Household solid waste characteristics and management in Chittagong, Bangladesh

Solid waste management (SWM) is a multidimensional challenge faced by urban authorities, especially in developing countries like Bangladesh. We investigated per capita waste generation by residents, its composition, and the households' attitudes towards waste management at Rahman Nagar Residential Area, Chittagong, Bangladesh. The study involved a structured questionnaire and encompassed 75 households from five different socioeconomic groups (SEGs): low (LSEG), lower middle (LMSEG), middle (MSEG), upper middle (UMSEG) and high (HSEG). Wastes, collected from all of the groups of households, were segregated and weighed. Waste generation was 1.3kg/household/day and 0.25kg/person/day. Household solid waste (HSW) was comprised of nine categories of wastes with vegetable/food waste being the largest component (62%). Vegetable/food waste generation increased from the HSEG (47%) to the LSEG (88%). By weight, 66% of the waste was compostable in nature. The generation of HSW was positively correlated with family size (r(xy)=0.236, p<0.05), education level (r(xy)=0.244, p<0.05) and monthly income (r(xy)=0.671, p<0.01) of the households. Municipal authorities are usually the responsible agencies for solid waste collection and disposal, but the magnitude of the problem is well beyond the ability of any municipal government to tackle. Hence dwellers were found to take the service from the local waste management initiative. Of the respondents, an impressive 44% were willing to pay US$0.3 to US$0.4 per month to waste collectors and it is recommended that service charge be based on the volume of waste generated by households. Almost a quarter (22.7%) of the respondents preferred 12-1pm as the time period for their waste to be collected. This study adequately shows that household solid waste can be converted from burden to resource through segregation at the source, since people are aware of their role in this direction provided a mechanism to assist them in this pursuit exists and the burden is distributed according to the amount of waste generated.     

Control of GHG emission at the microbial community level

All organic material eventually is decomposed by microorganisms, and considerable amounts of C and N end up as gaseous metabolites. The emissions of greenhouse relevant gases like carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxides largely depend on physico-chemical conditions like substrate quality or the redox potential of the habitat. Manipulating these conditions has a great potential for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Such options are known from farm and waste management, as well as from wastewater treatment. In this paper examples are given how greenhouse gas production might be reduced by regulating microbial processes. Biogas production from manure, organic wastes, and landfills are given as examples how methanisation may be used to save fossil fuel. Methane oxidation, on the other hand, might alleviate the problem of methane already produced, or the conversion of aerobic wastewater treatment to anaerobic nitrogen elimination through the anaerobic ammonium oxidation process might reduce N2O release to the atmosphere. Changing the diet of ruminants, altering soil water potentials or a change of waste collection systems are other measures that affect microbial activities and that might contribute to a reduction of carbon dioxide equivalents being emitted to the atmosphere.     

Perspectives and limits for cement kilns as a destination for RDF

RDF, the high calorific value fraction of MSW obtained by conventional separation systems, can be employed in technological plants (mainly cement kilns) in order to obtain a useful energy recovery. It is interesting and important to evaluate this possibility within the general framework of waste-to-energy solutions. The solution must be assessed on the basis of different aspects, namely: technological features and clinker characteristics; local atmospheric pollution; the effects of RDF used in cement kilns on the generation of greenhouse gases; the economics of conventional solid fuels substitution and planning perspectives, from the point of view of the destination of RDF and optimal cement kiln policy. The different experiences of this issue throughout Europe are reviewed, and some applications within Italy are also been considered. The main findings of the study are that the use of RDF in cement kilns instead of coal or coke offers environmental benefits in terms of greenhouse gases, while the formation of conventional gaseous pollutants is not a critical aspect. Indeed, the generation of nitrogen oxides can probably be lower because of lower flame temperatures or lower air excess. The presence of chlorinated micro-pollutants is not influenced by the presence of RDF in fuel, whereas depending on the quality of the RDF, some problems could arise compared to the substituted fuel as far as heavy metals are concerned, chiefly the more volatile ones.     

利国益民的“绿色教育”

2007年12月25日,随着《教育部、财政部关于全面实施农村义务教育教科书免费提供和做好部分教科书循环使用工作的意见》的颁发,全国各地也相继出台了关于教科书循环使用的规定,有力地推动了教科书循环使用工作的开展。教科书循环使用的真正意义不仅在于节省书费,更重要的是体现在育人,特别是在倡导建设资源节约型社会和环境友好型社会的今天,让学生在循环使用中,接受“爱”的传递,提高学生的环保意识和资源忧患意识,增强学生的集体主义观念和关爱他人的团队精神。     

当代中国环境伦理学研究综述

环境伦理学是一门应用伦理学的新兴学科。它是应环境发展大趋势的需求而产生。本文内容涉及环境论理学的研究对象及范畴、可持续发展环境伦理观等,从中概述了这些年来我国学者在这一领域的研究进展,有利于在更高的层次上展开对该学科的研究。     

一场十万火急的硬仗

灾难来临,奋战在一线的不仅有可爱的解放军、无私的志愿者,更有冒着生命危险坚守在余震不断的抗震救灾前线的环保系统工作人员们。     

让数据“活”起来——对环境报道中数据形象化问题的探讨

在新闻报道中,数据是表达新闻事实必不可少的重要元素,但大部分数据是抽象的概念,缺乏语言的生动和直观。特别是在环境报道中,数据的运用占有重要位置,如果大量堆砌数据或使用不当,将会使报道枯燥、乏味,影响新闻可读性,削弱报道效果。     

电厂烟气脱硫副产物石膏的循环利用

简述了国内烟气脱硫石膏的应用现状及存在问题,提出了烟气脱硫石膏加工向多品种、深层次、高附加值转移的思路.借鉴国外先进生产技术和设备,开发具有自主知识产权的石膏加工设备,实现国产石膏深加工设备的重大突破,有效地解决脱硫石膏的应用问题,实现循环经济和资源可持续发展.     

工频电磁场的测量比对

用不同型号的工频场强仪测量比对,以稳健Z比分数法进行分析.结果发现,测量比对可有效地发现测量仪器可能存在的问题,从而保证测量结果的准确性.     

浅谈环境保护中的儿童参与

在应对日益突出的全球环境问题方面,公众参与的观念己逐渐深入人心。在这方面,除了成人外,儿童也发挥着独特的作用。在许多国家,包括发达国家和发展中国家,儿童越来越被认为是公众参与的一个重要组成部分,是环境保护的重要力量。只有通过直接参与,儿童才能对环境产生真正的爱心,才能形成对参与的胜任感和责任感。