Household hazardous waste: composition of paint waste.

'Paint waste', a part of the 'household hazardous waste', amounting to approximately 5 tonnes was collected from recycling stations in two Danish cities. Sorting and analyses of the waste showed paint waste comprised approximately 65% of the mass, paint-like waste (cleaners, fillers, etc.) comprised 15-25% and foreign items comprised 10-20%.Water-based paint was the dominant part of the paint waste. The chemical composition of the paint waste and the paint-like waste was characterized by an analysis of 27 substances in seven waste fractions. The content of critical substances was low and the paint waste was less contaminated with heavy metals than was the ordinary household waste. This may suggest that households no longer need to source-segregate their paint if the household waste is incinerated, since the presence of a small quantity of solvent-based paint will not be harmful when incinerated. Allowing household paint waste to be collected with ordinary household waste is expected to reduce the cost of handling household hazardous waste, since paint waste in Denmark comprises the major fraction of household hazardous waste.     

Characteristics and management of infectious industrial waste in Taiwan

Infectious industrial waste management in Taiwan is based on the specific waste production unit. In other countries, management is based simply on whether the producer may lead to infectious disease. Thus, Taiwan has a more detailed classification of infectious waste. The advantage of this classification is that it is easy to identify the sources, while the disadvantage lies in the fact that it is not flexible and hence increases cost. This study presents an overview of current management practices for handling infectious industrial waste in Taiwan, and addresses the current waste disposal methods. The number of small clinics in Taiwan increased from 18,183 to 18,877 between 2003 and 2005. Analysis of the data between 2003 and 2005 showed that the majority of medical waste was general industrial waste, which accounted for 76.9%-79.4% of total medical waste. Infectious industrial waste accounted for 19.3%-21.9% of total medical waste. After the SARS event in Taiwan, the amount of infectious waste reached 19,350 tons in 2004, an increase over the previous year of 4000 tons. Waste minimization was a common consideration for all types of waste treatment. In this study, we summarize the percentage of plastic waste in flammable infectious industrial waste generated by medical units, which, in Taiwan was about 30%. The EPA and Taiwan Department of Health have actively promoted different recycling and waste reduction measures. However, the wide adoption of disposable materials made recycling and waste reduction difficult for some hospitals. It has been suggested that enhancing the education of and promoting communication between medical units and recycling industries must be implemented to prevent recyclable waste from entering the incinerator.     

Composition analysis of dental solid waste in Brazil

When developing proper waste management strategies, it is essential to characterize the volume and composition of solid waste. The aim of this work was to evaluate the composition of dental waste produced by three dental health services in Belo Horizonte, Minas Gerais State, Brazil. Two universities, one public and one private, and one public dental health service were selected. Waste collection took place from March to November 2007. During this period, three samples were collected from each dental health service. The total amount of dental waste produced in one day of dental work was manually separated into three categories: infectious and potentially infectious waste, accounting for 24.3% of the total waste; non-infectious waste, accounting for 48.1%; and domestic-type waste, accounting for 27.6% (percentages are for mean weights of solid waste). Our results showed that most of the waste considered as biomedical may be misclassified, consequently making the infectious waste amount appear much larger. In addition, our results suggest that the best waste minimization method is recycling, and they help to define an appropriate waste management system in all three of the dental health services involved in this study.     

Report: Treatment of medical waste in Nisava and Toplica districts, Serbia

If there are no clearly defined management procedures, medical waste may represent a source of serious health hazards. Medical waste management was evaluated at the three hospitals in the Nisava and Toplica district, in Serbia. All the stages of existing waste management (segregation, collection, storage, transportation and disposal of waste) were examined by interviewing the personnel involved in the management of waste. The generated waste was a mixture of hazardous and non-hazardous waste. The study found that waste management performance in this district was poor and that there were problems in every stage of management. The results indicate that the waste generation rate was 1.92 kg bed(-1) day(-1) and consisted of 98.7% general waste and 1.3% sharps. Inappropriate segregation practices were the biggest problem and led to increased quantities of general waste. There were no specific regulations for the segregation of the medical waste. None of the surveyed hospitals have a system to refine wastewater and there were no training courses about hospital waste management.     

风电行业废玻璃钢资源化处置研究

我国风电行业每年产生大量热固性玻璃钢废弃物,这些废弃的热固性复合材料叶片、机舱罩等,在处置过程中广泛存在资源浪费和环境污染问题。对风电行业废玻璃钢的来源、产生量进行分析,概述废玻璃钢的生态毒性,阐述当前玻璃钢废弃物资源化处置技术及其优缺点,并提出风电行业废玻璃钢资源化处置技术的未来发展方向。     

Inconsistent pathways of household waste

The aim of this study was to provide policy-makers and waste management planners with information about how recycling programs affect the quantities of specific materials recycled and disposed of. Two questions were addressed: which factors influence household waste generation and pathways? and how reliable are official waste data? Household waste flows were studied in 35 Swedish municipalities, and a wide variation in the amount of waste per capita was observed. When evaluating the effect of different waste collection policies, it was found to be important to identify site-specific factors influencing waste generation. Eleven municipal variables were investigated in an attempt to explain the variation. The amount of household waste per resident was higher in populous municipalities and when net commuting was positive. Property-close collection of dry recyclables led to increased delivery of sorted metal, plastic and paper packaging. No difference was seen in the amount of separated recyclables per capita when weight-based billing for the collection of residual waste was applied, but the amount of residual waste was lower. Sixteen sources of error in official waste statistics were identified and the results of the study emphasize the importance of reliable waste generation and composition data to underpin waste management policies.     

Effect of aerobic pretreatment of waste on the rate of anaerobic treatment processes

The efficiency of waste degradation can be expressed by the rate of waste decomposition in individual phases. This article presents the durations of degradation phases of pretreated and untreated waste stabilized in anaerobic laboratory reactors. In this investigation, the quantities of organic and nitrogen contaminants emitted from the waste during the study are presented. The study confirmed the beneficial effects of aerobic pretreatment of waste before landfilling on reducing the duration of hydrolysis and acid phases, and speeding up the start of the stable methane phase. In the pretreated waste reactor, the stable methane phase began about 19 weeks earlier than in the untreated waste. The total amounts of contaminants removed from the aerobic pretreatment waste were lower than from untreated waste, with values of COD, TOC, BOD₅, and VFA corresponding to 21, 18, 6, and 23 %, respectively, and values of TKN and NH₄ of 7 and 50 %, respectively.     

Life-cycle assessment of municipal solid wastes: development of the WASTED model

This paper describes the development of the Waste Analysis Software Tool for Environmental Decisions (WASTED) model. This model provides a comprehensive view of the environmental impacts of municipal solid waste management systems. The model consists of a number of separate submodels that describe a typical waste management process: waste collection, material recovery, composting, energy recovery from waste and landfilling. These submodels are combined to represent a complete waste management system. WASTED uses compensatory systems to account for the avoided environmental impacts derived from energy recovery and material recycling. The model is designed to provide solid waste decision-makers and environmental researchers with a tool to evaluate waste management plans and to improve the environmental performance of solid waste management strategies. The model is user-friendly and compares favourably with other earlier models.     

Effect of mixing ratio of woody waste and food waste on the characteristics of carbonization residue

Biomass such as woody waste and food waste can be converted to a renewable energy source by means of carbonization processes. The basic characteristics of woody waste and food waste, such as proximate analysis and heating value, were evaluated before carrying out carbonization tests. Carbonization tests were carried out to obtain the basic characteristics of carbonization residue on changing the proportion of food waste from 0% to 30% in the mixture of woody waste and food waste. The effect of the food waste was estimated by basic characteristics of the residue such as the heating value, yield, and fuel ratio. As increased the food waste content, the bulk density, yield and chlorine content of the carbonization residue increased, but fuel ratio, the carbon content and heating value of the residue decreased. From the results of the basic characteristics of the residue, the optimum food waste content in carbonization tests was found to be 20%. Even if food waste is combined with woody waste at levels up to 30%, the sulfur and chlorine concentrations in the residue were much lower than the regulatory standard levels. From the results for the fuel ratio and heating value of the residue, the carbonization residue is suitable for use as a renewable energy source and can be categorized by the second grade level of solid fuel products.     

Comparison of municipal solid waste management systems in Canada and Ghana: A case study of the cities of London, Ontario, and Kumasi, Ghana

Integrated waste management has been accepted as a sustainable approach to solid waste management in any region. It can be applied in both developed and developing countries. The difference is the approach taken to develop the integrated waste management system. This review looks at the integrated waste management system operating in the city of London, Ontario-Canada and how lessons can be drawn from the system’s development and operation that will help implement a sustainable waste management system in the city of Kumasi, Ghana. The waste management system in London is designed such that all waste generated in the city is handled and disposed of appropriately. The responsibility of each sector handling waste is clearly defined and monitored. All major services are provided and delivered by a combination of public and private sector forces.The sustainability of the waste management in the city of London is attributed to the continuous improvement strategy framework adopted by the city based on the principles of integrated waste management. It is perceived that adopting a strategic framework based on the principles of integrated waste management with a strong political and social will, can transform the current waste management in Kumasi and other cities in developing countries in the bid for finding lasting solutions to the problems that have plagued the waste management system in these cities.     

Source separation of household waste: a case study in China

A pilot program concerning source separation of household waste was launched in Hangzhou, capital city of Zhejiang province, China. Detailed investigations on the composition and properties of household waste in the experimental communities revealed that high water content and high percentage of food waste are the main limiting factors in the recovery of recyclables, especially paper from household waste, and the main contributors to the high cost and low efficiency of waste disposal. On the basis of the investigation, a novel source separation method, according to which household waste was classified as food waste, dry waste and harmful waste, was proposed and performed in four selected communities. In addition, a corresponding household waste management system that involves all stakeholders, a recovery system and a mechanical dehydration system for food waste were constituted to promote source separation activity. Performances and the questionnaire survey results showed that the active support and investment of a real estate company and a community residential committee play important roles in enhancing public participation and awareness of the importance of waste source separation. In comparison with the conventional mixed collection and transportation system of household waste, the established source separation and management system is cost-effective. It could be extended to the entire city and used by other cities in China as a source of reference.     

Preliminary study for the management of construction and demolition waste

This paper refers to the management of the construction and demolition (C&D) waste since, according to the EU Waste Strategy, C&D waste is considered to be one of the priority waste streams and appropriate actions need to be taken with respect to its effective management. Initially, the paper presents the state-of-the-art of the problem of C&D waste, including the amount and composition of C&D waste in EU countries, differences in the characteristics of this waste stream depending on its origin, as well as collection and management practices that are applied. A methodology is described for the estimation of the quantities of the waste stream under examination, since in most cases quantitative primary data is not available. Next, the fundamentals for the development of an integrated scheme for the management of C&D waste are presented and discussed, such as appropriate demolition procedures and location of waste management (off-site waste management, on-site waste management, direct on-site recovery, centralized on-site recovery). Finally, taking into consideration all relevant parameters, alternative systems that could be applied for the management of the C&D waste are suggested.     

Modeling of urban solid waste management system: the case of Dhaka city

This paper presents a system dynamics computer model to predict solid waste generation, collection capacity and electricity generation from solid waste and to assess the needs for waste management of the urban city of Dhaka, Bangladesh. Simulated results show that solid waste generation, collection capacity and electricity generation potential from solid waste increase with time. Population, uncleared waste, untreated waste, composite index and public concern are projected to increase with time for Dhaka city. Simulated results also show that increasing the budget for collection capacity alone does not improve environmental quality; rather an increased budget is required for both collection and treatment of solid wastes of Dhaka city. Finally, this model can be used as a computer laboratory for urban solid waste management (USWM) policy analysis.     

Environmental assessment of solid waste systems and technologies: EASEWASTE.

A new model has been developed for evaluating the overall resource consumption and environmental impacts of municipal solid waste management systems by the use of life cycle assessment. The model is named EASEWASTE (Environmental Assessment of Solid Waste Systems and Technologies) and is able to compare different waste management strategies, waste treatment methods and waste process technologies. The potential environmental impacts can be traced back to the most important processes and waste fractions that contribute to the relevant impacts. A model like EASEWASTE can be used by waste planners to optimize current waste management systems with respect to environmental achievements and by authorities to set guidelines and regulations and to evaluate different strategies for handling of waste. The waste hierarchy has for decades been governing waste management but the ranking of handling approaches may not always be the most environmentally friendly. The EASEWASTE model can identify the most environmentally sustainable solution, which may differ among waste materials and regions and can add valuable information about environmental achievements from each process in a solid waste management system.     

Raw material potential of recyclable materials for fiber composites: a review study

The aim of this study is to investigate waste streams as a source of recyclable raw material for fiber composite production. Globally, vast volumes of waste are produced daily that are not recycled effectively. In this work, three different raw material sources are examined; industrial, construction and municipal solid waste streams. All three sources produce wastes that are currently underutilized. Usage areas for the waste material include use as a reinforcing fiber, as part of the plastic matrix or as a filler. The industrial sector produces more homogenous waste, while waste from municipalities is mixed. Irregular material flow, the varying condition of the waste and different pretreatments used pose difficulties for recycling. Furthermore, some materials are industry-specific and may be produced in only certain areas. Despite these difficulties, huge amount of potentially useful exploitable waste is available and using different waste streams as a part of wood-plastic composite production can reduce waste volumes disposed to landfill.     

我国废旧纺织品综合利用现状及发展方向

通过分析废旧纺织品综合利用现状,总结了纯棉废旧纺织品、废旧民用纺织品、废旧军服等领域综合利用的初步进展,提出了我国目前废旧纺织品综合利用存在的主要问题,明确了废旧纺织品综合利用的发展方向,即废旧纺织品综合利用必须紧紧围绕“合理规划、分类回收、技术保障、市场拓展、政策引导、舆论宣传、全社会广泛参与”的指导方针,通过长期而系统的推进,最终实现行业规范化、专业化、集约化的健康科学发展。     

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.     

A review of municipal solid waste composition in the United Kingdom

The move from landfill-based to resource-based waste management systems requires a greater knowledge of the composition of municipal solid waste. This paper draws together the findings of municipal solid waste (MSW) compositional surveys undertaken in the United Kingdom. The results from recent surveys show a good agreement over the composition of household-collected waste, but less agreement over civic amenity site waste composition. There is insufficient data to allow comparisons of the commercial waste element of municipal waste or of the other components, and further work is necessary to produce more reliable estimates of the composition of these streams. The use of questionnaire surveys and analysis of the results suggests that the size and age profile of a household influence the generation of household-collected waste. Some research suggests that the waste container provided by the local authority and the socio-economic classification of a household also influence household-collected waste generation, but other studies failed to find this link. Further research is required to investigate this by surveying all of the waste disposal routes available to specific households.     

Composition and production rate of solid waste from dental laboratories in Xanthi, Greece

The composition and production rate of solid waste produced by four dental laboratories were measured in the Prefecture of Xanthi (Greece) during 2002. The selected dental labs in Xanthi were expected to produce approximately 75% of the waste produced from of all seven dental laboratories in the Xanthi Prefecture. Sampling was performed during a 2-month period. Solid waste was categorized into three major categories: (a) infectious and potentially infectious waste, (b) non-infectious toxic waste and (c) household type solid waste. Dental laboratories solid waste (DLSW) was produced at a rate of 0.059 g/cap/day (or 22 g/cap/year) at the time of the study. Household type waste, infectious and potentially infectious waste and non-infectious toxic waste comprised approximately 74%, 26% and less than 0.5% of the total DLSW weight produced, respectively. DLSW was estimated to be approximately 0.007% of the amount of municipal solid waste produced in the Prefecture of Xanthi.     

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。