Report: policy drivers and the planning and implementation of integrated waste management in Ireland using the regional approach.

Waste management in Ireland has been dramatically transformed over the past 10 years from over 90% reliance on landfill towards a fully integrated approach. According to the latest EPA National Database Report in 2007 our municipal (household and commercial but excluding construction and demolition) recycling rate was 35% in 2005. This has been achieved through the implementation of 10 regional waste management plans all prepared within a new national planning framework in accordance with the Waste Management Act 1996 and Government policy document 'Changing Our Ways', published in 1998 by the Irish Department of the Environment, Heritage and Local Government. The principal drivers of the waste management plans and strategies are the EU Waste Framework Directive (recently revised), the EU Packaging Directive and the EU Landfill Directive. In addition, there were substantial political and environmental drivers due to the relatively poor standard of landfills in Ireland. Strict landfill regulation by the Environment Protection Agency commenced in 1997and led to many closures of poor facilities and new standards of siting design and operation. This has led to very high landfill charges that are only now beginning to stabilize. The key to improving public attitudes to the greatly improving waste management system has been the degree and content of stakeholder involvement programmes. These programmes are now consolidated into a national 'Race against Waste' programme (www.raceagainstwaste.ie). The purpose of the programme is to create awareness and deal with many of the misconceptions in the public mind attached to waste treatment methods especially incineration. Waste management is after all about people.     

Towards zero waste in emerging countries - a South African experience

The aim of this paper is to describe the optimisation of Waste Minimisation/Zero Waste strategies into an already established integrated waste management system and to present a Zero Waste model for post-consumer waste for urban communities in South Africa. The research was undertaken towards the fulfilment of the goals of the Polokwane Declaration on Waste Management [DEAT, 2001. Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, Government of South Africa. Polokwane Declaration. Drafted by Government, Civil Society and the Business Community. National Waste Summit, Polokwane, 26-28 September 2001], which has set as its target the reduction of waste generation and disposal by 50% and 25%, respectively, by 2012 and the development of a plan for Zero Waste by 2022. Two communities, adjacent to the Mariannhill Landfill site in Durban, were selected as a case study for a comparative analysis of formal and informal settlements. Since the waste generated from these two communities is disposed of at the Mariannhill landfill, the impact of Zero Waste on landfill volumes could be readily assessed. A Zero Waste scheme, based on costs and landfill airspace savings, was proposed for the area. The case study demonstrates that waste minimisation schemes can be introduced into urban areas, in emerging countries, with differing levels of service and that Zero Waste models are appropriate to urban areas in South Africa.     

Extended phase relations and load effects in MSW

The moisture retention and compression characteristics of municipal solid waste under self-weight are likened to those of an unsaturated soil. By assuming that the solid organic fraction in waste retains a relatively immobile micropore moisture and that deformation at low confining stress occurs at the expense of a relatively large macropore system, an insight into the variation of density and moisture with depth can be gained. With data on the composition of the waste, the phase composition can be extended to distinguish between solid organic and solid inorganic fractions, resulting in a four phase material model. The model is developed using detailed moisture and waste composition data from the Lyndhurst Sanitary Landfill site in Victoria, Australia. Finally, comparison of the model with large scale compression test results provides an insight into the nature of waste compression and moisture content data at low confining stress.     

Compositional effects on the dynamic properties of municipal solid waste

Large-scale cyclic simple shear tests were conducted on reconstituted specimens of municipal solid waste (MSW) collected from the Tri-Cities landfill in Fremont, California, USA. The influence of waste composition and compacted unit weight on the shear wave velocity, small-strain shear modulus, and strain-dependent shear modulus reduction and damping ratio curves of MSW was investigated in these tests. Modulus reduction and damping ratio curves were evaluated over a strain range of 0.01-3%. Specimens were reconstituted using 100%, 65%, and 35%, by weight, of the material that passed through a 20mm screen and four different levels of compaction effort. All specimens were consolidated under a normal stress of 75 kPa prior to testing. The test results show a very strong dependence of shear wave velocity and small strain shear modulus on unit weight. Unit weight also had an influence on modulus reduction and damping ratio. Waste composition had a very strong influence on damping and also influenced shear wave velocity, small strain shear modulus, and modulus reduction. The interrelationship between unit weight and waste composition made it difficult to separate out the effects of these parameters.     

Household solid waste characteristics and management in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Solid waste management (SWM) is a multidimensional challenge faced by urban authorities, especially in developing countries like Bangladesh. We investigated per capita waste generation by residents, its composition, and the households' attitudes towards waste management at Rahman Nagar Residential Area, Chittagong, Bangladesh. The study involved a structured questionnaire and encompassed 75 households from five different socioeconomic groups (SEGs): low (LSEG), lower middle (LMSEG), middle (MSEG), upper middle (UMSEG) and high (HSEG). Wastes, collected from all of the groups of households, were segregated and weighed. Waste generation was 1.3kg/household/day and 0.25kg/person/day. Household solid waste (HSW) was comprised of nine categories of wastes with vegetable/food waste being the largest component (62%). Vegetable/food waste generation increased from the HSEG (47%) to the LSEG (88%). By weight, 66% of the waste was compostable in nature. The generation of HSW was positively correlated with family size (r(xy)=0.236, p<0.05), education level (r(xy)=0.244, p<0.05) and monthly income (r(xy)=0.671, p<0.01) of the households. Municipal authorities are usually the responsible agencies for solid waste collection and disposal, but the magnitude of the problem is well beyond the ability of any municipal government to tackle. Hence dwellers were found to take the service from the local waste management initiative. Of the respondents, an impressive 44% were willing to pay US$0.3 to US$0.4 per month to waste collectors and it is recommended that service charge be based on the volume of waste generated by households. Almost a quarter (22.7%) of the respondents preferred 12-1pm as the time period for their waste to be collected. This study adequately shows that household solid waste can be converted from burden to resource through segregation at the source, since people are aware of their role in this direction provided a mechanism to assist them in this pursuit exists and the burden is distributed according to the amount of waste generated.     

ANALYSIS OF RESIDENTIAL SOLID WASTE AT GENERATION SITES

An essential preliminary step in municipal solid waste (MSW) management is the accurate determination of the quantities and composition of the wastes. The purpose of this study was to test a procedure for the determination of these parameters at the source of generation (houses), rather than getting such data at transfer stations or disposal sites, as usually done in most previous studies. The average generation rate in kg per capita day⁻¹and percentages of various components of residential solid waste in Abu Dhabi City were determined by carrying out a statistically designed sampling survey. This survey covered 40 houses with different socio-economic levels and totalled 840 samples. The study showed an average generation rate of 1.76 kg per capita day⁻¹. Linear regression analysis revealed that this rate was dependent on the income level with an increase of about 35% for the high income residents over the average rate. The waste contained approximately 50% food waste. Frequency distribution analysis of waste composition data indicated that the food waste component is normally distributed, whereas the other components do not show a normal distribution pattern.     

Waste management options in southern Europe using field and experimental data

The applicability of the Waste Management Hierarchy concept that appeared to be an essential element in current national environmental policies was investigated in the case of a region in Southern Europe. The waste generation profile that determines the appropriateness of different waste management options was created after a 1-year municipal waste sampling investigation conducted in the Municipality of Pilea in Northern Greece. The paper describes the results of (1) the sampling method, which was conducted four times during 1 year (once per season) in selected areas of the city, (2) the qualitative analysis of the collected samples and (3) the waste treatment, which consisted of drying, grinding, calorific value measurement, incineration and chemical analysis of the collected samples. Comparative analysis between the above mentioned data and on past data derived from investigations conducted in other Greek regions with similar characteristics to those of Pilea were used to identify and discuss future trends in the composition of generated waste over time. An analysis of the current waste management status in Greece as well as the feasibility of implementing a comprehensive management approach is assessed taking into account guidelines set worldwide to promote renewable energy sources use. It is concluded that recycling, perhaps the most positively received of all waste management practices, is going to be an essential part of contemporary waste management strategies, composting can play an important role, while incineration seems to be a conditionally feasible solution.     

Seasonal characterization of municipal solid waste (MSW) in the city of Chihuahua,Mexico

Management of municipal solid waste (MSW) has become a significant environmental problem, especially in fast-growing cities. The amount of waste generated increases each year and this makes it difficult to create solutions which due to the increase in waste generation year after year and having to identify a solution that will have minimum impact on the environment. To determine the most sustainable waste management strategy for Chihuahua, it is first necessary to identify the nature and composition of the city’s urban waste. The MSW composition varied considerably depending on many factors, the time of year is one of them. Therefore, as part of our attempt to implement an integral waste management system in the city of Chihuahua, we conducted a study of the characteristics of MSW composition for the different seasons. This paper analyzes and compares the findings of the study of the characterization and the generation of solid waste from households at three different socio-economic levels in the city over three periods (April and August, 2006 and January, 2007).The average weight of waste generated in Chihuahua, taking into account all three seasons, was 0.592 kg capita^?1 day^?1. Our results show that the lowest income groups generated the least amount of waste. We also found that less waste was generated during the winter season. The breakdown for the composition of the waste shows that organic waste accounts for the largest proportion (45%), followed by paper (17%) and others (16%).     

Report: Healthcare waste characterization in Chittagong Medical College Hospital, Bangladesh

Healthcare waste management (HCWM) options are inconsistent in Bangladesh. One of the first critical steps in the process of developing a reliable waste management plan requires a comprehensive understanding of the quantities and characteristics of the waste that needs to be managed. This study took into consideration both the quantity and quality of the generated waste to determine the generation rates and physical properties of healthcare waste (HCW) in Chittagong Medical College Hospital (CMCH) and also to estimate the amount of infectious and non-infectious waste generated in different wards. CMCH, the second largest hospital in Bangladesh, comprises 34 wards, 12 of which were selected randomly. Waste materials were collected from these wards and then segregated and weighed. Waste generation per day was found to be 73.22 kg/ward, 1.28 kg/bed and 0.57 kg/patient. A total of 2490 kg of HCW was produced each day in CMCH (37% being infectious and the rest being non-infectious waste). Infectious waste was 27.07 kg per ward, 0.47 kg per bed and 0.21 kg per patient and the non-infectious waste was 46.15 kg per ward, 0.81 kg per bed and 0.36 kg per patient per day. HCW comprised eight categories of waste materials with vegetable/food waste being the largest component (50.21%) and varied significantly (P < 0.05) among the 12 different wards studied. The greatest amount of HCW was recorded (154 kg) in Orthopaedics followed by 96.66 kg in the Medicine Unit-3 and the smallest amount was recorded in Casualty (8.79 kg). The amount of HCW was positively correlated with the number of occupied beds (rxy = 0.79, P < 0.01). There is no structured form of medical waste treatment in CMCH and most waste materials are dumped in open areas for natural degradation or re-sold by scavengers. It is essential to develop a national policy and implement a comprehensive action plan for HCWM that will provide environmentally sound technological measures to improve HCWM in Bangladesh.     

Characterization of urban solid waste in Chihuahua, Mexico

The characterization of urban solid waste generation is fundamental for adequate decision making in the management strategy of urban solid waste in a city. The objective of this study is to characterize the waste generated in the households of Chihuahua city, and to compare the results obtained in areas of the city with three different socioeconomic levels. In order to identify the different socioeconomic trends in waste generation and characterization, 560 samples of solid waste were collected during 1 week from 80 households in Chihuahua and were hand sorted and classified into 15 weighted fractions. The average waste generation in Chihuahua calculated in this study was 0.676 kg per capita per day in April 2006. The main fractions were: organic (48%), paper (16%) and plastic (12%). Results show an increased waste generation associated with the socioeconomic level. The characterization in amount and composition of urban waste is the first step needed for the successful implementation of an integral waste management system.     

Effective pine bark composting with the dome aeration technology

In South Africa garden refuse is primarily disposed of in domestic landfills. Due to the large quantities generated, any form of treatment would be beneficial for volume reduction, waste stabilization and resource recovery. Dome Aeration Technology (DAT) is an advanced process for aerobic biological degradation of garden refuse and general waste [Paar, S., Brummack, J., Gemende, B., 1999a. Advantages of dome aeration in mechanical-biological waste treatment. In: Proceedings of the 7th International Waste Management and Landfill Symposium, Cagliari, 4-8 October 1999; Paar, S., Brummack, J., Gemende, B., 1999b. Mechanical-biological waste stabilization by the dome aeration method. Environment Protection Engineering 25 (3/99). Mollekopf, N., Brummack, J., Paar, S., Vorster, K., 2002. Use of the Dome Aeration Technology for biochemical stabilization of waste prior to landfilling. In: Proceedings of the Wastecon 2002, Waste Congress and Exhibition, Durban, South Africa.]. It is a non-reactor open windrow composting process, with the main advantage being that the input material needs no periodic turning. A rotting time of only 3-4 months indicates the high efficiency. Additionally, the low capital/operational costs, low energy inputs and limited plant requirements provide potential for use in aerobic refuse stabilization. The innovation in the DAT process is the passive aeration achieved by thermally driven advection through open windrows caused by temperature differences between the degrading material and the outside environment. This paper investigates the application of Dome Aeration Technology to pine bark composting as part of an integrated waste management strategy. A full-scale field experiment was performed at the Bisasar Road Landfill Site in Durban to assess the influence of climate, waste composition and operational conditions on the process. A test windrow was constructed and measurements of temperature and airflow through the material were taken. The process monitoring revealed that prevailing climatic conditions in a subtropical location do not affect the high efficiency of this technology. However, the composition of the input material can be detrimental for production of high quality compost because of a lack of nitrate.     

An Overview of Solid Waste Management and Plastic Recycling in Qatar

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) constitutes one of the most crucial health and environmental problems facing authorities in the Arabian Gulf. Recent literature on current solid waste management (SWM) in Qatar has been reviewed in this paper, and a focused study has been carried out to provide a review on the total amount of municipal solid waste generated, stored, collected, disposed as well as the constituents of the waste. The analysis showed that Qatar produced around 2,000,000 tons of solid municipal waste annually, corresponding to a daily generation rate per capita of about 2.5 kg. About 60% of MSW is organic material and about 300 kg is composed daily. Landfill and composting is considered the most appropriate waste disposal techniques in Qatar. Um-Al-Afai landfill has nearly 80% of MSW. Because of the increased migration in Qatar, there is a sharp rise in the volume and also in the variety of solid waste. It is important to alleviate societal concerns over the increased rate of resource consumption and waste production; thus, policy makers have encouraged recycling and reuse strategies to reduce the demand for raw materials and to decrease the quantity of waste going to landfill. An example of the benefit of mechanical recycling of plastics compared to land filling and composting was conducted by GaBi 4 life cycle analysis tool which showed the benefits to the global warming and human toxicity. Recycling is the favored solution for plastic waste management, because it has a lower environmental impact on the defined impact categories, from Global Warming Potential (GWP) and Human Toxicity Potentials (HTP) indicators.     

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.     

Waste management activities and carbon emissions in Africa

This paper summarizes research into waste management activities and carbon emissions from territories in sub-Saharan Africa with the main objective of quantifying emission reductions (ERs) that can be gained through viable improvements to waste management in Africa. It demonstrates that data on waste and carbon emissions is poor and generally inadequate for prediction models. The paper shows that the amount of waste produced and its composition are linked to national Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Waste production per person is around half that in developed countries with a mean around 230 kg/hd/yr. Sub-Saharan territories produce waste with a biogenic carbon content of around 56% (+/−25%), which is approximately 40% greater than developed countries. This waste is disposed in uncontrolled dumps that produce large amounts of methane gas. Greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from waste will rise with increasing urbanization and can only be controlled through funding mechanisms from developed countries.     

Potential use of feebate systems to foster environmentally sound urban waste management

Waste treatment facilities are often shared among different municipalities as a means of managing wastes more efficiently. Usually, management costs are assigned to each municipality depending on the size of the population or total amount of waste produced, regardless of important environmental aspects such as per capita waste generation or achievements in composting or recycling. This paper presents a feebate (fee+rebate) system aimed to foster urban waste reduction and recovery. The proposal suggests that municipalities achieving better results in their waste management performance (from an ecological viewpoint) be recompensated with a rebate obtained from a fee charged to those municipalities that are less environmentally sound. This is a dynamic and flexible instrument that would positively encourage municipalities to reduce waste whilst increasing the recycling.     

Municipal solid waste generation in municipalities: quantifying impacts of household structure, commercial waste and domestic fuel

Waste management planning requires reliable data concerning waste generation, influencing factors on waste generation and forecasts of waste quantities based on facts. This paper aims at identifying and quantifying differences between different municipalities' municipal solid waste (MSW) collection quantities based on data from waste management and on socio-economic indicators. A large set of 116 indicators from 542 municipalities in the Province of Styria was investigated. The resulting regression model included municipal tax revenue per capita, household size and the percentage of buildings with solid fuel heating systems. The model explains 74.3% of the MSW variation and the model assumptions are met. Other factors such as tourism, home composting or age distribution of the population did not significantly improve the model. According to the model, 21% of MSW collected in Styria was commercial waste and 18% of the generated MSW was burned in domestic heating systems. While the percentage of commercial waste is consistent with literature data, practically no literature data are available for the quantity of MSW burned, which seems to be overestimated by the model. The resulting regression model was used as basis for a waste prognosis model (Beigl and Lebersorger, in preparation).     

Household, hotel and market waste audits for composting in Vietnam and Laos.

In Da Nang and Ha Long, Vietnam and in Vientiane, Laos, there was interest by local authorities in separating and composting waste in order to reduce environmental and health problems at the local landfills and to produce a soil conditioner for local agricultural use. To assist in the planning of composting projects, three studies were carried out to estimate waste quantities and composition. 1. A 9-day audit of waste from 45 vendors in a market in Vientiane, the capital of Laos. The total quantity of waste and the quantity in each of nine categories were estimated for each of six different types of vendors. 2. A 7-day audit of waste disposed by three hotels in the tourist area of Ha Long, Vietnam. Waste quantities were estimated in total, on a per guest basis, and in three main categories: compostables, recyclables and miscellaneous. 3. A 7-day audit of waste collected from 74 households in Da Nang, the fourth largest city in Vietnam. Waste from each household was separated into compostable and non-compostable waste. Over 60% of each waste source comprised compostable waste and this was considered significant enough to warrant further planning of composting operations.     

Achieving "Final Storage Quality" of municipal solid waste in pilot scale bioreactor landfills

Entombed waste in current sanitary landfills will generate biogas and leachate when physical barriers fail in the future, allowing the intrusion of moisture into the waste mass contradicting the precepts of the sustainability concept. Bioreactor landfills are suggested as a sustainable option to achieve Final Storage Quality (FSQ) status of waste residues; however, it is not clear what characteristics the residues should have in order to stop operation and after-care monitoring schemes. An experiment was conducted to determine the feasibility to achieve FSQ status (Waste Acceptance Criteria of the European Landfill Directive) of residues in a pilot scale bioreactor landfill. The results of the leaching test were very encouraging due to their proximity to achieve the proposed stringent FSQ criterion after 2 years of operation. Furthermore, residues have the same characteristics of alternative waste stabilisation parameters (low BMP, BOD/COD ratio, VS content, SO4(2-)/Cl- ratio) established by other researchers. Mass balances showed that the bioreactor landfill simulator was capable of practically achieving biological stabilisation after 2 years of operation, while releasing approximately 45% of the total available (organic and inorganic) carbon and nitrogen into the liquid and gas phases.     

Physical and mechanical properties of cement-based products containing incineration bottom ash

This paper presents the results of a wider experimental programme conducted in the framework of the NNAPICS ("Neural Network Analysis for Prediction of Interactions in Cement/Waste Systems") project funded by the European Commission and a number of industrial partners under Brite-EuRamIII. Based on the fact that bottom ashes from waste incineration are classified as non-hazardous wastes according to the European Waste Catalogue, the aim of the present work was to investigate the feasibility of addressing the potential use of such residues in cement-based mixtures. This issue was suggested by the analysis of the properties of different bottom ashes coming from Italian municipal and hospital solid waste incinerators, which showed a chemical composition potentially suitable for such applications. Different mixes were prepared by blending bottom ash with ordinary Portland cement in different proportions and at different water dosages. The solidified products were tested for setting time and bulk density, unconfined compressive strength and evaporable water content at different curing times. The results of the experimental campaign were analysed through a statistical procedure (analysis of variance), in order to investigate the effect of mixture composition (waste replacement level and water dosage) on the product properties.     

Municipal solid waste composition determination supporting the integrated solid waste management system in the island of Crete

A one-year survey was conducted in the greater region of Crete (located at the lower region of the Aegean Sea) for the purpose of identifying waste composition (including chemical and physical characterization), as well as any seasonal variation. The investigation was carried out repeatedly at seven landfills and one transfer station in Crete, in four phases. Each sampling phase corresponded to a season (autumn, winter, spring, summer). ASTM D5231-92(2003) standard method and RCRA Waste Sampling Draft Technical Guidance were used. Hand sorting was used for classifying the collected wastes into the following categories: plastics, paper, metals, aluminium, leather-wood-textiles-rubbers, organic wastes, non-combustibles and miscellaneous. Further analysis included proximate and ultimate analysis of combustible materials. Metals such as lead, cadmium and mercury were also investigated. The results show that there has been a significant decrease of organic wastes during the last decade due to the increase of packaging materials, as a result of a change in consumption patterns. Three main waste categories were determined: organic wastes, paper and plastics, which combined represent 76% of the total waste in Crete. Furthermore, a high fraction of glass and a seasonal variation of aluminium indicate a strong correlation of waste composition with certain human activities, such as tourism. There is also a variation between the municipal solid waste (MSW) composition in the region of Crete (2003-2004) and MSW composition suggested in the National Solid Waste Planning (2000) [National Solid Waste Planning, 2000. Completion and particularization of Common Ministerial Act 113944//1944/1997: National Solid Waste Planning, June 2000]. The results of this survey are to be utilized by the regional solid waste authorities in order to establish an integrated waste treatment site, capable of fulfilling the regional waste management demands.