Pesticides,valuations and politics

In this paper, I will discuss some aspects of the Swedish policy to reduce pesticide use by 50%, a decision that has attracted great interest and may sometimes have been over-advertised. It has also been followed by similar programmes in other countries such as Denmark, Holland and Canada, What are the cultural and political backgrounds? What is general and what is specifically swedish? Why did the demand for this decision first occur in Sweden, where the problems concerning pesticide use are much less pronounced than in many other countries and agricultural areas? Does the Swedish policy imply a new approach with completely different conditions for pesticide use, or should it preferably be described as an adaptation to what modern pesticide and agricultural technology can achieve?     

English county councils and their agenda for waste minimisation

Minimisation is the top priority of the waste management hierarchy, which is one of the guiding principals for national solid waste management planning throughout the developed world. As such it should be encouraged as a means for reducing wastes which require treatment and disposal, whether they be household, commercial or industrial in source. This paper suggests that minimisation is not being given the necessary policy frameworks or legislation within which to develop in the UK, and questions whether minimisation is being afforded the respect and attention, from all levels, that is due the most preferable waste option according to the hierarchy. This theme is investigated by surveying the county councils of England as a representative sample of waste disposal authorities in England, and former waste regulation authorities. They are responsible for guiding local and district waste policy and are the regional waste planners in the UK. If they are not seriously taking on board the message of minimisation, then there is little chance that it will succeed without further legislative developments. Some 59% of English counties have a minimisation policy, whilst only 47% have participated in and supported a minimisation programme or trial within their region. The majority of these developments have occurred within the last three years, and 78% of counties who have participated in a programme have found it a successful venture. By 1999 79% of English counties will have been actively involved in a minimisation programme in their region, which is a positive scenario. This trend must continue if waste minimisation is to become the key theme of future sustainable waste management in the UK as was intended by declarations at the Rio '92 conference and in subsequent UK Government policy and strategy.     

Sustainable development principles for the disposal of mining and mineral processing wastes

This paper examines the minerals industry's response to sustainable development in the area of waste disposal and argues that leadership and guidance are still needed to forge collective agreement on norms and standards of practise. To encourage further debate, the paper develops a set of sustainable development principles for the disposal of mining and mineral processing wastes, and discusses the implications for current and future practise. In practise, the principles can guide waste disposal decisions through the consideration of what risk and magnitude, in any given local context, a particular management solution poses to their application. The sustainability challenge in the management of tailings and waste rock is to dispose of material, such that it is inert or, if not, stable and contained, to minimise water and energy inputs and the surface footprint of wastes and to move toward finding alternate uses. Future trends in mining and processing may compound the challenges of waste management, as lower ore grades increase the ratio of waste produced for a given unit of resource, and emphasise the urgency and need for the industry to adopt new approaches. New technologies and innovations, such as thickened tailings, dry stacking and paste backfill, have greatly increased the waste disposal methods available to meet the future challenges to sustainable development.     

The Potential for Using Life Cycle Inventory Analysis in Local Authority Waste Management Decision Making

A life cycle inventory model was applied to a range of waste management scenarios in the waste collection authorities of Gloucestershire. The life cycle model and the results of modelling different waste management options are described. Model results were submitted to waste managers in the six authorities and utilization of the information was analysed. Analysis suggests that a range of factors arising from both model implementation and the local policy context affects the form and extent of utilization. Increased levels of environmental knowledge and understanding will be required to make effective use of life cycle analysis in local authority decision making.     

An approach to tackling the environmental and health impacts of municipal solid waste disposal in developing countries

Indiscriminate disposal of municipal solid waste in developing countries poses severe environmental and health threats. The study proposes a new method for dealing with these problems. The hybrid structural interaction matrix (HSIM) was used to prioritise major identifiable environmental health factors arising from improper solid waste disposal. The simplistic resource allocation model was adopted to ensure optimality in the allocation of resources to prioritised factors. The study indicates that tackling environmental health impacts from the most prioritised negative disposal factors through optimal allocation of resources, will either reduce or eliminate the impacts associated with subsequent less prioritised factors that are direct consequences of the highly prioritised negative factors. The method proposed will aid decision makers in knowing which set of systemic factors are to be given preference and to what extent at given periods in time.     

Hazardous waste indicators for national decision makers

Indicators and indices are important tools that assist decision makers to formulate and implement plans for management at local, national and international levels. Four indicators for hazardous waste management are described that have recently been adopted within the United Nations framework of Indicators of Sustainable Development. Although these four indicators will be useful tools, the need for a broader range of policy-relevant qualitative and quantitative indicators, proxy indicators and indices is outlined. The argument is advanced that in order for all nations to better manage the range of hazardous waste issues, including waste generation, export/import and disposal, a set of innovative indicators and indices is required. Useful indicators and indices are described that could be used to link and quantify likely environmental, ecosystem and health impacts and risks especially from hazardous waste disposal. Indicators are also suggested that could be used to illustrate the shift in industrial strategy away from end-of-pipe processes towards waste recycling, cleaner production and integrated life-cycle analysis. It was concluded that until the lack of reliable and harmonized data on hazardous waste is addressed, indicator development and use by national and international decision makers cannot readily be implemented.     

固体废物全过程管理中固体废物鉴别研究

对固体废物应进行全过程管理,固体废物鉴别是固体废物全过程管理的基础和关键,包括依据产生来源鉴别和过程鉴别两种方法,依据产生来源鉴别包括丧失原有利用价值的物质、在生产过程中产生的副产物、环境治理和污染控制过程中产生的物质、其他物质四类,在每一类中详细地列举了属于该产生来源的具体固体废物种类名称,便于理解和增强可操作性。过程鉴别包括在固体废物再生利用过程和处置过程中的固体废物鉴别两类,其中在再生利用过程的固体废物鉴别中明确指出了固体废物再生利用产物只有同时满足产品质量标准要求、国家污染控制标准要求以及有实际市场需求、固定用户等条件时,才不作为固体废物管理,在处置过程的固体废物鉴别中具体地列出了处置固体废物全过程中仍然作为固体废物管理的国际惯用处置方式。同时,给出了清晰的"原料—产品—固体废物—处置或产品"全过程中固体废物的产生节点和相应的固体废物类别图,为固体废物鉴别工作提供参考,使固体废物全过程管理有的放矢,有效防止固体废物对环境和人体健康造成的危害。     

Application of the analytic hierarchy process to compare alternatives for the long-term management of surplus mercury

This paper describes a systematic method for comparing options for the long-term management of surplus elemental mercury in the US, using the analytic hierarchy process as embodied in commercially available Expert Choice software. A limited scope multi-criteria decision analysis was performed. Two (2) general types of treatment technologies were evaluated (stabilization/amalgamation and selenide), combined with four (4) disposal options: (a) hazardous waste landfill; (b) hazardous waste monofill; (c) engineered below-ground structure; and (d) mined cavity. In addition, three storage options for elemental mercury were considered: (a) aboveground structure; (b) hardened structure; and (c) mined cavity. Alternatives were evaluated against criteria that included costs, environmental performance, compliance with current regulations, implementation considerations, technology maturity, potential risks to the public and workers, and public perception. Considering non-cost criteria only, the three storage options rank most favorably. If both cost and other criteria are considered, then landfill options are preferred, because they are the least expensive ones. Storage options ranked unfavorably on cost because: (a) even relatively small per annum costs will add up over time; and (b) storage is a temporary solution and, sooner or later, a treatment and disposal technology will be adopted, which adds to the cost. However, the analysis supports continued storage for a short period (up to a few decades) followed by permanent retirement when treatment technologies have matured. Suggestions for future work include: (a) involving additional stakeholders in the process, (b) evaluating alternatives for mercury-containing wastes rather than for elemental mercury only, (c) revisiting the analysis periodically to determine if changes are required, (d) conducting uncertainty analyses utilizing Monte Carlo-based techniques.     

Environmental Management of Quarries as Waste Disposal Facilities

Problems associated with the disposal of municipal solid waste have become a source of public concern worldwide as awareness of potential adverse environmental impacts and health threats from solid waste has increased. Communities are concerned about the generation and management of solid waste to the extent of refusing to allow new disposal facilities near their homes, often after witnessing the legacy of existing facilities. Under these conditions, the development of national policies for the management of solid waste becomes highly political, all while requiring appropriate technical solutions that ensure environmental protection and proper management plans that support an acceptable solution for the disposal of municipal solid waste. In some locations, the conversion of old quarries into well-engineered and controlled landfills appears as a promising solution to a continuously increasing problem, at least for many decades to come. This paper describes the environmental impacts associated with solid waste disposal in a converted quarry site and the mitigation measures that can be adopted to alleviate potential adverse impacts. Environmental management and monitoring plans are also discussed in the context of ensuring adequate environmental protection during and after the conversion process.     

Transitions of municipal solid waste management. Part II: Hybrid life cycle assessment of Swiss glass-packaging disposal

In policy support of municipal solid waste (MSW) management, life cycle assessment (LCA) can serve to compare the environmental or economic impacts of two or more options for waste processing. The scope of waste management LCAs generally focuses less attention on future developments, e.g., where will recycling take place, and more on the environmental performance of prototypes, e.g., the incineration of all waste compared to recycling. To provide more robust support for Swiss waste glass-packaging disposal, scenarios of Swiss waste glass-packaging are assessed from a life cycle perspective. The scenarios consist in schemes for the disposal of the total amount of Swiss waste glass-packaging, i.e., different combinations of recycling and downcycling in Switzerland or abroad developed in Part I, Meylan et al. (2013). In this article (Part II), the disposal schemes are assessed with respect to eco-efficiency, an indicator that combines total environmental impacts and gross value added in Switzerland. Results show that no policy alternative guarantees environmental impact reductions and gross value added gains under all developments of exogenous constraints. Downcycling to foam glass in Switzerland is not only an environmentally sound disposal option, but it also buffers gross value added losses in case domestic recycling (and thus glass-packaging production in Switzerland) ceases in the future. The substitution of products based on raw materials other than Swiss cullet is the main responsible for change in environmental and economic impacts. Hence, an eco-efficiency maximizing policy should consider the products of disposal schemes. The combination of scenario analysis and eco-efficiency assessment as presented in this paper can be applied to other contexts (i.e., countries, waste fractions).     

Inexact fuzzy-stochastic mixed integer programming approach for long-term planning of waste management–––Part B: Case study

In this study, a solid waste decision-support system was developed for the long-term planning of waste management in the City of Regina, Canada. Interactions among various system components, objectives, and constraints will be analyzed. Issues concerning planning for cost-effective diversion and prolongation of the landfill will be addressed. Decisions of system-capacity expansion and waste allocation within a multi-facility, multi-option, and multi-period context will be obtained. The obtained results would provide useful information and decision-support for the City's solid waste management and planning. In the application, four scenarios are considered. Through the above scenario analyses under different waste-management policies, useful decision support for the City's solid waste managers and decision makers was generated. Analyses for the effects of varied policies (for allowable waste flows to different facilities) under 35 and 50% diversion goals were also undertaken. Tradeoffs among system cost and constraint-violation risk were analyzed.Generally, a policy with lower allowable waste-flow levels corresponded to a lower system cost under advantageous conditions but, at the same time, a higher penalty when such allowances were violated. A policy with higher allowable flow levels corresponded to a higher cost under disadvantageous conditions. The modeling results were useful for (i) scheduling adequate time and capacity for long-term planning of the facility development and/or expansion in the city's waste management system, (ii) adjusting of the existing waste flow allocation patterns to satisfy the city's diversion goal, and (iii) generating of desired policies for managing the city's waste generation, collection and disposal.     

The dynamics of landfill diversion: Economic drivers, policy factors and spatial issues: Evidence from Italy using provincial panel data

Waste disposal is an issue that is becoming increasingly important in policy terms in the European Union, and in Italy, a country showing strong geographical heterogeneity in waste management. This paper analyses the process of decoupling/delinking between economic growth and landfilling trends in a framework where economic, policy, geographical elements and spatial issues are all considered as drivers behind the phenomenon. We exploit an original and very rich provincial panel dataset over 1999–2005 for the 103 Italian provinces. Evidence shows that the observed ‘absolute’ decoupling between economic growth and landfilling is driven by a mix of structural factors. Among the main factors, population density, more than the provincial income level, emerges as a crucial driver: local opportunity costs and landfill externalities matter in shaping waste policies and local commitment to a transition away from landfilling of waste (landfill diversion). However, not only structural factors are relevant. If on the one hand landfill taxes are not a significant driver of the phenomenon, waste management tools, such as separated collection for recycling, and the tariff system connected to waste services, bring about significant effect on the amount of landfilled waste. Moreover, regarding the analysis of spatial interrelations across provinces, we note that the presence of incinerators in nearby provinces increases landfill diversion, due probably to free riding behaviour or intra-provinces ‘agreements’ on waste management; this is not true for nearby landfill sites, that cause for a given province a strong lock in effect. Future research could strengthen the analysis of policy effectiveness at regional level, focusing on policy endogeneity, and the full investigation of spatial correlations in waste disposal performances.     

城市生活垃圾处理能力提升的驱动因素研究——基于2004—2020年30个省份的实证分析

提升末端生活垃圾处理能力,走出城市“垃圾围城”之困,一直是地方政府关切的核心议题。为探究城市生活垃圾处理能力的影响因素及其时空差异,从“政府能力系统”视角出发,围绕需求驱动、经济驱动、政策驱动、技术驱动四个维度,提出相关研究假设,并运用2004—2020年30个省份的面板数据进行实证检验。研究发现：生活垃圾清运量、人均GDP、地方环保支出、政策文本出台数量、无害化处理厂数量以及市容环卫专用车辆数均对城市生活垃圾处理能力的提升具有促进作用。在时间变化上,2004—2007年为生活垃圾处理能力初创阶段,受到经济、政策与技术驱动因素的显著影响; 2008—2016年为生活处理能力缓慢提升和局部发展阶段,持续受到技术驱动因素的显著作用;2017—2020年为处理能力全面提升阶段,需求、经济与技术因素均呈现出显著促进作用。在区域变化上,经济驱动的影响效应由东部向西部逐渐减弱,需求驱动、政策驱动因素只在东部地区影响显著,技术驱动因素对不同区域的生活垃圾处理能力均具有显著促进作用。最后,研究从源头减量、资金投入、政策倾斜与技术创新等方面,对促进中国城市生活垃圾处理能力的发展提供了相应的政策建议。     

宁夏地区餐厨废弃物管理现状及发展对策——以银川保绿特生物技术有限公司为例

为进一步探索宁夏地区餐厨废弃物管理模式,解决管理过程中存在的政策倾斜不足、产业链缺失、人才短缺等问题,在宁夏地区开展了餐厨废弃物产生现状及管理方式调研.以银川保绿特生物技术有限公司为例,讨论宁夏地区餐厨废弃物回收处置企业发展瓶颈,提出了建立健全长效机制、引导餐厨废弃物处置端口前移、引进全产业链回收利用项目及增加科研经费...     

Future waste disposal in The Netherlands

This paper sets out a few results of research on waste prevention, recycling and disposal in The Netherlands. First, an outline is given of the actual waste disposal. Secondly, a projection is made of the different waste categories as a result of independent developments for the year 2000. Finally, a scenario is presented in which recent Dutch policy on the prevention and recycling of waste, as well as incineration, play important roles. The waste policy will be based on the long-term objective of sustainable development, as mentioned in the Brundtland Commission report. Results are given concerning space, costs and emissions.     

Setting rational environmental goals: Five Swedish environmental quality objectives

Goals and performance targets are commonly used as tools in the policy-implementation process. In Sweden, environmental policy is operationalized through a system of environmental quality objectives that were adopted by the Swedish Riksdag in the late 1990s. The objectives describe what level of environmental quality Sweden should aim for within a generation, and are designed to guide decision making in all sectors of society. However, to guide decision making toward improved environmental quality, these objectives should satisfy a set of rationality (functionality) criteria; they should be precise, evaluable, approachable, motivating and coherent. In this paper, five Swedish environmental quality objectives are investigated through an application of the suggested criteria: (1) a balanced marine environment, flourishing coastal areas and archipelagos; (2) a magnificent mountain landscape; (3) a non-toxic environment; (4) natural acidification only; and (5) a good built environment. The aim of the paper is to bring the rationality of the objectives up for discussion, and to illustrate the range of issues and difficulties that are involved in choosing and assessing environmental policy goals.     

含汞废弃荧光灯管处理现状及分析

废弃荧光灯管中含有金属汞,属于《国家危险废物名录》中的HW29含汞废物类,随意处置会破坏环境,危害人类健康,因此必须采取合理的方法对其进行处理。综合比较后发现资源化、无害化回收金属汞是最佳的处理方法。部分发达国家通过法律和技术手段的加强实现了对废弃荧光灯管的无害化回收处理,但我国在这方面的工作尚且不足,主要存在着灯管收集难、处理成本高等问题。因此,我国需要借鉴国外的管理经验,出台有效的法规措施,同时需要不断完善处理技术和大型工程建设。在我国节能减排和环境保护形势日益严峻的大环境下,辅之以合理的管理体制和技术手段,才能实现社会效益和经济效益双赢的局面。     

The ironic compatibility of recycling practice and UK government policy

On the face of it, the 1990s have marked the transformation of the UK's waste management policy. A commitment to waste minimisation and recycling, within the terms of the internationally accepted waste hierarchy, have replaced an almost complacent defence of landfill. However, aside from the dramatic transformation of the vocabulary, the reality of local authority waste disposal has, with a few notable exceptions, been characterised more by continuity than revolution. This article suggests that the modesty of local authority recycling is best explained through an appreciation of what can be described as recycling practice. Recycling in the UK has taken a distinctive form comprising: environmentalism, entrepreneurialism and policy advocacy. The components of this practice explain both the successes and failures of local authority recycling. Despite its oppositional roots, the Conservative Government found 'recycling practice' conducive to their reliance upon a mix of aspirational targets and market-based instruments (MBIs). Advice circulated as guidance to local authorities emphasised viability as the principal criterion of scheme assessment and in such a way sustained the limited scale and ambitions of recycling practice.     

全过程固体废物管理研究进展及其对我国相关管理的启示

当某种固态、半固态物质不再具有原有的价值,它就成了固体废物,并可能在产生、排放、收集、贮存、运输、利用、处理和处置过程的任何一个或多个环节产生对环境的污染危害。对固体废物进行全过程监督管理因而显得尤为重要。本文回顾了全过程固体废物管理实施方法,包括生命周期清单和生命周期评价方法,用于废物管理系统的模型,在固体废物产生量预测、收集系统最优化以及处理处置设施选址等步骤中,各自所用不同方法的进展,以及在一些较发达国家和地区的管理实例。最后讨论了这些进展对我国固体废物相关管理的启示。     

Environmental accounting for waste management: A study of local governments in Australia

Local governments in Australia, especially in large urban areas, have faced a challenge of the growing quantity of waste generated and the diminishing space for waste disposal in recent years. The central government has demonstrated the importance of developing strategies to make full environmental costs and impacts of waste disposal and material recovery accountable for waste management decision-making. However, research into this field is limited. This paper investigates environmental accounting practices in local government waste management. From a survey conducted with local government authorities in New South Wales (NSW) Australia, it is found that overall the level of direct waste flow and activity accounting is higher than the level of hidden and external environmental cost accounting, though local governments tend to identify and use more physical information associated with waste flows and activities than relevant monetary information. External environmental impacts of waste disposal are often overlooked and show the lowest level of practices. The survey results also indicate that urban local governments have taken more environmental information into account than rural local governments, but such difference is not significant between local governments of different sizes. The complexity of waste technical services and operations is confirmed to have a positive and significant effect on the level of environmental accounting for waste management across local governments surveyed.