Municipal Solid Waste Reduction Research Articles

A Study of Policies for Achieving Community Participation in Municipal Solid Waste Reduction

A Study of Policies for Achieving Community Participation in Municipal Solid Waste Reduction

Change in MSW characteristics under recent management strategies in Taiwan

Reduction and recycling initiatives such as producer responsibility and pay-as-you-throw are being implemented in Taiwan. This paper presents a study assessing the impact of recently implemented municipal solid waste (MSW) reduction and recycling management strategies on the characteristics of waste feedstock for incineration in Taiwan. Through the periodic sampling of two typical MSW incineration plants, proximate and ultimate analyses were conducted according to standard methods to explore the influence of MSW reduction and recycling management strategies on incineration feed waste characteristics. It was observed that the annual amount of MSW generated in 2005 decreased by about 10% compared to 2003 and that the characteristics of MSW have changed significantly due to recent management strategies. The heating value of the MSW generated in Taiwan increased yearly by about 5% after program implementation. A comparison of the monthly variations in chemical concentrations indicated that the chlorine content in MSW has changed. This change results from usage reduction of PVC plastic due to the recycling fund management (RFM) program, and the food waste as well as salt content reduction due to the total recycling for kitchen garbage program. This achievement will improve the reduction of dioxin emissions from MSW incineration. In summary, management strategies must be conducted in tandem with the global trend to achieve a zero-waste-discharge country. When implementing these strategies and planning for future MSW management systems, it is important to consider the changes that may occur in the composition and characteristics of MSW over time.

Municipal solid waste production and composition in Finland—Changes in the period 1960–2002 and prospects until 2020

Waste reduction was recognised as the main goal of waste management policy in the EU in the 1990s. Although knowledge of past waste generation is essential for effective waste reduction policy there are no comprehensive statistics on the past development of municipal solid waste (MSW) production. MSW management is currently under turmoil in many EU countries as the requirements of the EC landfill directive (1999/31/EC) are set into force. In this study, the production and composition of MSW in Finland between 1960 and 2002 is presented using historical data. The impact of population, affluence and technology on MSW production are analysed using the IPAT equation and three scenarios are constructed until year 2020. The results are compared with national future targets on MSW production. Production of MSW increased in Finland until 1990, declined to year 1997, increased to 2000 and then declined again. The share of organic and plastic waste increased over the study period while the share of paper and cardboard declined. The results suggest that so far national targets on MSW reduction have been set fairly low. Moreover, our scenarios depict a wide range of future MSW production, even though the time horizon is not longer than 15 years into the future. In order to narrow this range, continuous improvement of the statistics of MSW is essential.

MSW management for waste minimization in Taiwan: The last two decades

Taiwan is the second most densely populated country in the world; its 22.604 million residents (2002) live in an area of 35,967 km 2 (628 people/km 2). Taiwan’s economy has grown rapidly during the last 20 years, resulting in a corresponding increase in the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW). This study describes and evaluates the municipal solid waste management system in Taiwan. The study’s results indicate that the amount of MSW began to decline after 1997, when the government enforced aggressive MSW management policies. By 2002, total MSW production had dropped by 27%, and the average daily per capita weight of MSW had fallen from 1.14 kg in 1997 to 0.81 kg in 2002. Summarizing the successful experience of MSW reduction in Taiwan, the most important factor was the government’s combining of the MSW collection system with reduction/recycling programs. The second most important factor was the policy of extended producer responsibility, which laid a foundation of recycling by producers and retailers and promoted public recycling.

Municipal Solid Waste Policy and Public Participation in Household Source Reduction

This study examines the nature of public participation in implementing household source reduction of municipal solid waste in order to inform the development of waste policy. The objectives are to determine the degree of public participation in household source reduction, the importance given to this waste strategy relative to other waste management approaches with an emphasis on recycling, but also including landfilling and incineration, the motivations behind its practice and the demographic and attitudinal correlates of its practitioners. The method used was a telephone survey of residents in a community in Connecticut, U.S.A. The results were analysed using descriptive and correlational statistics. The results indicate that the activity of source reduction, using a variety of measures, is being widely practiced. Over 50% of respondents participated in at least one source reduction activity. However, the intensity of participation was low, with many individuals participating only infrequently in the activity. Furthermore, the amount of material potentially reduced through source reduction in the home is small. There was an equal degree of public support for recycling efforts with a large percentage of respondents considering recycling to be more important than source reduction. Demographic variables in this community did not prove to be significantly correlated with source reduction attitudes and behaviour. One policy implication is that the home may not be the most effective place for source reduction, as contrasted with recycling, given the limited number of source reduction activities available in the home. A second policy implication is that mechanisms to facilitate source reduction need to be developed. Finally, policy makers need to concentrate educational efforts towards public recognition of both what constitutes source reduction and the importance of this activity.

Municipal solid waste reduction and recycling: Implications for federal policymakers

This paper discusses barriers associated with reducing the generation of municipal solid waste (MSW) and increasing the recycling of any MSW that is generated. It specifically focuses on policy options that could be used to promote reduction and recycling; it gives greater emphasis to source reduction because it has received less scrutiny in general and because it represents an earlier stage in the cycle of activities that ultimately leads to MSW generation. Without a reasonable package of policies and activities oriented toward these problems, it is doubtful whether the current impasse over siting new landfills and incinerators will be broken to any significant extent. To accomplish this, we need to think about how society uses and disposes of materials and products, which means considering the entire lifecycle of materials that end up as MSW.

Application of Bond Theory to Solid Waste Shredding

The applicability of the Rosin-Rammler relationship for describing the size distribution of raw and shredded municipal solid waste has been examined using data taken from 10 full-scale shredders representative of those used for solid waste size reduction. The shredded product size thus described has been related to the specific energy necessary to produce that product by application of the Bond comminution theory developed for use in the minerals processing industry. The consistency in magnitude of the Bond work indices determined for the 10 representative full-scale shredders would seem to confirm the applicability of the Bond theory to the size reduction of municipal solid waste. Batch shredding tests for paper, glass, flattened steel cans, and whole aluminum beverage cans, using a Heil model 42D 250-hp vertical hammermill (fitted with a recording ammeter for current measurement) permitted the estimation of work indices for these respective solid waste components and provided further verification of the theory.