Household Hazardous Waste Management Research Articles

The governance of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW): A literature review of HHW-related regulation in Southeast Asian developing countries

Growing cities of developing countries followed by human activities brings challenge on how to manage the massive solid waste production. Pile of solid waste in the collecting or dumping sites produce methane gas that threaten earths’ climate change, whereas leachate with organic, inorganic, and hazardous contaminants resulted in soil and groundwater pollution. Furthermore, untreated solid wastes are aesthetically disturbing and environmentally polluting as they enter the water bodies. More than 40% of the Municipal Solid Waste are generated by household activities and approximately 1% of it contains hazardous materials, such as heavy metals and inert materials. Unprocessed Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) carries substantial ecological impacts. However, issues on HHW considered to have less attention either by community or government due to the requirement of specific treatment and the cost of final disposal. The role of regulation or guidelines are critical to manage the HHW handling. This review aims to explore the availability of national as well as local regulation related to HHW management in Southeast Asian developing countries and to analyze the correlation between GNI level and the government concern on HHW issues. Despite the main solution, the availability of HHW regulation is required to govern the management and minimize the contamination to the environment. The analysis is based on literature from journals as well as official websites from each country which studied. The result of the study can give an alternate perspective on the governance of HHW in developing countries.

Household Hazardous Materials Identification and Management Practices Among Residents of Irewole Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria

Most emerging world contaminants have been linked to improper management of household hazardous materials and are currently receiving global attention due to the threat they pose to public health and the environment. There are guidelines for the entire management of household hazardous materials, but there exist inadequate information on its identification and management practices at household level. Therefore, the present study was conducted to fill the gap. A descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among 346 randomly selected households in Irewole Local Government Area, Osun State, Nigeria. A validated semi-structured questionnaire and observational checklist were used to gather information. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and chi-square at p<0.05. Respondents’ mean age was 34.5±12.8 years, 54.3% were female while 66.8% had attained tertiary education. The major hazardous materials observed in most of the houses were laundry and dish washing detergents (94.1%), insecticide (90.7%) and household disinfectants (88.3%). Fifty-nine percent of the participants mentioned open burning as the most preferred method of disposal of household hazardous materials. The mean practice score was 6.4±1.9, 62.0% had inappropriate practices towards household hazardous materials management. Significantly, 78.5% of the respondents with tertiary education had appropriate practice towards managing household hazardous materials than those who had attained secondary (16.9%) and primary education (4.6%). Laundry and dish washing detergents, insecticide and household disinfectants were observed in most of the houses. Also participants were engaged in inappropriate practices for the management of household hazardous waste. Households should have access to hazardous waste management facilities, and educational information and communication materials to improve their management practices.

Spatial Pattern of Generation and Management of Household Hazardous Waste in Enugu Metropolis, Enugu, Nigeria

The paper examined the spatial pattern of Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) generation and management options in the Enugu Metropolis. Ten (10) layouts were randomly selected from forty one (41) residential layouts that make up Enugu Metropolis. A total of 300 structured questionnaires were randomly administered to households, while oral interviews were conducted in the Enugu State Waste Management Agency (ESWAMA). The study showed that home cleaning waste was the most frequently generated HHW, accounting for 19%. This was followed by glasses (17%) and batteries (14.8) while the less generated include e-waste (10.4%), motoring products (8.7%), and paints (7.1%). Government Residential Area (G.R.A) generated the highest amount of HHW with a percent value of 13.1%, followed by New Haven (12.7%), Iva-Valley (10.6%), Ogui (10.2%) and Independence layout (10%). The relationship between dwelling type and quantity of HHW generated showed that the buildings with multiple rooms generated the highest (31%) amount of HHW, followed by three bedroom apartments. Lowest income earners (5,000-20,000 naira) were known to generate highest quantity, while houses with income above 250,000 naira generate less quantity. The study showed that 22.7% of the households indicated that they have no means of disposing of HHW, 2.7% indicated that they keep them or reuse them, 2.6% pour liquid HHW down their sinks or drains, 5% take them to a landfill site, the remaining 67% dispose of them in anyhow. Thus, there is a need for sensitization as this will encourage waste sorting, as well as help in educating the public on the need to purchase fewer hazardous products.

Participation in Household Hazardous Waste Management: A Case Study of the Dam Community, Northeast of Thailand

In Thailand, Household Hazardous Waste (HHW) is usually disposed of along with general waste, since people lack accurate knowledge and understanding of how to manage HHW. Additionally, the government agencies are short of the HHW management system. The purposes of this study were, 1) to investigate HHW management, and 2) to explore public participation in HHW management. The study area was Sok Kae Village. It is located around Huai-Luang Dam, which is considered an important water resource of Udon Thani Province. The results of the study revealed that most of HHW in Sok Kae Village consisted of fertilizer containers and pesticides because most people were agriculturists. Besides fertilization and pesticide products, containers of household cleaners were also found because people utilize them in their everyday life. Regarding public participation, it was found that people participated in HHW management at a low level. The personal information affecting the HHW management significantly was the income (P-value < 0.05). People in the village suggested that there should be particular boxes and places for HHW. Moreover, people felt that it would be advantageous for them to earn an income through HHW management. This study mainly focused on the importance of the study area, which is located near the water resource. Regarding chemical contamination from HHW, this would possibly bring about issues in human health, as well as environmental pollution. For HHW management, public participation should be considered, and government agencies need a solemn policy and management system to achieve success.

Management of household hazardous waste: a review on global scenario

Management of household hazardous waste: a review on global scenario

Household hazardous waste characterization and quantification at source in Thailand

ABSTRACT Thailand is facing a management crisis of both urban and rural household hazardous waste (HHW). The collection and disposal of these wastes threaten both the environment and human health. The objective of the study was to investigate the characterization and quantification of household hazardous waste at source by all local administrations in Nakhon Nayok province, Thailand. The quantity of HHW in the household waste stream constitutes 2.53% of total household wastes (about 2.90 t/day). Most HHWs were generated in the local administration level (3.2%) followed by the subdistrict (2.9%) and municipality level (1.2%). The characterization of HHWs included paint products (20.1%), household batteries (17.4%), and unused medicines (14.1%). HHW characterization can be grouped as automobile products from municipalities (38.5%), paint and its containers from the subdistricts (43.08%), and pesticides from the more rural local administrations (24.73%). Albeit the amount of HHW waste found in the household waste stream is relatively small compared to the overall waste stream, it can still cause significant damage to human health and environment. This is because the elements and compounds that comprise hazard wastes are toxic at very low levels. Programs are needed to increase appropriate management of HHW to mitigate human health and environmental contamination risks. Reducing and separating HHW at source can minimize these problems during both normal and pandemic situations. Implications: The study of household hazardous waste (HHW) characterization and quantification is very importance for HHW management, especially study at source. In this study we found the smallest province in Thailand can produce HHW volume nearly three tons per day. The trend in consumption of household products may be increase. The government should therefore be more focused on HHW at source management in both normal and pandemic situations.

Current management of household hazardous waste (HHW) in the Asian region.

Background This review intends to explore the household hazardous waste (HHW) generation rates, HHW management, and people's awareness regarding HHW in Asian countries based on the economic levels using the available published articles. Methods This is a systematic review of the scientific literature based on several databases, namely Scopus, ProQuest, PubMed, Sage Journals, and Elsevier's Science Direct from 2008 to 2018. Results HHW generation rates in various Asian cities do not seem to be influenced by the countries' financial status, except for e-waste. The variety in HHW generation rates among Asian countries might be due to various reasons, which include differences in (1) sampling frame/locations; (2) sampling size; (3) study duration; (4) seasons; (5) study year; and (6) HHW definition/composition. Governmental intervention programs on HHW management have been implemented in some of the Asian countries, mostly in high and upper-middle income groups although misconducts are still found. There is a tendency for economically developed countries to ship their e-waste to less-developed countries, where the system relies heavily on the informal sectors where unsafe treatments are often discovered. Low level of awareness regarding HHW risks is mostly identified in the lower-middle income group. However, even though high and upper-middle income groups have a better awareness of HHW, many people do not entirely follow the recommended practices. Conclusion The lack of enforced regulation and proper treatment infrastructure may lead to HHW being mixed with general household waste, which is found in many Asian countries, despite their income levels. In addition, a good awareness of HHW does not guarantee proper handling of it.

Do grant funding and pro-environmental spillovers influence household hazardous waste collection?

Agency and state grant funding should be disseminated in ways so it will result in better management of household hazardous waste (HHW) and environmental sustainability. Since location seems to matter in HHW collection activities, it is important to consider pro-environmental spatial spillovers that occur, based on agency actions and waste collection behavior taking place in other locations. These may influence HHW-related practices in close-by regions. Using a county-level spatio-temporal dataset that consists of economic, demographic, and HHW data in California from 2004 to 2015, we evaluate the impact of HHW grants on HHW collection activities while considering pro-environmental spillovers. We employ a research design that controls for confounding factors across the North, Central and South Regions, and over time. The research models assess causal relationships using a random effects panel data model with instrumental variables to estimate the grants’ influences, while considering spatial effects and unobservable bias. Several findings were obtained: (1) HHW grants had positive effects on waste collection in a consistent way across multiple models that we tested; (2) positive spatial spillover effects occurred for HHW collection activities due to the pro-environmental activities of nearby counties. This research contributes to the growing body of research on geospatial policy analytics, ways to establish the basis for causal inference, and the use of robustness checks to develop a deeper understanding of how to make waste management grant programs more effective in the regions where they are implemented.

Factors influencing appropriate management of household hazardous waste in Nakhon Nayok, Thailand: A multilevel analysis

ABSTRACTHousehold hazardous products contain hazardous chemicals, so when discarding these products a household hazardous waste (HHW) stream is created. HHW is a major environmental problem in Thailand, yet HHW has received scant attention so management is often inadequate or inappropriate. The objective of this study was to investigate the factors associated with appropriate HHW management in Thailand. Data were collected using a structured questionnaire completed during randomly assigned household interviews in Nakhon Nayok province, Thailand, between February and May 2017. The proportion of “appropriate management” was presented as percentage with its 95% confidence interval (CI). A multilevel mixed-effects logistic regression model was performed to determine the factors associated with appropriate HHW management, with 663 households included. The proportion of appropriate HHW management was 23.4% (95%CI: 20.2% to 26.6%). Both individual and local government administrative organization factors had on an effect on appropriate HHW management, including (a) being female (adjusted odds ratio [OR]:1.59; 95%CI: 1.03 to 2.46); (b) household size (adjusted OR: 1.66; 95%CI: 1.09 to 2.54); (c) knowledge score vis-à-vis HHW management (adjusted OR: 1.78; 95%CI: 1.43 to 2.02); (d) appropriate HHW storage behavior (adjusted OR: 2.48; 95%CI: 1.60 to 3.83); and (e) appropriate HHW use behavior (adjusted OR: 3.97; 95%CI: 2.40 to 6.58). The government of Thailand might consider a program to increase appropriate management of household hazardous waste to mitigate public health and environmental contamination risks.Implications: Household hazardous waste becomes a major concern in many countries, including Thailand. The household hazardous waste management should be started at the source first, because household hazardous waste is mixed with the municipal waste stream. Thus, this study finding will be important for policymakers such as government and local government and can be used to create a specific policy and campaigns for household hazardous waste management.

THE DEVELOPMENT OF THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK FOR THE BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT OF USED DRY BATTERIES IN A HOUSEHOLD

Nowadays, most households use dry batteries even though they are hazardous waste at the end of the lifetime. Actually, the waste must be separated, collected and disposed. However, this basic household hazardous waste management has not been successfully managed in Thai households. So the objective of this research was to develop the household behavior in using dry batteries prediction model. The methodology was divided into 3 steps. The first step is to define the concept and the operational definition of variables. The second step including the preliminary steps shows the questionnaire content. The third step is the score indicators in questionnaire. This research results are; 1) content validity test 2) reliability test and 3) the prediction model. It can be indicated into 3 major components. The first component consists of household factors, which are perception, social influence, optional vision, and knowledge. The second component relates to environmental factors, which are receiving information, experience, and reinforcement. The third component is intention. This modeling will be formed into structural equation model including interpret for the policy maker and planner. It will be able to manage the used batteries from household in accordance with the conditions of each local municipality more effectively.

Life cycle assessment of household hazardous waste management options for Semarang City, Indonesia

Hazardous and toxic materials are not only produced by industrial sectors, but also by household sector. Unfortunately, no established regulation and standard operational procedure was found for handling household hazardous waste (HHW) in Indonesia. The research aimed to produce the most effective and efficient scenario of HHW. This research used life cycle assessment (LCA) approach according to ISO 14040:2006 by using 150 kg of HHW. The LCIA method used was IPCC 2007 by using Simapro (version 7.1) and TDEP's guidelines. The result show, characteristic of HHW in Semarang was consist of corrosive (1.9%), ignitable/reactive (5.8%), toxic (17.4%), and infectious (74.9%). HHW generation is 0.01 kg/person/day or 0.0591 l/person/day. Estimated HHW generation in 2014 reach 16.003 tons/day or 94.415 m3/day. Scenario 2 with recycling HHW is the best scenario. The impact of GHG emissions is only about 135.25 kgCO2 eq. This scenario can reduce impact of 17.57% compared with current conditions.

Necessity and Possible Way of Household Hazardous Waste Management in Japan

Necessity and Possible Way of Household Hazardous Waste Management in Japan

Investigation of the household hazardous waste stream in a Hellenic municipality

Hazardous waste (HW) in small quantities generated by households is often dumped into the mixed household waste. A variety of chemicals was recorded during a field research presented in the present paper. Aspects analysed in this work contribute to the categorisation of household hazardous waste (HHW) and quantification of them since lack of generation and composition data was noted in Greece. Towards that a field research was organised in a Hellenic municipality. Raw data were collected; 4.27 kg paint household-1 y-1, were found to be disposed in the municipality waste bins. The overall quantity is small compared to other waste streams nevertheless the impact in local environmental conditions and citizens’ health are considered to be high. Results outcome of this research will be used to pave the way towards organisation of an HHW management plan, in order to lead those waste fractions to safe and sustainable management paths.

Consumer perspectives on household hazardous waste management in Japan

We give an overview of the management systems of household hazardous waste (HHW) in Japan and discuss the management systems and their risks. To get basic information, we conducted a survey of consumers to discover their behavior and awareness of HHW items throughout the entire life cycle, which is made up of the purchase, use, and disposal of a product. The results showed that many people hold end-of-life batteries, fluorescent lamps, empty spray cans, and others in their houses after use. Also, the results showed that a lot of such waste items were discarded in waste streams different from those stipulated by local governments. In particular, many people do not remove NiCd batteries inside products such as shavers or cordless phones before discarding. On the other hand, people’s knowledge of and concern regarding the risks, collection, and recycling of HHW were high. When information about the risks was specifically presented in the questionnaire, people tended to show a more positive intention to participate in a collection and recycling system compared to those who were not presented with such information. Our studies on NiCd batteries and fluorescent lamps showed that it is important to collect and recycle HHW to control the domestic and international flows of cadmium and mercury.

Household Hazardous Waste Data for the UK by Direct Sampling

The amount of household hazardous waste (HHW) disposed of in the United Kingdom (UK) requires assessment. This paper describes a direct analysis study carried out in three areas in southeast England involving over 500 households. Each participating householder was provided with a special bin in which to place items corresponding to a list of HHW. The amount of waste collected was split into nine broad categories: batteries, home maintenance (DIY), vehicle upkeep, pesticides, pet care, pharmaceuticals, photographic chemicals, household cleaners, and printer cartridges. Over 1 T of waste was collected from the sample households over a 32-week period, which would correspond to an estimated 51,000 T if extrapolated to the UK population for the same period or over 7,000 T per month. Details of likely disposal routes adopted by householders were also sought, demonstrating the different pathways selected for different waste categories. Co-disposal with residual household waste dominated for waste batteries and veterinary medicines, hence avoiding classification as hazardous waste under new UK waste regulations. The information can be used to set a baseline for the management of HHW and provides information for an environmental risk assessment of the disposal of such wastes to landfill.

Occupational health and safety in household hazardous waste management facilities.

Employees in household hazardous waste management facilities encounter a variety of potentially hazardous exposures. The purpose of this study was to evaluate both chemical and physical hazards at a representative group of household hazardous waste management facilities in Minnesota. Sampling results suggest that chemical exposures are generally not a problem when chemical bulking is performed outside the facility. For facilities operating year-round, however, proper ventilation is necessary to ensure adequate control of chemical exposures when bulking is done inside the building. The most significant chemical exposures occurred when handling paint (benzene) and broken fluorescent light bulbs (mercury). Guidelines for appropriate personal protective equipment and handling of broken fluorescent light bulbs were developed as a result of this study. Materials handling was the most significant physical hazard, resulting in wrist, elbow, and back injuries. The suspected reasons for these injuries (awkward postures and repetitive motions) were noted throughout the management process and should be further investigated.

Occupational Health and Safety in Household Hazardous Waste Management Facilities

Occupational Health and Safety in Household Hazardous Waste Management Facilities

The Public's View of Household Hazardous Waste

Contamination of water, soil and air can sometimes be traced to improper disposal of residential household hazardous wastes. Almost every home produces some wastes that pose hazards if improperly disposed. One thousand Nebraskans were surveyed using a random sample selection to profile the attitudes and reported behavior regarding household hazardous waste management practices. The response rate was 49.8 percent with 494 questionnaires returned and a final sample of 474 householders. Most respondents (93.6 percent) reported that they had no community household hazardous waste collection programs. The majority (64.6 percent) agreed that their community should start a household hazardous waste program. However, there was a vast discrepancy in the amount the respondents said they were willing to pay for collection and the actual costs of collection programs. Only one-third reported that they were greatly reducing the type of products purchased that contribute to household hazardous waste. Respondents reported they were disposing of household hazardous waste in ways that may be harmful to the environment such as pouring on the ground, down the drain, or burning the wastes. They primarily placed the potentially hazardous waste in the trash for landfilling.

Evaluation of a Statewide Matching Grant Program for the Collection of Household Hazardous Waste

Between Fall 1985 and Spring 1987, the Massachusetts Departments of Environmental Management and Environmental Quality Engineering awarded communities $490,000 in matching state grants for the collection of household hazardous waste. Funded collections resulted in the disposal of approximately 291 tons of waste at an average cost of $9 per gallon. Household participation rates ranged from 0.2 percent to 5.8 percent. An average of 10 gallons of household hazardous waste was disposed of per participating household. Total collection costs including local and state shares exceeded $900,000. Differences in participation, wastes collected and collection costs among communities were due to variations in outreach and education efforts, experience, bid specifications, wastes collected, setup costs, and collection techniques. The relative high cost per participating household and low participation rate suggest the need for alternative approaches to the management of household hazardous waste which will be explored in future grant cycles.