberative processes as a legitimising tool for waste management decision-making. Adopting a mixed methods approach, the study revealed that communicating the practical benefits of more inclusive forms of engagement is proving difficult even though planning and policy delays are hindering development and implementation of waste management infrastructure. Adopting analytical–deliberative processes at a more strategic level will require local authorities and practitioners to demonstrate how expert-citizen deliberations may foster progress in resolving controversial issues, through change in individuals, communities and institutions. The findings suggest that a significant shift in culture will be necessary for local authorities to realise the potential of more inclusive decision processes. This calls for political actors and civic society to collaborate in institutionalising public involvement in both strategic and local planning structures.     

Safe management of hazardous waste

The size and the health significance of the hazardous waste problem are reviewed. Proper engineering and management practice are discussed, including the elimination, if possible, reduction, changing processes and product lines, treatment and reuuse, and disposal by landfill and incineration. Exports should be drasti cally reduced, also using complex administrative measures. International organizations concerned should encourage good national and international management practices. A siting for collection, treatment and disposal, remote from human habitation, and established under an international agreement, would release countries from managing a difficult problem within their own national borders.     

Effective Waste Management: Understanding And Dealing With Public Concerns

Effective waste management is dependent upon achieving informed consensus amongst interested parties. Public concerns and opposition present a challenge to this consensus which must be tackled. This paper reviews our understanding of the basis of public concerns about waste management activities and suggests some means for dealing with these. The paper identifies a need for better understanding of the complexity of concerns, which are based not only upon risk perceptions but also a lack of trust and credibility in waste managers, decision-makers, and the decision processes and control mechanisms for waste facility siting and operation. Suggestions for dealing with these concerns are discussed relating to risk communication, improving decision processes, the control and management of waste activities, and improvement in "expert" understanding of the risks.     

The current situation of solid waste generation and its environmental contamination in China

In China, controlling environmental pollution resulting from solid waste (SW) and hazardous waste (HW) has become one of the most pressing tasks in the field of environmental engineering. It is reported that the annual generation of industrial solid waste (ISW) in China exceeded 0.6 billion tons in the 1990s, and is increasing every year. Although ISW management has been strengthened in recent years, about 40% of SW is put in uncontrolled landfill without appropriate treatment. According to statistics from the national Environmental Protection Agency, the cumulative ISW uncontrolled landfill in China had reached 6.6 billion tons by the end of 1995, occupying around 55 000 hectares of land. Although some major uncontrolled landfills were constructed, nonetheless groundwater contamination resulted from the use of low-standard liners and poor management. Furthermore, about 20 million tons of ISW was discharged into the environment illegally, and a third of this waste was discharged directly into water bodies, making ISW one of the greatest pollution sources for surface water and ground water. Environmental pollution accidents resulting from SW occur about 100 times a year in China, and environmental issues frequently arise because of ISW pollution. The practices of SW management, treatment, and disposal started relatively late in China, and for a long time the management of SW pollution has received little attention compared with water and air pollution management. China faces problems such as the insufficiency of management laws and regulations, insufficient investment, inadequate treatment and disposal technology, and a lack of qualified technicians. At present, most treatment and disposal technology cannot meet the requests for solid waste pollution control. In order to protect, restore, and improve environmental quality in China and to realize sustainable development, the safe management and disposal of solid and hazardous wastes is a pressing challenge. In recent years, much attention has been paid to SW management in China, and investment to develop management and treatment technologies has increased. In 1995, the Law for Solid Waste Pollution Protection was issued, and work on solid waste treatment and disposal began to be legally managed. SW treatment and disposal facilities have been constructed, and now operate in some large and medium-sized cities. In particular, rapid improvements have been seen in ISW recycling, collection, and disposal of municipal solid waste and regional HW management. All the figures in this paper are from 1995, and represent the situation in China in that year. Received: April 18, 2000 / Accepted: May 15, 2000     

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.

     

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.     

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.     

GIS-based approach for optimized siting of municipal solid waste landfill

The exponential rise in the urban population of the developing countries in the past few decades and the resulting accelerated urbanization phenomenon has brought to the fore the necessity to develop environmentally sustainable and efficient waste management systems. Sanitary landfill constitutes one of the primary methods of municipal solid waste disposal. Optimized siting decisions have gained considerable importance in order to ensure minimum damage to the various environmental sub-components as well as reduce the stigma associated with the residents living in its vicinity, thereby enhancing the overall sustainability associated with the life cycle of a landfill. This paper addresses the siting of a new landfill using a multi-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) and overlay analysis using a geographic information system (GIS). The proposed system can accommodate new information on the landfill site selection by updating its knowledge base. Several factors are considered in the siting process including geology, water supply resources, land use, sensitive sites, air quality and groundwater quality. Weightings were assigned to each criterion depending upon their relative importance and ratings in accordance with the relative magnitude of impact. The results from testing the system using different sites show the effectiveness of the system in the selection process.     

A review of waste management practices and their impact on human health

This work reviews (i) the most recent information on waste arisings and waste disposal options in the world, in the European Union (EU), in Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OEDC) countries, and in some developing countries (notably China) and (ii) the potential direct and indirect impact of waste management activities on health. Though the main focus is primarily on municipal solid waste (MSW), exposure to bioaerosols from composting facilities and to pathogens from sewage treatment plants are considered. The reported effects of radioactive waste are also briefly reviewed. Hundreds of epidemiological studies reported on the incidence of a wide range of possible illnesses on employees of waste facilities and on the resident population. The main conclusion of the overall assessment of the literature is that the evidence of adverse health outcomes for the general population living near landfill sites, incinerators, composting facilities and nuclear installations is usually insufficient and inconclusive. There is convincing evidence of a high risk of gastrointestinal problems associated with pathogens originating at sewage treatment plants. In order to improve the quality and usefulness of epidemiological studies applied to populations residing in areas where waste management facilities are located or planned, preference should be given to prospective cohort studies of sufficient statistical power, with access to direct human exposure measurements, and supported by data on health effect biomarkers and susceptibility biomarkers.     

International comparative study of 3R and waste management policy developments

Reduce, reuse, and recycle (3R) policies form the basis of waste management and global warming countermeasures globally, so we conducted a comparative study of 3R and waste management policies in the European Union (EU), USA, Korea, Japan, China, and Vietnam. An international workshop for 3R and waste management policymakers was held in Kyoto, Japan, and a bibliographic survey was also conducted to collect data. 3R policies are clearly given priority in the hierarchy of waste management in every country studied. Thermal recovery, which includes power generation from waste heat and methane gas collected from organic waste, is also a priority; this is consistent with the increased use of countermeasures to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. In the EU, waste management is characterized by practical and effective 3R policies through the development of realistic regulations and by the policymakers??desire to simplify management systems. The policy ideal in China, however, is the development of a circular economy that targets reductions in the amount and hazardousness of waste. Limits on the number of final disposal sites, strategies for procuring resources, and GHG emission countermeasures are closely linked with 3R policies, and further development of 3R policies in parallel with such issues is expected.     

Public perception of odour and environmental pollution attributed to MSW treatment and disposal facilities: A case study

If residents’ perceptions, concerns and attitudes towards waste management facilities are either not well understood or underestimated, people can produce strong opposition that may include protest demonstrations and violent conflicts such as those experienced in the Campania Region of Italy. The aim of this study was to verify the effects of the closure of solid waste treatment and disposal facilities (two landfills and one RDF production plant) on public perception of odour and environmental pollution. The study took place in four villages in Southern Italy. Identical questionnaires were administered to residents during 2003 and after the closure of the facilities occurred in 2008. The residents’ perception of odour nuisance considerably diminished between 2003 and 2009 for the nearest villages, with odour perception showing an association with distance from the facilities. Post closure, residents had difficulty in identifying the type of smell due to the decrease in odour level. During both surveys, older residents reported most concern about the potentially adverse health impacts of long-term exposure to odours from MSW facilities. However, although awareness of MSW facilities and concern about potentially adverse health impacts varied according to the characteristics of residents in 2003, substantial media coverage produced an equalisation effect and increased knowledge about the type of facilities and how they operated. It is possible that residents of the village nearest to the facilities reported lower awareness of and concern about odour and environmental pollution because the municipality received economic compensation for their presence.