Renewable Resources and Waste Recycling

In this paper we consider an endogenous growth model involving, among other inputs, a renewable resource and secondary materials. Using this analytical framework we explain the effects of waste recycling on the growth rate of the economy, that we take into account. The effects of secondary materials production on the utility and dynamics of renewable resources are also studied. Furthermore, we consider how taxes and subsidies, levied on natural resources and granted for secondary materials, influence the dynamics of the economy during the transitional phase and the stationary growth path. Finally, the validity of Hotelling’s rule and the effects of waste recycling on labor productivity are the conclusive topics of our research.     

Determination of Background Concentrations of Inorganics in Soils and Sediments at Hazardous Waste Sites

Hazardous waste sites may pose a threat to human health and the environment when toxic substances are released. However, the contaminants present at a waste site may have originated on-site (i.e., resulting from releases attributable to site activities) or off-site (i.e., resulting from sources not on-site). Off-site substances may result either from natural sources (e.g., erosion of naturally occurring mineral deposits) or anthropogenic sources (e.g., widespread contamination from automobile exhaust in urban areas). To determine the appropriate action to take at a hazardous waste site, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) must distinguish between substances directly attributable to the hazardous waste site (i.e., site contaminants) and those attributable to natural background concentrations. The most important factor to consider when determining background concentrations is to ensure that the physical, chemical, and biological aspects of the media to be sampled at both the contaminated site and the background site are as similar as possible. Inorganics, in particular metals, are addressed. Radionuclides are not specifically addressed; however, metals with radioactive isotopes that may be encountered at hazardous waste sites are included. There are references and data included in this paper that provide average concentrations and reference values for selected soils and sediments in the United States. Suggested sampling and monitoring design approaches that could be used by scientists and engineers faced with how to determine background concentrations are identified. The issues discussed include the selection of background sampling locations, considerations in the selection of sampling procedures, and statistical analyses for determining whether contaminant levels are significantly different on a potential waste site compared with a background site.     

Assessing the potential impact of fly ash amendments on Indian paddy field with special emphasis on growth, yield, and grain quality of three rice cultivars

Proper disposal and/or recycling of different industrial waste materials have long been recognized as a prime environmental concern throughout the world, and fly ash is major amongst them. In the present study, we tried to assess the feasibilities of possible effective and safe utilization of fly ash as soil amendment in Indian paddy field and its impact on rice plants, especially at growth and yield level. Our results showed that certain doses of fly ash amendments have significantly improved the physico-chemical and mineralogical properties of paddy field soil, and at lower level of amendments, fly ash induced the growth performances of three rice cultivars too. Grain yield and grain quality also responded similarly as per the growth responses. However, differential cultivar response was observed accordingly, and cultivar Sugandha-3 showed higher yield as compared with cultivars Sambha and Saryu-52. Based on the observed results, it was concluded that up to a certain level, fly ash amendments could be beneficial for Indian paddy field and can be utilized as feasible management strategy for the disposal of this major industrial waste.     

Methods for the Sustainable Rebuilding of Overexploited Natural Resources

In this paper, we introduce an approach based on viability theory for designing rebuilding programs for overexploited natural resources. Instead of using the so-called viability kernel, as is usual in the applications of viability theory, we consider the set of sustainable thresholds, which represents the constraints (parametrized by thresholds) that can be sustained from the current level of the resources under study over time. The recovery of the Southern hake in Chile is presented as an example to illustrate the proposed approach.     

Impacts and mitigation measures of plastic waste: A critical review

Overwhelmed plastic waste has been gradually appreciated as a global problematic issue. Scientific efforts either dedicated to comprehending its distribution and detrimental impacts on the environment or management measures to contain it. However, there is a concern asymmetry between the knowledge of detrimental impacts of plastic waste and corresponding mitigation measures. Microplastics in the marine ecosystem is the foremost research hotspot in terms of plastic waste's detrimental impacts. Recycling plastic waste is the utmost research topic in terms of plastic waste management. Plastic pollutants derived from plastic waste contaminates the environment and ultimately threatens human health. Current measures aimed at reducing the plastic waste ended in the environment via recycling, and emphasised its retention of material value via circular economy. However, these measures did not prioritise taking direct action to mitigate the threats to human health. This review aims to bridge these two research ends of plastic waste that provides a holistic view of this problematic issue.The keywords analysis function in VOSviewer is adopted in this study to map out the state-of-the-art of existing research in plastic waste. Four research mainstreams are highlighted: (1) Environmental concerns of plastic waste in aquatic ecosystems; (2) Potential threats to human health; (3) Plastic waste reduction options and recycling methods; (4) Plastic waste thermochemical treatment. Consequently, a future research agenda is proposed.     

Contamination by perfluorinated compounds in water near waste recycling and disposal sites in Vietnam

There are very few reports on the contamination by perfluorinated chemicals (PFCs) in the environment of developing countries, especially regarding their emission from waste recycling and disposal sites. This is the first study on the occurrence of a wide range of PFCs (17 compounds) in ambient water in Vietnam, including samples collected from a municipal dumping site (MD), an e-waste recycling site (ER), a battery recycling site (BR) and a rural control site. The highest PFC concentration was found in a leachate sample from MD (360 ng/L). The PFC concentrations in ER and BR (mean, 57 and 16 ng/L, respectively) were also significantly higher than those detected in the rural control site (mean, 9.4 ng/L), suggesting that municipal solid waste and waste electrical and electronic equipment are potential contamination sources of PFCs in Vietnam. In general, the most abundant PFCs were perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), perfluorononanoic acid (PFNA), and perfluoroundecanoic acid (PFUDA; <1.4–100, <1.2–100, and <0.5–20 ng/L, respectively). Interestingly, there were specific PFC profiles: perfluoroheptanoic acid and perfluorohexanoic acid (88 and 77 ng/L, respectively) were almost as abundant as PFOA in MD leachate (100 ng/L), whereas PFNA was prevalent in ER and BR (mean, 17 and 6.2 ng/L, respectively) and PFUDA was the most abundant in municipal wastewater (mean, 5.6 ng/L), indicating differences in PFC contents in different waste materials.     

Big projects,big problems

Our environmental concerns prompt launching large monitoring programs. Examining the history and accomplishments of similar endeavors is the best way to avoid errors. One lesson taught by the oldest and largest survey of national renewable resources in the United States, the Forest Inventory and Analysis Program, is that the program itself is not capable of learning from its errors. Among other problems that beset big programs are unrealistic promises. It is not possible to inventory every animal and plant species in the United States and their habitats as the newly created National Biological Survey vows to do. Even if it were possible, this would hardly help to attain the ultimate goal of the Survey, survival of all species. In his request to fund the Survey, Secretary of the Interior, Bruce Babbitt, compared the conflict between economic development and environmental integrity with train wrecks. This metaphor is as brilliant as it is deceitful. Its brilliance, attested by the success with the press and legislature, is in a vivid and blithe image suggesting that, given sufficient information, the conflict could be averted. After all, railroad accidents are rare and avoidable exceptions. This hopeful situation cannot be honestly compared with the plight of our environment. The crucial piece of information — that there is no spare track for economic development — is readily available. Our population and economic growth take place in the same space that has already been fully occupied by other species. To be trustworthy, monitoring programs should face the reality that development necessitates environmental degradation.     

Resource Use Rates and Efficiency as Indicators of Regional Sustainability: an Examination of Five Countries

We examine trends from 1970 to the mid 1990's of some variables related to development and sustainability for Costa Rica, Korea, Mexico, the Netherlands and the United States: first, by calculating energy and agricultural efficiencies over time, second, by examining the environmental impacts of economic activities, and third, by estimating ecological footprints. We find that many "optimistic" arguments about sustainability have been misleading, and that there is little or no indication that we are becoming any more sustainable or even efficient. Total quality-corrected energy consumption has increased for all five countries and the renewable energy portion is decreasing. The efficiency of turning energy into both agricultural production and GDP has declined for all countries except for the US. In general, there is a remarkable linearity between resource use and economic and agricultural production over all countries and all years, suggesting severe biophysical constraints to sustainable objectives. On the other hand, per capita ecological footprints have decreased somewhat in Costa Rica, Mexico, and the United States, while national ecological footprints have tended to remain constant except for Korea. While there has been a reduction of specific pollutants in the United States, some of this has been achieved by exporting heavy manufacturing industries. We conclude that continued population and economic growth in each country is likely to make the achievement of any kind of sustainability increasingly unlikely. Sustainability, if that is desirable, requires a very different approach than what we have undertaken to date.     

Accounting embodied economic potential of healthcare waste recycling—a case study from Pakistan

Proper management of healthcare wastes is a key concern across resource-constrained countries in South Asia. Existing scientific research on this topic usually involves epidemiological and behavioral studies. Similarly, environmental impact assessment of healthcare wastes is mainly conducted from an end-user or anthropocentric point of view. In this study, we took a novel approach by analyzing healthcare wastes using an ecocentric position. Here, we utilize a case study of a general public hospital in a major city of Pakistan to analyze the embodied energy of its waste fractions by category. We used Emergy analysis to assess the true economic potential of recycling these waste items. While doing so, we compared the economic potential of current waste recycling practices with the scenario of 100% recycling of useful waste fractions. We discovered that the latent embodied energy of different recyclable waste fractions made them far more valuable than their existing market prices indicate. This value increased further if the useful waste fractions were completely recycled. In conclusion, this study used empirical evidence to argue in favor of source-segregation and recycling of healthcare wastes so that the higher costs associated with natural resource extraction and processing can be avoided. Future studies considering hazardous healthcare wastes can use the approach taken in this paper to analyze the impact of other practical waste treatment procedures.     

Dynamic game strategies for construction and demolition waste recycling with learning and reference effects

Construction and demolition waste (C&DW) recycling can effectively reduce the environmental impacts caused by the massive amounts of untreated C&DW, and can promote the sustainable development of the construction industry. This study aims to provide relevant insights for the implementation of C&DW recycling, and can be practically used to guide participants' dynamic strategies in the presence of both the reference price effect and cost learning effect. Based on game theory, a static model is developed as a benchmark, including a construction materials manufacturer and a C&DW recycler under a government subsidy. Then, a dual-period dynamic model combining the learning and reference effects is established to broaden the understanding of C&DW recycling management. On this basis, the decisions and revenues of players are compared and analysed, and managerial insights are obtained through numerical analysis. It is found that both the learning and reference effects affect the manufacturer's decisions and revenues, and that the reference effect has a much greater impact on profit than the learning effect. In addition, only the learning effect has a positive influence on the recycler's recycling efforts and profits, thereby promoting C&DW recycling and reducing environmental impacts. Moreover, government subsidies always benefit the environment and recycler, and as the learning ability becomes stronger, the subsidy becomes more efficient in reducing the environmental impacts and improving the recycler's profit. Comparatively, the impact of subsidy on the manufacturer's profits depends on the learning ability. When the learning ability is relatively high, a higher subsidy is detrimental to the manufacturer in the short term but benefits it in the long term.     

The Carbon Tax,Ageing and Pension Deficits

Ageing increases the income of a carbon tax ceteris paribus since energy consumption rises with age, as macro and micro data show. Ageing also increases some public expenditures, notably those of pay-as-you-go (PAYG) pension systems. Accordingly, there may be a case for recycling a carbon tax in an ageing context so as to finance ageing-related public expenditures. This article studies the interacting effects on intergenerational equity and growth of such a recycling. It relies on a general equilibrium model with overlapping generations parameterised with empirical data. Several results emerge. Implementing a carbon tax fully recycled through higher lump-sum pensions weighs relatively more on the intertemporal welfare of young and future generations. A carbon tax fully recycled through lower social contributions financing the PAYG bolsters the wellbeing of young and future generations but weighs on the welfare of baby-boomers and older cohorts. The redistributive effects of recycling a carbon tax can depend significantly on the way used to balance the PAYG regime.     

The Effect of Green Investments in an Agent-Based Climate-Economic Model

Climate-economic modeling often relies on macroeconomic integrated assessment models (IAMs) that in general try to capture how the combined system reacts to different policies. Irrespective of the specific modeling approach, IAMs suffer from two notable problems. First, although policies and emissions are dependent on individual or institutional behavior, the models are not able to account for the heterogeneity and adaptive behavior of relevant actors. Second, the models unanimously consider mitigation actions as costs instead of investments: an arguable definition, given that all other expenditures are classified as investments. Both are challenging if the long-term development of climate change and the economy shall be analyzed. This paper therefore proposes a dynamic agent-based model, based on the battle of perspectives approach (Janssen [1]; Janssen and de Vries [2]; Geisendorf [3, 4]) that details the consequences of various behavioral assumptions. Furthermore, expenditures for climate protection, e.g., the transition of the energy system to renewables, are regarded as investments in future technologies with promising growth rates and the potential to incite further growth in adjoining sectors (Jaeger et al. [5]). The paper analyzes how a different understanding of climate protection expenditures changes the system’s dynamic and, thus, the basis for climate policy decisions. The paper also demonstrates how erroneous perceptions impact on economic and climate development, underlining the importance to acknowledge heterogeneous beliefs and behavior for the success of climate policy.     

Factor analysis and policy simulation of domestic waste classification behavior based on a multiagent study—Taking Shanghai's garbage classification as an example

Sorting garbage and recycling renewable resources is a new and effective means to address the “garbage siege.” To examine residents' classification behaviors and scientifically assess effects of policies, this study comprehensively analyzes factors influencing residents' classification behavior at the government, resident and societal dimensions and construct multiagent decision-making functions and an interaction model by Anylogic platform. The empirical results show publicity and education have the most significant impacts on classification behavior followed by classification infrastructure and subjective norms. The simulation results show publicity and education, charging policies and government subsidies significantly transform unclassified residents into classified residents and all three approaches double rates of classification behavior. From perspectives of multisubject interaction and multicenter governance, this study analyzes motivations behind classification behavior from a micro level and quantifies effects of policies from a macro level, providing a common research method and paradigm that can be used in behavior research and policy formulation.     

Comparative environmental threat analysis: Three case studies

In comparative threat analysis, threats imposed by different environmental problems are measured and compared. This type of analysis can be used to assess the overall threat to the environment, and to identify the most serious threat (key problem) and areas which are particularly threatened (problem areas). Fundamental to comparative threat analysis is a common yardstick by which stresses imposed by different environmental problems can be compared. Such a yardstick may be the carrying capacity of the environment for environmental loads.In this paper we review how carrying capacity for different environmental problems is operationalized. Next, we discuss whether it is possible to compare threats, using the exceeding of carrying capacity as a yardstick. We point out problems and uncertainties in such a comparative threat analysis using three case studies: threats to European groundwater resources; threats to ecosystems in Europe; and threats to ecosystems, human health and groundwater resources in the Netherlands. On the basis of the results we advocate the application of risk assessment to enhance methodological uniformity in assessing protection levels for different environmental problems.     

Strategic Management Decision Support System: An Analysis of the Environmental Policy Issues

In this paper we present a new approach for modeling environmental problem as a bilevel programming problem. To the authors best knowledge, this is the first attempt to use bilivel techniques to tackle such problems. We derive at solution to help decision makers to cope with environmental policy issues. San Francisco, Bay Area is used as a real world example with the solution to their environmental problem.California is presently faced with a serious deficit of solid waste treatment and disposal facilities. Federal legislation has sought to compel the States to assure the capacity to treat and dispose of their own wastes and the California Legislature has enacted laws requiring the counties to initiate programs so that they can treat and dispose of their own wastes. Neither the federal nor the State programs have met with success in California. California continues to ship greater and greater amounts of waste out-of-state, and the majority of California counties have not instituted plans acceptable to the State government regarding the treatment and disposal of their own wastes.In the few cases where sitting and licensing programs have been proposed, the policy-makers charged with their evaluation have proceeded with largely intuitive, non-quantitative evaluation of policy options, often ignoring most of the financial and environmental implication of their decisions.We have developed a strategic management decision model that can evaluate multiple solid waste management options from both economic and environmental standpoints. Examples of problems a quantitative model might evaluate include the economic and environmental impacts of multiple treatment or disposal facilities as opposed to only one site; the environmental impact of taxing dirty waste streams, thus encouraging waste treatment and/or minimization on-site; and the social risk resulting from transportation risks assuming one or more multiple treatment or disposal sites or the use of alternative transportation routes.Because of extensive information presently available for the San Francisco Bay region, we have investigated the regional waste management problem there under several different treatment and disposal scenarios. As appropriate, results from this regional model and from authors earlier work [1] will be applied to California as a whole.     

Non-radiological contaminants from uranium mining and milling at Ranger,Jabiru, Northern Territory,Australia

Protection from the hazards from radioactivity is of prime importance in the management of uranium mine and mill wastes. Such wastes also contain non-radiological contaminants (heavy metals, acids and neutralising agents) which give rise to potential long-term health and environmental hazards and short-term hazards to the aquatic ecosystem, e.g. as a result of release of waste water. This study seeks to identify non-radiological contaminants (elements) transferred to waste water at the Ranger uranium mine/mill complex at Jabiru, which are likely to hazardous to the aquatic environment. The two principal sources of contaminants are:

1. ore and waste rock mobilised from mining; and
2. process reagents used in the milling and mineral extraction process.

These substances may or may not already be present in the natural environment but may lead to deleterious effects on the aquatic environment if increased above threshold levels. Rhenium, derived from the ore body, was found to be significantly enriched in waste water from Ranger, indicating its suitability as an indicator element for water originating from the mining and milling process, but only uranium, likewise derived from the ore, and magnesium, manganese and sulfur (as sulfate) from the milling process were found to be significant environmental contaminants.     

Impacts of acid rainon aquatic birds

Studies of toxicological and ecological effects of acidification on aquatic birds in Europe and North America are reviewed. Heavy metals are deposited by acid emissions, which also increase solubility and mobility of heavy metals in soil and water. Aluminium is leached from soil and mobilized from lake sediments under acid conditions; it removes susceptible fish and invertebrate species and contaminates remaining invertebrates. It is not highly toxic to birds, but may interfere with their regulation of calcium and phosphorus. Mercury is concentrated as methylmercury in fish tissues, and tends to be biomagnified in aquatic food chains. Experimental studies have demonstrated negative effects on reproduction of birds, and wild Common Loons Gavia immer breed less successfully in territories contaminated by mercury.The clearest demonstrable effect of acidification on aquatic birds is the disruption of their food chains. The loss of invertebrates and fish affects both the food-webs and the predators and competitors of aquatic birds. Cyprinid fish are important food resources for fish-eating birds, in Europe as well as North America, and are particularly sensitive to acidification. Fish-eating waterfowl in Ontario are scarcer, and breed less successfully, in areas of high acidic deposition. Experimental studies of imprinted young Black Duck Anas rubripes showed that they grew more slowly on acidic lakes, apparently due to competition from acid-tolerant fish for a reduced invertebrate resource. Negative effects of acidified habitats on growth and reproduction, again through depletion of the food-web, have also been demonstrated in field studies of Tree Swallows Tachycineta bicolor and European Dippers Cinclus cinclus.Contribution from Fourth World Wilderness Congress-Acid Rain Symposium, Denver (Estes Park), Colorado, September 11–18, 1987.     

Internet Web-Based Information System for Scrap Vehicle Disposal in Taiwan

The scrap vehicle recycling program was formally initiated in 1995 when the illegal dumping issues of scrap tires and cars turn out to be intolerable in the society of Taiwan. The inherent complexity of such a recycling program, however, by integrating many public and private sectors that functions as a whole from the collection, storage, transport, treatment, and the disposal of scrape vehicles, makes the entire managerial efficiency hard to be maintained. Therefore, the state-of-the-art information technology via the use of the Internet platform becomes an indispensable tool to present a good communication mechanism, to provide the essential information sharing between all users and agencies, and to end up with improving the overall managerial efficiency. The idea using advanced web database along with geographical information system to help general public to dump their scrap vehicles smoothly and to make governmental agency control the disposal procedure easily could be one of the best solutions from the long-term environmental management perspective. This paper, representing contemporary progress of environmental management skill performed by the Foundation for Reduction, Reuse and Recovery, sponsored by the Environmental Protection Administration (EPA) in Taiwan, is designed to illustrate how to build up such a system, as named by the Scrap Vehicles Recycling Program Information System (SVRPIMS) in order to meet the requirement from both supply and demand sides of scrap vehicles disposal. Experience gained in this study indicates that the SVRPIMS successfully integrates the Coldfusion^® and Mapguide^® software engineering technologies on the World Wide Web (WWW) platform. After actual implementation in 1999, it proved that communication between users and agencies at various levels in the recycling program became much easier through instant information retrieval and analysis via such a system. Besides, SVRPIMS also provides two decision-support functionalities to assist in automatic search for the most appropriate dumping site for the users and to perform possible trading of spare parts for the recyclers through a logistic optimization analysis.     

The role of secondary particulates in European emission abatement strategies

Economic assessments have indicated that the greatest benefits of reducing atmospheric emissions of sulphur and nitrogen compounds in Europe come from the resulting reductions in secondary particulate concentrations. For comparison with abatement strategies devised to reduce exceedance of critical loads for acidification, this paper, therefore, considers optimisation of emission abatement strategies to reduce secondary particulate concentrations and minimise human exposure. It is seen that this changes the relative emphasis between some countries in reducing their emissions, and also places less importance on emissions of ammonia from agriculture relative to those of SO₂ and NO_x. The effect of placing emphasis on improvement in the more highly polluted areas of Europe is also examined by imposing a threshold. The benefits of the strategies in terms of ecosystem protection and human exposure to particulates are presented for all scenarios studied. The scenarios are also interpreted in terms of a blame matrix for human exposure to secondary particulates.     

Factors affecting the sustainability of solid waste management system—the case of Palestine

Understanding the predictors of sustainability in solid waste management (SWM) systems can significantly contribute to eliminate many waste management problems. In this paper, the sustainability elements of SWM systems of interest are (1) attitudes toward separation at the source, (2) behaviour regarding reuse and/or recycling and (3) willingness to pay for an improved service of SWM. The predictors affecting these three elements were studied in two Palestinian cities: Ramallah and Jericho. The data were collected via structured questionnaires and direct interviews with the respondents, and the analysis utilized a logistic regression model. The results showed that the place of residence and dwelling premises are the significant factors influencing attitudes toward separation at the source; the place of residence and age are the significant factors explaining behaviour regarding reuse and/or recycling; while the dwelling premises, gender, level of education and being received education on waste management are the significant factors affecting willingness to pay for an improved service of SWM.