Introduction of a waste incineration tax: Effects on the Swedish waste flows

A tax on waste-to-energy incineration of fossil carbon in municipal solid waste from households was introduced in Sweden on July 1, 2006. The tax has led to higher incineration gate fees. One of the main purposes with the tax is to increase the incentive for recycling of materials, including biological treatment. We investigate whether and to what extent this effect can be expected. A spreadsheet model is developed in order to estimate the net marginal cost of alternative waste treatment methods, i.e., the marginal cost of alternative treatment minus avoided cost of incineration. The value of the households’ time needed for source separation is discussed and included. The model includes the nine largest fractions, totalling 85% (weight), of the household waste currently being sent to waste incineration: food waste, newsprint, paper packaging, soft and hard plastic packaging, diapers, yard waste, other paper waste, and non-combustible waste. Our results indicate that the incineration tax will have the largest effect on biological treatment of kitchen and garden waste, which may increase by 9%. The consequences of an incineration tax depend on: (a) the level of the tax, (b) whether the tax is based on an assumed average Swedish fossil carbon content or on the measured carbon content in each incineration plant, (c) institutional factors such as the cooperation between waste incinerators, and (d) technological factors such as the availability of central sorting of waste or techniques for measurement of fossil carbon in exhaust gases, etc. Information turns out to be a key factor in transferring the governing force of the tax to the households as well improving the households’ attitudes towards material recycling.     

Present status of the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Korea

In Korea due to rapid economical growth followed by urbanisation, breakage of large traditional families into small nuclear families, continuous changes in equipment features and capabilities causes tremendous increase in sale of new electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) and decrease in sale of used EEE. Subsequently, the ever-increasing quantity of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has become a serious social problem and threat to the environment. Therefore, the gradual increase in the generation of WEEE intensifies the interest for recycling to conserve the resources and protect the environment. In view of the above, a review has been made related to the present status of the recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment in Korea. This paper describes the present status of generation and recycling of waste electrical and electronic equipment, namely TVs, refrigerators, washing machines, air conditioners, personal computers and mobile phones in Korea. The commercial processes and the status of developing new technologies for the recycling of metallic values from waste printed circuit boards (PCBs) is also described briefly. Since 1998, three recycling centers are in full operation to recycle WEEE such as refrigerators, washing machines and air conditioners, having the total capacity of 880,000 units/year. All waste TVs are recently recycled on commission basis by several private recycling plants. The recycling of waste personal computers and mobile phones is insignificant in comparison with the amount of estimated obsolete those. Korea has adopted and enforced the extended producer responsibility (EPR) system. Korea is making consistent efforts to improve the recycling rate to the standards indicated in the EU directives for WEEE. Especially environmentally friendly and energy-saving technologies are being developed to recycle metal values from PCBs of WEEE.     

基于模糊综合方法的工业污水环境安全影响评价研究

在综合分析水环境影响因素的基础上,应用模糊综合评价方法对工业污水环境安全影响进行了研究。首先构建工业污水污染程度模糊综合评价的数学模型,然后利用综合评价方法对污水中重金属污染程度进行有效评价。研究结果表明:模糊综合评价方法可以全面考虑企业排放废水中影响环境安全的各种因素,充分体现评价因素和评价过程所固有的模糊性,适用于复杂参数水环境的不确定分析与评价,可以有效地评价水的质量;将模糊评价方法引入工业污水对环境安全影响的评价体系,是污水处理评价发展的一个新方向和新领域,它是污水处理评价方法的补充和完善,在该领域具有广阔的应用前景。     

Fe^0对饮用水中砷的去除效率及影响因素

研究零价铁（Fe^0）的除砷效果,试验考察了Fe^0投加量、接触时间、pH值、DO浓度、温度、腐殖质、竞争性阴离子（SO4^2-,NO^3-,SiO2^3-,H2PO3^-,HCO3^-）对Fe^0除砷效率的影响。结果表明,Fe^0（80目）投加量为2g/L,接触时间180min,pH值为6.5,DO值6.5mg/L的条件下,对质量浓度为1mg/L的含砷水样,Fe^0对As（Ⅴ）的去除率高达96.5%,而对As（Ⅲ）的去除率只有75.8%。降低水样pH值或提高DO可显著提高Fe^0的除砷效率,温度对Fe^0除砷影响不大,水体中的腐殖质、磷酸盐、硅酸盐的存在会由于竞争性吸附而导致Fe^0除砷效率下降。采用Fe^0颗粒去除饮用水中的砷高效、经济,具有良好的应用前景。实际应用中,对于DO值较低的地下含As水,可通过充氧提高Fe^0除As效率。当水体中腐殖质、磷酸盐或硅酸盐浓度较高时,应考虑采取相应的预处理措施。     

关于水处理工艺中摇蚊幼虫杀灭方法的探讨

摇蚊幼虫是城市给水处理中出现的新问题,对目前现有的研究方法进行了简要的综述.介绍了摇蚊幼虫的生活习性及出现的原因,并在此基础上阐述了现在采用的化学灭杀方法、物理灭杀方法及生物法对净水工艺中摇蚊幼虫的防治,对进一步研究提出建议.     

城市生活垃圾处理业现状及对策分析

本文分析了我国城市生活垃圾处理业的现状及存在的问题,阐述了我国城市生活垃圾处理业的政策环境,并提出了促进城市生活垃圾处理业发展的对策建议。     

ON TAXATION AND FIRMS CHOICE OF WASTE WATER TREATMENT TECHNOLOGY1

ABSTRACT: The interaction between the level of taxation and the firms accruing choice of treatment technology is discussed. It is shown that there is a risk of overtaxation, that is, simply increasing taxation may fail to improve environmental quality but only increase production costs and thus consumer prices.     

Fish bioassay monitoring of waste effluents

Spills of toxic materials into bodies of water receiving industrial waste discharges can be prevented only if frequent or continuous assessments of effluent quality can be made. Currently available methods can automatically measure individual physical or chemical waste components but cannot assess toxicity caused by the interaction of components or the presence of an unsuspected material. Aquatic organisms, in contrast, respond to their total environment and in this way integrate the effects of all the various chemical and physical waste parameters.This study evaluates the possibility of using the continuously and automatically recorded responses of fish to monitor the toxicity of industrial waste effluents. A review of previously developed toxicity monitoring systems is followed by a field evaluation of a method that uses the computer-monitored ventilatory patterns of 12 bluegills (Lepomis macrochirus Rafinesque) to monitor the toxicity of an industrial waste effluent as it flows into a river. No known toxic spills occurred in the effluent during the operation of this system, but acetone added to the effluent waste caused responses from the fish at concentrations which peaked near the 96-hr LC₅₀ level. Some responses were also noted when no known toxicant was present; these were related to environmental disturbances and system design problems. Recommendations are made for the design of future biologic monitoring units.     

Public policy for the use of reclaimed water

This article documents the general need to reuse water reclaimed from sewage effluents for beneficial purposes and then considers in detail which specific uses will be most beneficial. The analysis begins by describing five levels of wastewater treatment: primary, secondary, tertiary, advanced, and advanced plus complete treatment. Next, five major uses for reclaimed water are identified: groundwater recharge, industrial use, irrigation, recreational lakes, and direct municipal reuse. Subcategories of reuse falling under each of the five major reuse categories are also identified and discussed. The analysis then proceeds to review significant literature available on health and environmental effects, treatment and distribution costs, and public opinion concerns in relation to each of the five major uses and their related subcategories. The paper concludes with a cumulative numerical analysis of the disbenefits associated with each specific type of reuse summed over the health effects, environmental effects, treatment costs, distribution costs, and public opinion concerns. Uses of reclaimed water for industrial purposes and for irrigation of fodder and fiber crops are found to be most beneficial by the analysis here employed, and use for aquifer recharge and direct municipal reuse are found to be least beneficial.     

COST REDUCTIONS DUE TO SEASONAL VARIATION IN MUNICIPAL WASTE WATER TREATMENT LEVELS1

ABSTRACT: Varying treatment levels to meet seasonal variation in assimilative capacity of streams can reduce total costs of treatment. A mathematical model of a Pennsylvania stream based on a theoretically sound approximation of the physical relationships underlying the distribution of DO in a river system was used to determine discharge constraints for an economic optimization model which produced estimates of sewage treatment cost savings. Increasing the number of flow periods during the year enhances cost reducing opportunities even when land application processes are considered. Also, the least cost treatment process for year around operation may not be the least costly under multiple flow period management.