Using a contingent valuation approach for improved solid waste management facility: evidence from Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

This study employed contingent valuation method to estimate the willingness to pay (WTP) of the households to improve the waste collection system in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The objective of this study is to evaluate how household WTP changes when recycling and waste separation at source is made mandatory. The methodology consisted of asking people directly about their WTP for an additional waste collection service charge to cover the costs of a new waste management project. The new waste management project consisted of two versions: version A (recycling and waste separation is mandatory) and version B (recycling and waste separation is not mandatory). The households declined their WTP for version A when they were asked to separate the waste at source although all the facilities would be given to them for waste separation. The result of this study indicates that the households were not conscious about the benefits of recycling and waste separation. Concerted efforts should be taken to raise environmental consciousness of the households through education and more publicity regarding waste separation, reducing and recycling.     

Radiological risks and cleanup costs: A remediation case study

Potential health risks and cleanup costs are primary factors for measuring the effectiveness of a remediation project concerning a site contaminated with residual radioactive materials. Demanding cleanup of a contaminated site to its original condition, while eliminating any health risks after cleanup, can require prohibitive costs. However, by setting practical remediation objectives and by performing realistic but conservative risk assessments, health risks can be acceptable and cleanup costs can be reasonable. This article uses the South-Middle and Southeast Vaults Decontamination and Demolition Project at Argonne National Laboratory to demonstrate how negligible health risks can result after cleanup with minimal cleanup costs. Substantial cost savings of approximately $2 million was realized by implementing in-place decontamination and demolition (D&D) on the basis of acceptable risk, instead of requiring cleanup of the site to its original condition. By using the RESRAD computer program as a modeling tool, we show the maximum projected radiation dose (0.1 mrem per year) and the potential lifetime cancer risk (on the order of 10⁶) to an individual from exposure to the residual radioactivities are negligibly small. In addition to aiding in the selection of a preferred remediation alternative, results of the RESRAD modeling were also used to guide the implementation of the selected alternative to reduce exposures from the dominant pathway and to ensure that exposures from all pathways would be as low as reasonably achievable.     

The Triad approach: A catalyst for maturing remediation practice

Many individual scientific and technical disciplines contribute to the multidisciplinary field of remediation science and practice. Because of the relative youth of this enterprise, disciplinary interests sometimes compete and conflict with the primary goal of achieving protective, cost‐effective, efficient projects. Convergence of viewpoints toward a more mature, common vision is needed. In addition, cleanup programs are changing under the influence of Brownfields initiatives and the needs of environmental insurance underwriters. Investigations and cleanups increasingly need to be affordable, yet transparent and defensible. Disciplinary goals and terminology need to better reflect real‐world site conditions while being more supportive of project needs. Yet, technical considerations alone will not ensure project success; better integration of human factors into project management is also required. The Triad approach is well placed to catalyze maturation of the remediation field because it emphasizes (1) a central theme of managing decision uncertainty; (2) unambiguous technical communications; (3) shortened project life‐cycles and multidisciplinary interactions that rapidly build professional expertise and provide feedback to test and perfect programmatic and field practices; and (4) concepts from “softer” sciences (such as economics, cognitive psychology, and decision theory) to capture important human factors. Triad pushes the cleanup industry toward an integrated, practical, second‐generation paradigm that can successfully manage the complexities of today's cleanup projects. © 2004 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

A conceptual cost estimate for remediation activities at a multisite federal facility

The Sandia National Laboratories Environmental Restoration Project is in the process of determining the nature and extent of environmental contamination at numerous potential release sites. Sites found to be contaminated above certain action levels must be remediated. Sandia is responsible for preparing preliminary cost estimates for remediation activities in order to meet Department of Energy planning requirements for future funding. Sandia used the ENVEST parametric cost-estimating model to prepare conceptual cost estimates for remediation prior to having definitive knowledge of the nature and extent of contamination. This article describes the estimating approach and the results achieved at Sandia.     

Unit costs for decontamination and dismantlement of structures

A series of relationships have been developed for estimating unit costs for decontamination and dismantlement (D&D) of a number of structure types. These relationships may be applied in the absence of other data to obtain rough order-of-magnitude cost estimates for D&D activities. The relationships were developed using D&D costs estimated for various types of buildings at the U.S. Department of Energy Fernald site. These unit costs take into account the level of radiological contamination as well as the building size and type.     

RCRA corrective action costs: An estimating model for nonfederal facilities

This article presents an analysis of the prospective costs of RCRA corrective action for private, nonfederal facilities. Two data bases developed by Research Triangle Institute and a remedial action cost model developed by CH2M Hill provide the foundation for this work. The methodology has two components, a remedial action knowledge base and a discrete-state Monte Carlo analysis. Under base case assumptions, it is estimated that the total costs of RCRA corrective action will be $240 billion, with a 5 percent chance the costs will be less than $170 billion and a 5 percent chance the costs will be more than $377 billion.     

Nasreya: a treatment and disposal facility for industrial hazardous waste in Alexandria, Egypt: phase I.

A facility for the treatment and disposal of industrial hazardous waste has been established in Alexandria, Egypt. Phase I of the facility encompassing a secure landfill and solar evaporation ponds is ready to receive waste, and Phase II encompassing physico-chemical treatment, solidification, and interim storage is underway. The facility, the Nasreya Centre, is the first of its kind in Egypt, and represents the nucleus for the integration, improvement and further expansion of different hazardous waste management practices and services in Alexandria. It has been developed within the overall legal framework of the Egyptian Law for the Environment, and is expected to improve prospects for enforcement of the regulatory requirements specified in this law. It has been developed with the overall aim of promoting the establishment of an integrated industrial hazardous waste management system in Alexandria, serving as a demonstration to be replicated elsewhere in Egypt. For Phase I, the Centre only accepts inorganic industrial wastes. In this respect, a waste acceptance policy has been developed, which is expected to be reviewed during Phase II, with an expansion of the waste types accepted.     

A model to minimize joint total costs for industrial waste producers and waste management companies.

The model LINKopt is a mixed-integer, linear programming model for mid- and long-term planning of waste management options on an inter-company level. There has been a large increase in the transportation of waste material in Germany, which has been attributed to the implementation of the European Directive 75/442/EEC on waste. Similar situations are expected to emerge in other European countries. The model LINKopt has been developed to determine a waste management system with minimal decision-relevant costs considering transportation, handling, storage and treatment of waste materials. The model can serve as a tool to evaluate various waste management strategies and to obtain the optimal combination of investment options. In addition to costs, ecological aspects are considered by determining the total mileage associated with the waste management system. The model has been applied to a German case study evaluating different investment options for a co-operation between Daimler-Chrysler AG at Rastatt, its suppliers, and the waste management company SITA P+R GmbH. The results show that the installation of waste management facilities at the premises of the waste producer would lead to significant reductions in costs and transportation.     

Cleanup levels for pcbs and their combustion products at an industrial facility

In 1991, a fire occurred at a foundry in western Pennsylvania. The fire started in capacitors that contained polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and subsequent sampling has indicated that PCBs and products of their incomplete combustion, the polychlorinated dibenzo-p-dioxins (PCDDs) and polychlorinated dibenzofurans (PCDFs), were released as a result of the fire. This article develops and provides justification for site-specific cleanup levels for the PCBs, PCDDs, and PCDFs accidentally released into this industrial facility during the fire. Cleanup levels were calculated using standard risk assessment approaches and assumptions, and these riskbased values were compared with cleanup criteria used for other sites. Final criteria were established based on this comparison and a consideration of such site-specific factors as migration potential, industrial use patterns, and the small mass of material present.     

Environmental assessment and remediation: Estimating the costs of uncertainty

Current cost estimates for the assessment and remediation of environmental contamination at facilities operated by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) are based largely on assumptions, with a resulting high level of uncertainty. Therefore, consistent and reliable methods for estimating the uncertainty inherent in the estimates are of vital importance. This article presents an approach and format for estimating contingency in DOE's Environmental Restoration Program. The method involves an analysis of risk factors having a potential to affect the cost of the major elements in the estimate. Application of the contingency analysis to a project site is included in the discussion.     

To clean or not to clean: A geostatistical approach for evaluating contaminated soils

Indicator kriging is used to estimate the probability that a discrete area of soil (known as an exposure unit) lies either above or below an action level, warranting a response of either remediation or “no further action.” Resampling procedures are introduced as a way to optimize the number of additional samples needed to meet desired Type I and Type II error rates. This article provides the reader a step-by-step guide to the kriging analysis and a case study illustrating the procedures.     

Recent Industrial Applications of Lignin: A Sustainable Alternative to Nonrenewable Materials

Lignin represents a vastly under-utilized natural polymer co-generated during papermaking and biomass fractionation. Different types of lignin exist, and these differ with regard to isolation protocol and plant resource (i.e., wood type or agricultural harvesting residue). The incorporation of lignin into polymeric systems has been demonstrated, and this depends on solubility and reactivity characteristics. Several industrial utilization examples are presented for sulfur-free, water-insoluble lignins. These include materials for automotive brakes, wood panel products, biodispersants, polyurethane foams, and epoxy resins for printed circuit boards.     

A deterministic approach to evaluate and implement monitored natural attenuation for chlorinated solvents

A US EPA directive and related technical protocol outline the information needed to determine if monitored natural attenuation (MNA) for chlorinated solvents is a suitable remedy for a site. For some sites, conditions such as complex hydrology or perturbation of the contaminant plume caused by an existing remediation technology (e.g., pump‐and‐treat) make evaluation of MNA using only field data difficult. In these cases, a deterministic approach using reactive transport modeling can provide a technical basis to estimate how the plume will change and whether it can be expected to stabilize in the future and meet remediation goals. This type of approach was applied at the Petro‐Processors Inc. Brooklawn site near Baton Rouge, Louisiana, to evaluate and implement MNA. This site consists of a multicomponent nonaqueous‐phase source area creating a dissolved groundwater contamination plume in alluvial material near the Mississippi River. The hydraulic gradient of the groundwater varies seasonally with changes in the river stage. Due to the transient nature of the hydraulic gradient and the impact of a hydraulic containment system operated at the site for six years, direct field measurements could not be used to estimate natural attenuation processes. Reactive transport of contaminants were modeled using the RT3D code to estimate whether MNA has the potential to meet the site‐specific remediation goals and the requirements of the US EPA Office of Solid Waste and Emergency Response Directive 9200.4‐17P. Modeling results were incorporated into the long‐term monitoring plan as a basis for evaluating the effectiveness of the MNA remedy. As part of the long‐term monitoring plan, monitoring data will be compared to predictive simulation results to evaluate whether the plume is changing over time as predicted and can be expected to stabilize and meet remediation goals. This deterministic approach was used to support acceptance of MNA as a remedy. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

工业贮池防腐材料及其施工性能

总结了常用的工业贮池防腐蚀处理方法、防腐蚀材料的性能及施工过程和要点,比较了玻璃钢衬里、玻璃鳞片与乙烯基酯树脂混合衬里和耐酸块材砌筑等防腐蚀处理工艺的工艺条件,并介绍了玻璃钢衬里工艺中所用树脂的类型及性能.     

A competing risks approach for time estimation of household WEEE disposal

The recent growth in the number of electrical and electronic devices is viewed as one the priority waste streams in European Union waste management policy. This paper presents the findings of a survey to study domestic habits with respect to Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) in Spain. A specific problem when performing this estimation arises from the fact that consumers quite often store old appliances at home when they are no longer used. Focusing on four different types of appliance, survival analysis (SA) is used to study both the usage span and the reasons for no longer using each device. The time that the discarded products were kept at home before being disposed of was studied using competing risks (CR) analysis. The results of the analysis provide information on the distribution of the studied variables for the different outcomes as well as the influence exerted by the socio-demographic variables considered. Relations between these characteristics and the storage time of the appliances before disposal emerge based on survey data. For instance, the CR model finds that the storage time of the some appliances (i.e. refrigerator) is related to these social-demographics factors. However, other appliances (i.e. microwave oven) are less influenced by these factors. The attitude and motivation of the respondents to the survey as regards the End-of-Life of appliances were also analysed. A majority of respondents do not store discarded appliances at home. The first reason for storing appliances at home is the possibility of it being useful in the future and the second that the respondents did not know what to do with them.     

A multiobjective modeling approach to locate multi-compartment containers for urban-sorted waste

The location of multi-compartment sorted waste containers for recycling purposes in cities is an important problem in the context of urban waste management. The costs associated with those facilities and the impacts placed on populations are important concerns. This paper introduces a mixed-integer, multiobjective programming approach to identify the locations and capacities of such facilities. The approach incorporates an optimization model in a Geographical Information System (GIS)-based interactive decision support system that includes four objectives. The first objective minimizes the total investment cost; the second one minimizes the average distance from dwellings to the respective multi-compartment container; the last two objectives address the “pull” and “push” characteristics of the decision problem, one by minimizing the number of individuals too close to any container, and the other by minimizing the number of dwellings too far from the respective multi-compartment container. The model determines the number of facilities to be opened, the respective container capacities, their locations, their respective shares of the total waste of each type to be collected, and the dwellings assigned to each facility. The approach proposed was tested with a case study for the historical center of Coimbra city, Portugal, where a large urban renovation project, addressing about 800 buildings, is being undertaken. This paper demonstrates that the models and techniques incorporated in the interactive decision support system (IDSS) can be used to assist a decision maker (DM) in analyzing this complex problem in a realistically sized urban application. Ten solutions consisting of different combinations of underground containers for the disposal of four types of sorted waste in 12 candidate sites, were generated. These solutions and tradeoffs among the objectives are presented to the DM via tables, graphs, color-coded maps and other graphics. The DM can then use this information to “guide” the IDSS in identifying additional solutions of potential interest. Nevertheless, this research showed that a particular solution with a better objective balance can be identified. The actual sequence of additional solutions generated will depend upon the objectives and preferences of the DM in a specific application.     

Compost: Its role,mechanism and impact on reducing soil-borne plant diseases

Soil-borne plant pathogens are responsible for causing many crop plant diseases, resulting in significant economic losses. Compost application to agricultural fields is an excellent natural approach, which can be taken to fight against plant pathogens. The application of organic waste products is also an environmentally friendly alternative to chemical use, which unfortunately is the most common approach in agriculture today. This review analyses pioneering and recent compost research, and also the mechanisms and mode of action of compost microbial communities for reducing the activity of plant pathogens in agricultural crops. In addition, an approach for improving the quality of composts through the microbial communities already present in the compost is presented. Future agricultural practices will almost definitely require integrated research strategies to help combat plant diseases.     

Environmental impacts and costs of solid waste: a comparison of landfill and incineration

The methodology for evaluating the impacts and damage costs ('external costs') due to pollution from waste treatment is described and the results are presented, based on the ExternE project series of the European Commission. The damage costs of landfill and incineration of municipal solid waste are compared, with due account for energy and materials recovery, as well as possible differences in transport distance. We have not been able to quantify the total damage costs of leachates because of the complexity of the environmental pathways and of the long time horizon of some persistent pollutants, but we consider an extreme scenario to show that they are not worth worrying about in the sense that reducing the pollutants in leachates beyond current regulations would bring negligible benefit in comparison with the abatement of other sources of the same pollutants. The damage costs due to the construction of the waste treatment facility are negligible. The damage costs of waste transport, which are illustrated by an arbitrary choice of a 100 km round trip by a 16 tonne truck, are also negligible. The benefits of materials recovery make a small contribution to the total damage cost. The only significant contributions come from direct emissions (of the landfill or incinerator) and from avoided emissions due to energy recovery (from an incinerator). Damage costs for incineration range from about 4 to 21 EUR tonne waste(-1), and they are extremely dependent on the assumed scenario for energy recovery. For landfill the cost ranges from about 10 to 13 EUR tonne waste(-1); it is dominated by greenhouse gas emissions because only a fraction of the CH4 can be captured (here assumed to be 70%). Amenity costs (odour, visual impact, noise) are highly site-specific and we only cite results from a literature survey which indicates that such costs could make a significant contribution, very roughly on the order of 1 EUR tonne waste(-1).     

Intermunicipal cooperation, privatization and waste management costs: Evidence from rural municipalities

The aim of this paper is to analyze the effects of intermunicipal cooperation and privatization on the delivery costs of urban solid waste services in rural environments. The results of our empirical analysis, which we conducted among a sample of very small municipalities, indicate that small towns that cooperate incur lower costs for their waste collection service. Cooperation also raises collection frequency and improves the quality of the service in small towns. By contrast, the form of production, whether it is public or private, does not result in systematic differences in costs. Interestingly, the degree of population dispersion, that is, the number of population units within the municipal jurisdiction, has a significant positive relation with service costs. No evidence of scale economies is found because small municipalities have likely exploited them by means of intermunicipal cooperation.