Collection Of Waste Materials Research Articles

Serological Evidence and Associated Factors of Hepatitis B Virus and Hepatitis C Virus Among Waste Handlers: A Cross-Sectional Study from Northeastern Ethiopia.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has identified viral hepatitis, caused by hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), as one of the main global public health issues. People who work in the collection of waste materials, from either household or medical environments, are at greatest risk. To determine the prevalence of and factors associated with HBV and HCV among medical and domestic waste handlers in Northeast Ethiopia. A comparative cross-sectional study was conducted from January to April 2021 at selected healthcare facilities and municipal settings in Dessie town, Northeast Ethiopia. The sample size was determined using a double population proportion formula, and a simple random sampling technique was employed to select 70 individuals in the medical waste handlers (MWHs) group and 206 in the domestic waste handlers (DWHs) group. Five milliliters of venous blood was collected from each participant and tested for HBV and HCV using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 23; the prevalence was computed, Fisher's exact test was used, and logistic regression was applied. A total of 276 study participants were enrolled and the overall seroprevalence of hepatitis virus was 5.1%. The seroprevalence of HBV infection among MWHs and DWHs was 8.6% and 1.9%, respectively. The overall seroprevalence of HCV infections among MWHs and DWHs was 4.3% and 0.5%, respectively. Medical waste handling, having a history of needle stick injury, and not using personal protective equipment were factors significantly associated with HBV infection. The overall seroprevalence of viral hepatitis was high. The prevalence of HBV infection among MWHs was in line with the high endemicity classification of the WHO, and there was a significant difference in prevalence between DWHs and MWHs. Both groups of waste handlers should receive proper attention to protect them from HBV and HCV infection.

An IoT-based bin level monitoring system for solid waste management

Improper disposal of solid waste that impacts human health and pollutes the environment, arising a need for successful and necessary collection of waste materials. However, most trash bins placed in cities can be seen overflowing due to traditional or inefficient waste management approaches. Therefore, a real-time remote monitoring system is needed to alert the level of garbage in bins to the relevant authority for immediate waste clearance. This paper presents the development and validation of a self-powered, simple connect, IoT solution to monitor the unfilled level of trash bins from a central monitoring station. The end sensor nodes of the developed IoT system are called Bin Level Monitoring Unit (BLMU) which are installed in every trash bin where the unfilled level needs to be monitored. Every BLMU measures the unfilled level of the trash bins and transmits it to a wireless access point unit (WAPU). Each WAPU receives the unfilled level data from several BLMUs and uploads it to the central server for storage and analysis. The waste collection authority can view and analyze the unfilled level of each bin using a smart graphical user interface. The following important experiments were carried out to validate the developed system: (1) the developed bin level monitoring system was tested by filling a trash bin with solid waste at various levels, and the corresponding unfilled level of the trash bin was monitored using the smart graphical user interface. (2) The life expectancy of the BLMU was evaluated as approximately 434 days. (3) The maximum transmission distance between a BLMU and a WAPU is 119 m. (4) The cost of a developed trash bin is 107 USD. Based on the results achieved, the developed trash bins can be suitable for smart cities.

Brigands in Pointe Shoes and Selfless Spirits: Salvage and Salvation in Nineteenth-Century Ballets

This paper deals with scenes of salvage and salvation in a number of nineteenth-century ballets which were mostly inspired by works of literature, and their afterlives. The term ‘salvage’ will be used in several metaphorical senses here. By tracing back ‘salvage’ to its wider etymological origins in the Latin word ‘saluus’, which refers to both physical and spiritual salvation, I will employ this term to describe the saving of the bodies and souls of ballet protagonists. I will argue that the evolution of ballet costumes and technique was linked to the appearance of a number of unconventional salvage scenes in which traditional gender roles were reversed and women saved men. Several examples will be used to demonstrate how ballet librettists changed the literary sources when they transposed them into libretti in order to add these scenes. The term ‘salvage’ can also refer to ‘the saving and collection of waste material […] for recycling’. 1 Now, in this sense ballet libretti ‘recycled’ literary source texts, and so enact salvage through adaptation. What is more, elements from previous libretti were recycled in nineteenth-century ballets, through the re-enactment of certain archetypal situations, including rescue scenes and acts of spiritual salvation.

System dynamics model for optimizing the recycling and collection of waste material in a closed-loop supply chain

To meet the immediate environmental challenges and sustainable development, Closed-loop Supply Chain (CLSC) management has become increasingly important and urgent. This is in lieu with some severe problems such as global ecological damage, resource wastages and shortages and pollution of the environment, and discretionary exploitation of natural resources. On the other hand, re-manufacturing of used merchandise and bringing them back to the market provides environmental and customer benefits to Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), in addition to cutting back their production cost. This paper aims at evaluating the system behavior of an electrical manufacturing company as a case of study, by using System Dynamics (SD) simulating of Closed-loop Supply Chain (CLSC). VENSIM PLE software developed the simulation model. Based on the initial result, customer satisfaction and Green Image Factor (GIF) are lacking in the system. Therefore, to tackle this issue, an improvement model with a collection center was proposed. Results derived from the improved model presented a data of which the demand backlog level fell by 21.19%. Furthermore, the customer satisfaction in the system rose by 21.6%. In addition, as a result of an increase in GIF level from 14.80% to 48.1%, the return products rate rose from 184 items to 614. The method in this research can be used to investigate a variety of CLSC systems and their effects before implementing them in real life.

Uses of Waste Materials: the Collection of Waste Materials and their Uses for Human and Animal Food, in Fertilisers, and in Certain Industries, 1914–1922

ONE of the outstanding features of the War was the abnormal shortage of food for man and beast, fertilisers for agricultural use, and of many other substances regarded as essential for various economic purposes. The urgency of the need led to a diligent search for substitutes, many of which were found among unregarded bye-products and so-called waste materials and among wild and cultivated plants of every description. Many of these substitutes merely supplied the need of the moment, and fell into disuse as soon as the crisis was past. Others were of more permanent value and in certain cases have retained a definite economic position. Uses of Waste Materials: the Collection of Waste Materials and their Uses for Human and Animal Food, in Fertilisers, and in Certain Industries, 1914–1922. By Prof. Arturo Bruttini. (International Institute of Agriculture, Rome.) Pp. xx + 367. (London: P. S. King and Son, Ltd., 1923.) 12s. net.