An international comparative study of end-of-life vehicle (ELV) recycling systems

End-of-life vehicles (ELV) have become a global concern as automobiles have become popular worldwide. An international workshop was held to gather data and to discuss 3R policies and ELV recycling systems, their background and present situation, outcomes of related policies and programs, the framework of recycling and waste management, and case studies on related topics in several countries and regions, as well as the essential points of the comparison. Legislative ELV recycling systems are established in the EU, Japan, Korea, and China, while in the US, ELV recycling is managed under existing laws on environmental protection. Since automobile shredding residue (ASR) has a high calorific value and ash content, and includes heavy metals as well as a mass of unclassified fine particles, recycling ASR is considered highly difficult. Countries with a legislative ELV system commonly set a target for recovery rates, with many aiming for more than 95 % recovery. In order to reach this target, higher efficiency in ASR recovery is needed, in addition to material recycling of collectable components and metals. Environmentally friendly design was considered necessary at the planning and manufacturing stages, and the development of recycling systems and techniques in line with these changes are required for sound ELV management.     

Application of spatial and non-spatial data analysis in determination of the factors that impact municipal solid waste generation rates in Turkey

In studies focusing on the factors that impact solid waste generation habits and rates, the potential spatial dependency in solid waste generation data is not considered in relating the waste generation rates to its determinants. In this study, spatial dependency is taken into account in determination of the significant socio-economic and climatic factors that may be of importance for the municipal solid waste (MSW) generation rates in different provinces of Turkey. Simultaneous spatial autoregression (SAR) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) models are used for the spatial data analyses. Similar to ordinary least squares regression (OLSR), regression coefficients are global in SAR model. In other words, the effect of a given independent variable on a dependent variable is valid for the whole country. Unlike OLSR or SAR, GWR reveals the local impact of a given factor (or independent variable) on the waste generation rates of different provinces. Results show that provinces within closer neighborhoods have similar MSW generation rates. On the other hand, this spatial autocorrelation is not very high for the exploratory variables considered in the study. OLSR and SAR models have similar regression coefficients. GWR is useful to indicate the local determinants of MSW generation rates. GWR model can be utilized to plan waste management activities at local scale including waste minimization, collection, treatment, and disposal. At global scale, the MSW generation rates in Turkey are significantly related to unemployment rate and asphalt-paved roads ratio. Yet, significances of these variables may diminish at local scale for some provinces. At local scale, different factors may be important in affecting MSW generation rates.     

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.     

The ISB model (infrastructure, service, behaviour): a tool for waste practitioners

In response to the EU Landfill Directive and the challenge of mitigating climate change, the UK government (nationally and locally) must develop strategies and policies to reduce, recycle, compost and recover waste. Best practice services that yield high recycling rates, such as alternate weekly collections, are now largely mainstream in suitable areas. However, national recycling performance is short of what is needed; policy makers must look for innovative ways to meet challenging recycling targets.Increasingly, local authorities are using behaviour change interventions to encourage the public to recycle; these tend to be based on the premise that an individuals’ behaviour is predetermined by their values. In practice, this has led to a host of initiatives that attempt to change individuals’ behaviour without addressing situational barriers. In this paper, we argue that that a behaviour-centric approach has limited effectiveness. Using an analysis of the literature and studies that investigated recycling participation in the city of Portsmouth, we have identified three significant clusters that can facilitate effective recycling: infrastructure, service and behaviour (ISB). We present the ISB model - a tool that can be used by waste practitioners when planning interventions to maximise recycling to better understand the situation and context for behaviour. Analysis using the ISB model suggests that current best practice, “business as usual” interventions could realistically achieve a national recycling rate of 50%. If the UK is to move towards zero waste, policy makers must look “upstream” for interventions that change the situational landscape.     

Sustainable recycling of municipal solid waste in developing countries

This research focuses on recycling in developing countries as one form of sustainable municipal solid waste management (MSWM). Twenty-three case studies provided municipal solid waste (MSW) generation and recovery rates and composition for compilation and assessment. The average MSW generation rate was 0.77 kg/person/day, with recovery rates from 5-40%. The waste streams of 19 of these case studies consisted of 0-70% recyclables and 17-80% organics. Qualitative analysis of all 23 case studies identified barriers or incentives to recycling, which resulted in the development of factors influencing recycling of MSW in developing countries. The factors are government policy, government finances, waste characterization, waste collection and segregation, household education, household economics, MSWM (municipal solid waste management) administration, MSWM personnel education, MSWM plan, local recycled-material market, technological and human resources, and land availability. Necessary and beneficial relationships drawn among these factors revealed the collaborative nature of sustainable MSWM. The functionality of the factor relationships greatly influenced the success of sustainable MSWM. A correlation existed between stakeholder involvement and the three dimensions of sustainability: environment, society, and economy. The only factors driven by all three dimensions (waste collection and segregation, MSWM plan, and local recycled-material market) were those requiring the greatest collaboration with other factors.     

An econometric analysis of regional differences in household waste collection: the case of plastic packaging waste in Sweden

The Swedish producer responsibility ordinance mandates producers to collect and recycle packaging materials. This paper investigates the main determinants of collection rates of household plastic packaging waste in Swedish municipalities. This is done by the use of a regression analysis based on cross-sectional data for 252 Swedish municipalities. The results suggest that local policies, geographic/demographic variables, socio-economic factors and environmental preferences all help explain inter-municipality collection rates. For instance, the collection rate appears to be positively affected by increases in the unemployment rate, the share of private houses, and the presence of immigrants (unless newly arrived) in the municipality. The impacts of distance to recycling industry, urbanization rate and population density on collection outcomes turn out, though, to be both statistically and economically insignificant. A reasonable explanation for this is that the monetary compensation from the material companies to the collection entrepreneurs vary depending on region and is typically higher in high-cost regions. This implies that the plastic packaging collection in Sweden may be cost ineffective. Finally, the analysis also shows that municipalities that employ weight-based waste management fees generally experience higher collection rates than those municipalities in which flat and/or volume-based fees are used.     

On the effect of MSW moisture content on meeting target recycling rates

A mathematical model to calculate the recycle rates for packaging materials from the municipal solid wastes (MSW) built from the dry mass values that are obtained from the corresponding wet masses and their respective moisture contents is presented in this work. A possible universal methodology is also described to be used with the previous model so that reliable comparisons between indicators for different regions are feasible. Furthermore, this mathematical model demonstrates the effect of the moisture content of packaging materials on their recycling rates and constitutes a fundamental tool for operators and persons responsible for MSW management to define new policies and technical measures viewing the improvement of recycling rates. A theoretical study and the application of the model to the MEMSW of the Lisbon region shows that the moisture content of the mixed wastes plays a dominant role in the recycling rates of packaging materials such as paper, plastics and glass. Moreover, accounting for all relevant masses in the dry basis yields higher recycling rate values: increases of 32.8% for paper, 50% for plastics and 44.6% glass are observed.     

Characterization of solid waste disposed at Columbia Sanitary Landfill in Missouri.

Waste sorts were conducted during each of the four quarters (or seasons) of 1996 at the City of Columbia Sanitary Landfill. A detailed physical sampling protocol was outlined. Weight fractions of 32 waste components were quantified from all geographic areas that contribute to the Columbia Sanitary Landfill using a two-way stratification method, which accounted for variations in geographical regions and seasons. Comparisons of solid waste generated between locations and seasons were conducted at the 80% confidence level. The composition of the entire waste stream was 41% paper, 21% organic, 16% plastic, 6% metal, 3% glass and 13% other waste. Paper was the largest composition and glass was the smallest composition for all geographical regions. The result of this study was also compared with a 1987 Columbia, Missouri study conducted by EIERA (1987), with studies conducted in other states such as Minnesota, Wisconsin, Oregon and with national study conducted by the USEPA (USEPA 530-R-96-001, PB96-152 160. US Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Solid Waste, Washington, DC). The results of studies from other states are different from this study due to different local conditions, different methodologies and a different scope. There was a small (5%) increase in per capita weight from 1987 to 1996. The total per capita weight in the present study was 60% greater than the national per capita weight reported by the USEPA (1996) due to that the USEPA report excluded industrial, construction and certain commercial waste. The total per capita weight agrees with the national per capita weight for municipal waste reported by Tchobanoglous (1993), which included industrial, construction and commercial sources. The geographical and seasonal effects on the waste composition are evaluated and discussed. Statistical analysis indicates that waste characteristics are different among geographical regions and seasons. The potential for waste recovery and reduction is also discussed.     

Monitoring household waste recycling centres performance using mean bin weight analyses

This paper describes a modelling approach used to investigate the significance of key factors (vehicle type, compaction type, site design, temporal effects) in influencing the variability in observed nett amenity bin weights produced by household waste recycling centres (HWRCs). This new method can help to quickly identify sites that are producing significantly lighter bins, enabling detailed back-end analyses to be efficiently targeted and best practice in HWRC operation identified. Tested on weigh ticket data from nine HWRCs across West Sussex, UK, the model suggests that compaction technique, vehicle type, month and site design explained 76% of the variability in the observed nett amenity weights. For each factor, a weighting coefficient was calculated to generate a predicted nett weight for each bin transaction and three sites were subsequently identified as having similar characteristics but returned significantly different mean nett bin weights. Waste and site audits were then conducted at the three sites to try and determine the possible sources of the remaining variability. Significant differences were identified in the proportions of contained waste (bagged), wood, and dry recyclables entering the amenity waste stream, particularly at one site where significantly less contaminated waste and dry recyclables were observed.     

A comparison of refrigerant management policies and suggestions for improvement in South Korea

HFCs (hydrofluorocarbons) emerged as alternative refrigerants after the production of chlorofluorocarbons was banned and hydrochlorofluorocarbons were phased out, under the Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer. However, because the Kyoto Protocol considered HFCs as greenhouse gases, and their impact on climate change has been increasing, major developed countries have been strengthening existing regulations on the use of HFCs as refrigerants. South Korea has also passed various legislations related to refrigerant management. However, reports indicate that implementation of these regulations has been ineffective, due to the absence of a specific system for managing the production, use, and disposal phases of refrigerants. To identify and resolve these issues, this study investigates the current state of refrigerant management in South Korea for those three phases. Refrigerant management policies are compared between different legislatures, using the examples of the European Union, United States, and Japan. Based on the findings, five types of measures are suggested to reduce the production and consumption of refrigerants, and to improve refrigerant management regulations in ways that are most appropriate to the South Korean context.     

Waste prevention for sustainable resource and waste management

Although the 2Rs (reduce and reuse) are considered high-priority approaches, there has not been enough quantitative research on effective 2R management. The purpose of this paper is to provide information obtained through the International Workshop in Kyoto, Japan, on 11–13 November 2015, which included invited experts and researchers in several countries who were in charge of 3R policies, and an additional review of 245 previous studies. It was found that, regarding policy development, the decoupling between environmental pressures and economy growth was recognized as an essential step towards a sustainable society. 3R and resource management policies, including waste prevention, will play a crucial role. Approaches using material/substance flow analyses have become sophisticated enough to describe the fate of resources and/or hazardous substances based on human activity and the environment, including the final sink. Life-cycle assessment has also been developed to evaluate waste prevention activities. Regarding target products for waste prevention, food loss is one of the waste fractions with the highest priority because its countermeasures have significant upstream and downstream effects. Persistent organic pollutants and hazardous compounds should also be taken into account in the situation where recycling activities are globally widespread for the promotion of a material-cycling society.     

Comparison of end-of-life vehicle material flows for reuse,material recycling,and energy recovery between Japan and the European Union

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Japan and the European Union (EU) both have well-established End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV) policies and management systems. However, due to the...     

Does industrial waste taxation contribute to reduction of landfilled waste? Dynamic panel analysis considering industrial waste category in Japan

Waste taxes, such as landfill and incineration taxes, have emerged as a popular option in developed countries to promote the 3Rs (reduce, reuse, and recycle). However, few studies have examined the effectiveness of waste taxes. In addition, quite a few studies have considered both dynamic relationships among dependent variables and unobserved individual heterogeneity among the jurisdictions. If dependent variables are persistent, omitted variables cause a bias, or common characteristics exist across the jurisdictions that have introduced waste taxes, the standard fixed effects model may lead to biased estimation results and misunderstood causal relationships. In addition, most existing studies have examined waste in terms of total amounts rather than by categories. Even if significant reductions in total waste amounts are not observed, some reduction within each category may, nevertheless, become evident.Therefore, this study analyzes the effects of industrial waste taxation on quantities of waste in landfill in Japan by applying the bias-corrected least-squares dummy variable (LSDVC) estimators; the general method of moments (difference GMM); and the system GMM. In addition, the study investigates effect differences attributable to industrial waste categories and taxation types. This paper shows that industrial waste taxes in Japan have minimal, significant effects on the reduction of final disposal amounts thus far, considering dynamic relationships and waste categories.     

Effect of exposure test conditions on leaching behavior of inorganic contaminants from recycled materials for roadbeds

Throughout the utilization of recycled materials, weathering factors such as humidity, gas composition and temperature have the potential to change the material properties and enhance the release of inorganic contaminants. In this research, the effects of weathering factors on recycled gravel materials for roadbeds were evaluated by applying three kinds of accelerating exposure tests: freezing–melting cycle test, carbonation test, and dry–humid cycle test. The effects of exposure tests were determined by X-ray diffraction (XRD) analysis and serial batch leaching test, making it possible to identify the change in release mechanisms. Sixteen elements, mainly metals, were investigated. Tested samples were molten slag from municipal solid waste, molten slag from automobile shredded residue, and crushed natural stone.After the exposure tests, the increase of cumulative release in the leaching test was generally less than 2.0 times that of the samples without the exposure test. Among the three test conditions, freezing–melting showed a slightly higher effect of enhancing the release of constituents. XRD analysis showed no change in chemical species. From these results, it was determined that the stony samples were stable enough so that their properties were not significantly changed by the exposure tests.     

Time series analysis of the effects of refuse collection on recycling: Taiwan's "Keep Trash Off the Ground" measure

The state of recycling in Taiwan has seen significant achievements due to various recycling policies implemented by environmental agencies in recent years. These policies include the "Keep Trash Off the Ground" (KTOG) measure, the "Four-in-One Recycling Plan", the per-bag trash collection fee and mandatory garbage sorting. An important question worthy of study is which of these policies has had a more pervasive and critical impact on the outcome of recycling. For example, there is evidence that the KTOG measure made it more convenient for people to begin recycling. This study therefore first analyzed the monthly data over the past decade on the amounts of recyclables in Taiwan's three major cities. By examining time series plots and employing an analysis of the time series intervention model, we can better understand the extent of the effects of the KTOG measure on these cities' amounts of recyclables. The same effects were also analyzed for the mandatory garbage sorting policy and the per-bag trash collection fee. Results show that the KTOG measure, essentially a change in refuse collection practice, presented consistent and significant effects on these cities' amounts of recyclables. It is suggested that the key to improving participation in a recycling program in waste management is for techniques to be tailored to actual settings in a way that facilitates citizen cooperation.     

Research for MSW flow analysis in developing nations

Developing nations have various problems regarding municipal solid waste (MSW). Therefore, to carry out a systematic review of the MSW problems in the target area and to formulate a well-considered management plan, it is extremely important to understand the present MSW flow in the region. One of the authors participated in the nine solid waste management (SWM) studies in developing nations undertaken under the technical cooperation program of the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA). Based on these studies, this paper reviews the results of research in developing countries regarding different MSW streams, the factors that cause the differences, and the elements considered to have the most impact on those streams. This research identifies several issues regarding MSW streams in developing nations. The MSW generation rate per capita in developing countries is generally said to grow in proportion to the GNP. However, the findings of this research show no correlation between the two; instead, there is a relationship between the GNP and the collection rate. To formulate proper future MSW management plans in countries with low collection rates, it is very important to forecast the rates of self-disposed and recycled waste, and their fluctuations. These are affected by urban structure, collection services, etc. Received: January 27, 2000 / Accepted: July 19, 2000     

A dynamic model for assessing the effects of management strategies on the reduction of construction and demolition waste

During the past few decades, construction and demolition (C&D) waste has received increasing attention from construction practitioners and researchers worldwide. A plethora of research regarding C&D waste management has been published in various academic journals. However, it has been determined that existing studies with respect to C&D waste reduction are mainly carried out from a static perspective, without considering the dynamic and interdependent nature of the whole waste reduction system. This might lead to misunderstanding about the actual effect of implementing any waste reduction strategies. Therefore, this research proposes a model that can serve as a decision support tool for projecting C&D waste reduction in line with the waste management situation of a given construction project, and more importantly, as a platform for simulating effects of various management strategies on C&D waste reduction. The research is conducted using system dynamics methodology, which is a systematic approach that deals with the complexity - interrelationships and dynamics - of any social, economic and managerial system. The dynamic model integrates major variables that affect C&D waste reduction. In this paper, seven causal loop diagrams that can deepen understanding about the feedback relationships underlying C&D waste reduction system are firstly presented. Then a stock-flow diagram is formulated by using software for system dynamics modeling. Finally, a case study is used to illustrate the validation and application of the proposed model. Results of the case study not only built confidence in the model so that it can be used for quantitative analysis, but also assessed and compared the effect of three designed policy scenarios on C&D waste reduction. One major contribution of this study is the development of a dynamic model for evaluating C&D waste reduction strategies under various scenarios, so that best management strategies could be identified before being implemented in practice.     

Local waste management constraints and waste administrators in China

Local level waste authorities and their officials directly interact and serve the people on behalf of higher governments. Given the influential positions they have on the quality of life of the citizens, these local waste authorities deserve more attention from researchers. This study throws light on the factors related to local waste management and administrators that have caused waste management failures in three mainland Chinese cities. Based on a survey conducted in 2002-2003, it was found that waste administrators in these cities are not professionally competent in their jobs and they are also not confident in using economic instruments to address waste management issues in their cities. These local waste authorities are generally under-funded, and funding politics has to some extent eroded the incentives to carry out the instructions of higher waste authorities. The community at large also does not respect local waste management work. The residents frequently litter, are unobservant of waste collection times and are unwilling to pay for waste collection service. All of these are handicapping environmentally sound waste management.     

One size fits all? An assessment tool for solid waste management at local and national levels

As environmental awareness rises, integrated solid waste management (WM) schemes are increasingly being implemented all over the world. The different WM schemes usually address issues such as landfilling restrictions (mainly due to methane emissions and competing land use), packaging directives and compulsory recycling goals. These schemes are, in general, designed at a national or regional level, whereas local conditions and constraints are sometimes neglected. When national WM top-down policies, in addition to setting goals, also dictate the methods by which they are to be achieved, local authorities lose their freedom to optimize their operational WM schemes according to their specific characteristics. There are a myriad of implementation options at the local level, and by carrying out a bottom-up approach the overall national WM system will be optimal on economic and environmental scales. This paper presents a model for optimizing waste strategies at a local level and evaluates this effect at a national level. This is achieved by using a waste assessment model which enables us to compare both the economic viability of several WM options at the local (single municipal authority) level, and aggregated results for regional or national levels. A test case based on various WM approaches in Israel (several implementations of mixed and separated waste) shows that local characteristics significantly influence WM costs, and therefore the optimal scheme is one under which each local authority is able to implement its best-fitting mechanism, given that national guidelines are kept. The main result is that strict national/regional WM policies may be less efficient, unless some type of local flexibility is implemented. Our model is designed both for top-down and bottom-up assessment, and can be easily adapted for a wide range of WM option comparisons at different levels.