What attributes of mandatory waste management policy can enhance the separation intention of residents in China? A behaviour choice experiment

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - China is facing a severe waste siege. Notwithstanding the several years of mandatory policy implementation, the residents’ waste separation...     

Analysis of COVID-19 waste management in Vietnam and recommendations to adapt to the ‘new normal’ period

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Amid the 4th wave of COVID-19, Vietnam reopened its economy, which placed extra burdens on the COVID-19 waste management system. This study...     

What is the acceptable margin of error for the oxygen uptake method in evaluating the reactivity of organic waste?

The acceptable margin of error for the organic waste reactivity measured by the oxygen uptake method was assessed. Oxygen uptake was determined by the Dynamic Respiration Index (DRI) (mgO₂/kgVS h). The composed uncertainty (uC) of the experimental set up used for the DRI test was evaluated and the uncertainty (u) of all the components of the apparatus was evaluated. A procedure for calculating the uC of the apparatus is proposed. The components affecting the uC of the DRI to a more significant extent were the one of the oxygen mass rate and the u of the amount of VS in the sample analyzed. For a confidence level of 99.73%, the extended uC (UC) interval for a DRI = 1024 mgO₂/kgVS h was ±440 mgO₂/kgVS h, whereas for a DRI = 3489 mgO₂/kgVS h, the UC interval was ±1288 mgO₂/kgVS h. When oxygen consumption and VS content become lower than 600 mgO₂/h and 0.9 kg, respectively, the UC interval is similar to the measured DRI.     

Does farmer entrepreneurship promote willingness to participate in domestic waste management? An empirical analysis from China

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - This study examines the impact of farmer entrepreneurship (FAE) on the willingness of farmers to participate in domestic waste management (DWM)...     

Municipal solid waste management in India: From waste disposal to recovery of resources?

Unlike that of western countries, the solid waste of Asian cities is often comprised of 70-80% organic matter, dirt and dust. Composting is considered to be the best option to deal with the waste generated. Composting helps reduce the waste transported to and disposed of in landfills. During the course of the research, the author learned that several developing countries established large-scale composting plants that eventually failed for various reasons. The main flaw that led to the unsuccessful establishment of the plants was the lack of application of simple scientific methods to select the material to be composted. Landfills have also been widely unsuccessful in countries like India because the landfill sites have a very limited time frame of usage. The population of the developing countries is another factor that detrimentally impacts the function of landfill sites. As the population keeps increasing, the garbage quantity also increases, which, in turn, exhausts the landfill sites. Landfills are also becoming increasingly expensive because of the rising costs of construction and operation. Incineration, which can greatly reduce the amount of incoming municipal solid waste, is the second most common method for disposal in developed countries. However, incinerator ash may contain hazardous materials including heavy metals and organic compounds such as dioxins, etc. Recycling plays a large role in solid waste management, especially in cities in developing countries. None of the three methods mentioned here are free from problems. The aim of this study is thus to compare the three methods, keeping in mind the costs that would be incurred by the respective governments, and identify the most economical and best option possible to combat the waste disposal problem.     

Integration of the informal sector into municipal solid waste management in the Philippines – What does it need?

The integration of the informal sector into municipal solid waste management is a challenge many developing countries face. In Iloilo City, Philippines around 220 tons of municipal solid waste are collected every day and disposed at a 10 ha large dumpsite. In order to improve the local waste management system the Local Government decided to develop a new Waste Management Center with integrated landfill. However, the proposed area is adjacent to the presently used dumpsite where more than 300 waste pickers dwell and depend on waste picking as their source of livelihood. The Local Government recognized the hidden threat imposed by the waste picker’s presence for this development project and proposed various measures to integrate the informal sector into the municipal solid waste management (MSWM) program. As a key intervention a Waste Workers Association, called USWAG Calahunan Livelihood Association Inc. (UCLA) was initiated and registered as a formal business enterprise in May 2009. Up to date, UCLA counts 240 members who commit to follow certain rules and to work within a team that jointly recovers wasted materials. As a cooperative they are empowered to explore new livelihood options such as the recovery of Alternative Fuels for commercial (cement industry) and household use, production of compost and making of handicrafts out of used packages. These activities do not only provide alternative livelihood for them but also lessen the generation of leachate and Greenhouse Gases (GHG) emissions from waste disposal, whereby the life time of the proposed new sanitary landfill can be extended likewise.     

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.     

Influence of regulation on the productivity of waste utilities. What can we learn with the Portuguese experience?

This paper examines the merits and the perverse effects of quality of service regulation in the performance of urban waste services when implemented alone and compares the performance of different economic regulatory methods. By means of a productivity analysis, we investigate the influence of a five-year period of regulation on the performance of Portuguese urban waste utilities using an unbalanced panel data for the period 2001-2008. Different non-parametric methods were applied to estimate the productivity change, all leading to similar outcomes. We observed a tendency of productivity decline in the urban waste utilities and concluded that in spite of the unequivocal improvements in the quality of service induced by sunshine regulation, more should be done as far as economic regulation is concerned. We also found that the use of sunshine regulation together with low incentive economic regulatory methods is not positive, leading to overinvestment rather than to value for money.     

Recycling or chemical stabilization? Greenhouse gas emissions from treatment of waste containing mercury under the Minamata Convention

Journal of Material Cycles and Waste Management - Appropriate management of waste containing mercury is important. However, reducing greenhouse gases (GHGs) associated with this process is equally...     

Is there a difference between urban and rural areas in the disposal of home medical care waste? 13 years of nation-wide repeated cross-sectional study in Japan

Home medical care (HMC) is advancing not only in Japan but also throughout the world. In Japan, HMC waste is legally classified as municipal waste. Nevertheless, some municipalities do not collect some or all the HMC waste because of fear of infection. Therefore, this study was conducted to clarify the following two issues: First, have the municipalities made progress in collecting and appropriate disposal of HMC waste in the past 13 years? Second, is there a difference between a large city and a small city in terms of appropriate disposal progress? A total of 687 municipalities published the treatment of HMC waste. Currently, 42 municipalities collected all HMC waste. 236 municipalities were collecting HMC waste except for self-injection needle. 117 municipalities were collecting HMC waste except for self-injection needle and Syringe. The collection status of HMC waste was better in cities with high population than in cities with low population. HMC waste collection status was progressed over 13 years. However, more than 60% of the municipality staff stated that they could not avoid being anxious about infection caused by HMC waste. We suggest that providing HMC waste education to the municipalities wherein these efforts have not yet progressed is important.

     

What is left behind when the lights go off? Comparing the abundance and composition of litter in urban areas with different intensity of nightlife use in Mar del Plata,Argentina

Nightlife activities represents an important source of urban litter; the latter often being left behind or abandoned in public places and streets. Mar del Plata is a very important city on the Atlantic coast of Argentina and is the main tourism destination in the South Atlantic region of South America. However, few studies on urban litter related to nightlife activities have been conducted in the area. Here we assessed (i) the abundance and composition of litter, and (ii) the spatial and temporal variations of its abundance, diversity, richness and evenness in urbanized areas with different intensity of nightlife activities from April 2008 to March 2009. An overall of 13,503 items were counted. Around 92% of the total litter was comprised by cigarette butts, papers and plastics. We found significant spatial differences in the abundance of litter between sampling sites, with the greatest amounts of litter at the Alem site followed by the Hipólito site (both with an intensive nightlife activity) compared with the Chauvin site (a quiet high-income neighborhood). The composition of litter of the Alem and the Hipólito sites was relatively similar and both sites differ with respect to the Chauvin site. Cigarette butts, papers, and plastics were the items that contributed most to the dissimilarity between sampling sites. The diversity of litter was the single community parameter that significantly differed from the other seasons. We discussed the potential effect of nightlife activities on the amounts and quality of urban litter in the city of Mar del Plata.     

Preparation and characterization of mesoporous γ-Al<Subscript>2</Subscript>O<Subscript>3</Subscript> recovered from aluminum cans waste and its use in the dehydration of methanol to dimethyl ether

The present study includes synthesis of two γ-Al₂O₃ samples from waste aluminum cans using a simple precipitation method. Precipitation was carried out using two different precipitating agents (i.e. NaOH and NH₄OH). The two prepared alumina samples were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction (XRD) and N₂ adsorption–desorption techniques. Surface acidity of γ-Al₂O₃ samples was measured by adsorption of two different probe molecules (i.e. pyridine and dimethyl pyridine) followed by desorption measurements using thermogravimetry (TG) and differential scanning calorimetry (DSC) techniques. Catalytic activity of the two prepared alumina samples towards the dehydration of methanol (to dimethyl ether) was studied in a fixed bed reactor at 300 °C. For comparison reasons, commercial γ-Al₂O₃ sample was, also, tested for the same catalytic reaction under the same conditions. Results showed that the alumina sample prepared using NaOH as a precipitating agent exhibited a better catalytic activity and stability compared with that prepared using NH₄OH and showed a similar activity as the commercial γ-Al₂O₃ sample.