National Solid Waste Management Research Articles

Circular Economy Aspects of the New National Solid Waste Management Plan and Citizens' Engagement in Northern Greece

Circular Economy Aspects of the New National Solid Waste Management Plan and Citizens' Engagement in Northern Greece

Evaluation of solid waste management effectiveness in Indonesia from 2019-2021: a geographic information system analysis

As a developing country, Indonesia has a significant requirement for solid waste infrastructure development and the establishment of a clean, environmentally friendly, and effective solid waste management system. In other hand, poor solid waste management data remains a major challenge for identifying investment needs in each region. Sistem Informasi Pengelolaan Sampah Nasional (SIPSN) or National Solid Waste Management Information System is a comprehensive source of waste management data in Indonesia that was initiated by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry of the Republic of Indonesia to describe existing conditions of solid waste management in Indonesia. This study used the Geographic Information System approach to evaluate waste management data from 2019 to 2021. The importance indicators are the solid waste generation, the effectiveness of waste management, the types of solid waste, and solid waste management facilities in various regions of Indonesia. The primary goal of this study is to comprehend the trend of existing state of waste management, as well as to collect and evaluate data from SIPSN and study literature on solid waste management performance in Indonesia. The findings show various areas that require infrastructure development and the deployment of adequate investment technology solutions in solid waste management. This analysis helps Indonesia for having sustainable waste management by reducing waste generation, improving recycling, and lowering environmental impact.

Developing an extended producer responsibility system for solid waste management in Jordan using multi-criteria decision-making approach.

To move from a traditional end of pipe approach into a more sustainable solid waste management system, the Jordanian Government has recently passed a set of new regulations The National Solid Waste Management Strategy has put a road map to encourage circular economy practices. One of the considered policy instruments is the adoption of the extended producer responsibility (EPR). The current study aimed to adopt a multi-criteria decision-making method to select the most convenient EPR structure within the Jordanian context. The study used analytical hierarchy process (AHP) and fuzzy AHP (FAHP) techniques to select the suitable type of producer responsibility organization (PRO) structure. A four-level hierarchy model was constructed with 4 criteria, 10 sub-criteria and 3 PRO alternatives. The analysis revealed that the legal and administrative criteria is the most important one (0.47) followed by environmental criteria (0.22), whereas the least important ones were socio-economic (0.17) and technical criteria (0.13). The most preferable PRO alternative was found to be PRO with profit. There were slight differences between all weight values under AHP and FAHP. Despite the availability of several laws, there is a need to develop the legal and administrative framework to enable the adoption of EPR in Jordan. Research should be the first step in the process of EPR system design. None of the previous studies conducted used the AHP and FAHP in assessing and selecting the EPR systems.

Recycled waste of construction industry in Malaysia: A review

The increasing demand in the construction industry has led to a vast development in recent years. However, the impacts of this development are arising such as the increasing amount of waste. The majority of construction solid waste is dumped in landfills despite of its recyclable potential. Therefore, there should be a more viable solution to answer this issue. The objective of literature review is to obtain the information of each kind of construction waste that is most recycled with the methods. The review is based on the articles related to the recycled waste issues in Malaysia. In terms of recycling methods, paper and cardboard waste is mostly recycled into new paper while asphalt waste does have potential as aggregates for new asphalt layer. Moreover, brick and glass waste which are commonly found in demolition can be turned into pozzolanic materials and filler or glass fibre respectively. Meanwhile, the metals waste may be recycled as new metals while plastic waste can be turned into other plastic products or composite. Lastly, the timber and concrete waste can be recycled as boards and concrete aggregates respectively. The recycling system of construction waste is regulated by several bodies in Malaysia: National Solid Waste Management Department, Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation Malaysia (SWCorp), and Department of Environment Malaysia.

Landfill Site Suitability Assessment Using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) in Butuan City, Philippines

Landfilling is one of the most effective and responsible ways to dispose of municipal solid waste (MSW). Identifying landfill sites, however, is a challenging and complex undertaking because it depends on social, environmental, technical, economic, and legal issues. This study aims to map the optimal sites that were environmentally suitable for locating a landfill site in Butuan City, Philippines. With reference to the policy requirements from DENR Section I, Landfill Site Identification Criteria and Screening Guidelines of National Solid Waste Management Commission, the integration of a Geographic Information System (GIS) model builder and Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) has been used in this study to address the aforementioned challenges related to the landfill site suitability analysis. Based on the generated sanitary landfill suitability map, results showed that Barangay Tungao (1131.42967 ha) and Florida (518.48 ha) were able to meet and consider the three (3) main components, namely economic, environmental, and physical criteria, and are highly suitable as landfill site locations in Butuan City. It is recommended that there will conduct a geotechnical evaluation, involving rigorous geological and hydrogeological assessment employing a combination of site investigation and laboratory techniques. In addition, additional specific social, ecological, climatic, and economic factors need to be considered (i.e. including impact on humans, flora, fauna, soil, water, air, climate, and landscape).

Modeling the Impact of Fees and Circular Economy Options on the Financial Sustainability of the Solid Waste Management System in Jordan

Municipal solid waste services in Jordan are being provided by municipalities, where 90% of the generated solid waste finds its way to the landfills and dump sites. All Jordanian municipalities are suffering from low cost recovery where it reaches 50% in its best case. Realizing these facts, recently, the Jordanian government has embarked on an ambitious package of regulations and policies to promote the adoption of circular economy options. The National Solid Waste Management Strategy (NSWMS) of Jordan has called for rationalization, gradual increase of the service fees and adoption of circular economy options through recycling and composting. To assess the impacts of the proposed policies by the NSWMS on the financial sustainability, a system dynamic modeling (SDM) was carried out for the two largest municipalities in the country, namely Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) and Greater Irbid Municipality (GIM). The share of solid waste management cost from the total municipal budget in GAM and GIM is 13.3% and 24%, respectively. On the other hand, the cost per ton of solid waste management in GAM is USD 85 and in GIM it is USD 50. Medium-term and long-term scenarios were considered in the SDM analysis. By considering the year 2016 as a baseline year, the simulation revealed that during the midterm period (2022–2026), the cost recovery will be increased from 54% to 82.5% in GAM, while in GIM it will be raised from 45% to 70%. Moreover, during the long-term period (2027–2034) as a result of adopting circular economy options by recycling and composting, both GAM and GIM will achieve full cost recovery of the solid waste services, in 2028 and 2029, respectively. Furthermore, diverting the solid waste from the landfill will lead to climate change mitigation, where about 652,275 tons of CO2eq. and greenhouse gases will be avoided. It is recommended that municipalities in Jordan should consider a more efficient solid waste collection mechanism rather than through electricity bills. Further research is needed to assess the impact of other circular economy options such as waste to energy and extended producer responsibility (EPR).

Impacts of Plastic Usage on Human Health

To date, most of natural materials used in manufacturing such as paper, glass, and cotton, have been replaced by plastic. Global production currently exceeds 320 million tonnes (Mt) per year, over 40% of which is used as single-use packaging, resulting in plastic waste [1]. In Malaysia, plastic shopping or carrier bags are one of the main sources of plastic waste, therefore, Malaysia is tracking global trends in both the overall generation of plastic waste and the consumption of single-use plastics. Malaysia ranks second in Asia after Philippines for annual per capita plastic use and, it ranks eighth among nations worldwide that mismanage plastic waste [2].
 At every stage of its lifecycle, plastic poses distinct risks to human health. However, many traders still prefer to use non-environmentally friendly plastic bags because they are cheaper than biodegradable ones [2]. Chemicals are added to plastics to give them characteristics such as plasticity, colour, malleability, durability, or the hardness that some products need. Some groups of these chemicals such as bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates have been identified as hazardous for human health, as they have been suspected of disrupting our hormonal system. BPA has been associated with several health problems such as ovarian chromosomal damage, decreased sperm production, rapid puberty, rapid changes in immune system, type-2 diabetes, cardiovascular disorder, obesity etc. Some studies have also claimed that BPA increases the risk of breast cancer, prostate cancer, pains, metabolic disorders, etc. BPA in women can be associated with impaired health, including obesity, endometrial hyperplasia, recurrent miscarriages, sterility, and polycystic ovarian syndrome [4]. Moreover, substances such as POPs, benzyne, and VOCs are present, which are all proven to adversely affect human health [3].
 Exposure to harmful chemicals during manufacturing, leaching in the stored food items while using plastic packages or chewing of plastic teethers and toys by children are linked with severe adverse health outcomes such as cancers, birth defects, impaired immunity, endocrine disruption, developmental and reproductive effects etc. [3]. Thus, the objective of this study is to determine the impact of plastic to human health. This paper involved with secondary data collected from journals, proceedings, books, and internet sources regarding the topic.
 To conclude, Malaysia recycled just 24% of key plastic resins in 2019 and currently is not on track to meet the JPSPN (National Solid Waste Management Department) recycling target of 40% by 2025. Hence, removing plastic from the environment is incredibly urgent, as it creates environmental and health problems for both humans and marine life. Thus, plastics recognized to be a global contaminant of concern by policymakers, scientists, media, and public attention on the issue steadily increasing. Hence, promotion of plastics substitutes and safe disposal of plastic waste requires urgent and definitive action to take care of this potential health hazard in future [3]. One of the immediate campaigns launched was a No Plastic Bag Day (NPBD) in 2011 in raising awareness and reducing the use of single-use plastics in Malaysia. Through this campaign, free plastic bags in grocery stores were banned nationwide with a levy of 0.20 MYR was also added per plastic bag consumed in grocery stores and supermarkets to change consumer behaviour. This was followed by a nationwide ban on the use of straws in 2020 [5]. Recognizing that plastic pollution is a serious emerging issue, Malaysia’s Roadmap towards Zero Single-Use Plastics 2018–2030 was gazetted back in 2018 with the vision to take a phased, evidence-based, and holistic approach by involving all stakeholders in jointly addressing single-use plastics pollution in Malaysia [5].

Public Practice, Knowledge and Attitude on Managing Kitchen and Food Wastes in Bintulu, Sarawak, Malaysia

Kitchen and food wastes discarded from the food related premises contributes to the high proportion of organic waste that end up in its landfill. The methane gas released during the dumping of food waste at the landfills is unsafe because the gas is flammable, and it is also a strong greenhouse gas. To tackle this problem, efforts are necessary to reduce the kitchen waste generated and to manage the disposal of waste sustainably. However, for this initiative to be successful, the owners and workers in food sector play an important role. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the practice, knowledge, and attitude of the food premises owners towards managing the kitchen and food waste in the district of Bintulu, Sarawak. Thus, a survey was conducted among 130 owners of randomly selected food premises. The collected data showed that food waste has the largest portion (46.7%) produced in Bintulu compared to other MSW such as plastic, paper, glass, metal, etc. Most respondents prefer to dump the food and kitchen wastes into garbage bins (79.2%) rather than composting (6.2%), donate, reuse, and recycle. This result proved the importance of building a biogas plant for kitchen and food waste since the respondents preferred to throw away the leftover food rather than composting the food. It will also help to propose appropriate treatment technologies to support the National Solid Waste Management (SWM) Policy and National Green Technology Policy for waste-to-wealth projects.

Philippine Urban Infrastructure: Looking Back and Looking Forward

Infrastructure consists of transportation, communications, water supply, wastewater treatment and disposal, drainage, solid wastes management, and energy. This short review focuses on urban infrastructure, its state, issues, and challenges in the megacities of the Philippines, namely, Metro Manila, Metro Cebu, and Metro Davao. In terms of transportation, the major cities have been experiencing worsening transport and traffic problems resulting in high rates of traffic accidents and air pollution. In communications, although the liberalization policy of communications allowed more players that provide all types of communication services, the country’s communication, suffers from low internet speed, high infrastructure cost, outdated law, unsatisfactory service, and hackers. Problems for water supply include lack of water supply, high rates of non-revenue water, and increasing demand due to population growth and requirements of agriculture, business, and industrial establishments. Water-related problems are handling of wastewater, drainage, and flooding. On the other hand, solid wastes volume increases with increasing population and industrialization. Strategies to address the problems and challenges caused by rapid urbanization include institutional reforms to create multiple growth centers, improve public transport system and services so that many more people will use it, address the widening water supply/demand gap through water conservation, watershed management, rainwater harnessing, and expansion of the water supply system. To address the widening water supply/demand gap, water conservation, watershed management, rainwater harnessing, and expansion of the water supply system need to be careful, encompassing plan of action and implementation. Communications problems require expanding market liberalization, evaluating policy structures, review of licensing schemes among others. For solid waste management, the government‘s overall policy is shown in the National Solid Waste Management (NSWM) Framework with the key words: avoid, reduce, reuse, recycle, recover, treatment, and residues management.

Analysis of territorial waste management schemes of the most populated regions of the Russian Federation

Within the framework of the proposed article, the territorial waste management schemes of the seven most populated subjects of the Russian Federation are analyzed. The success of the reform of the national solid waste management industry is impossible without an adequate regional interpretation of the goals specified in the Industry Development Strategy and the corresponding Federal Project. The key indicators reflected in these documents are an increase in the share of municipal solid waste utilization, up to 36 %, for sorting — up to 60 % by 2024. The necessity to reduce the share of imported equipment for municipal solid waste treatment to 22 % is also highlighted. The authors of the article analyzed the territorial schemes of Moscow, the Moscow Oblast, the Krasnodar Krai, St. Petersburg, the Sverdlovsk Oblast, the Rostov Oblast, and the Republic of Bashkortostan. As a result of the study, it was revealed that in some of the analyzed regions of the Russian Federation an imbalance in the target indicators set in the territorial schemes takes place. In addition, the following disadvantages of the analyzed territorial schemes were highlighted: lack of a description of technological solutions which are planned to be used to achieve the key indicators, plans of commissioning of insufficiently high-tech facilities and construction of new landfills, almost complete lack of information on import substitution. The authors also noted the difficulties of gaining access to files with territorial schemes on the Internet, since there are no unified standards for their publication in Russia. This fact reduces the information transparency of the industry for both population and the expert community.

A Pilot Study on the Potential for Household Composting at a Rural Community in Guyana

Extensive waste production and population growth have given rise to incremental challenges in the national solid waste management sector. This established a need for sustainable and environmentally-friendly means of waste elimination or reduction. Composting can support this, while adding value to the agricultural sector. A number of composting technologies are available, which are specific to the scale of operation and the available resources.

Solid Waste Management: A Socio-Economic Perspective of Urban and Peri-Urban Communities in Honiara

The risks of poor waste management are multi-dimensional, including environmental, social, economic, and health. The consequences are particularly acute, in the context of developing countries. The Solomon Islands’ National Solid Waste Management Strategy outlines the challenges, essentially in urban and peri-urban centers. Quantification of solid waste generation in urban and peri-urban centers across the nation, alongside the related attitudinal, social and economic impacts, remain largely unknown.

The Impact of Economic Class on Solid Waste Generation Pattern in Capital City of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

Solid waste management has been recognized as the crucial urban environmental problem in Malaysia. In order to ameliorate waste management, it is essential to know the quantity of waste generated and the elements contributing to the generation of waste. This study was conducted to determine the association between socioeconomic factors and solid waste generation in Kuala Lumpur, to analyse the class of income that contribute the highest contribution of solid waste generation and to propose mitigation plan to local authority in controlling waste production in the study area. In this paper, the socioeconomic factors that lead to waste generation in Kuala Lumpur are presented. A seventeen years (2000-2017) secondary database obtained from the Department of Statistic Malaysia (DOSM), National Solid Waste Management Department (NSWMD) and National Property Information Centre (NAPIC) were statistically analysed by using Chemometric techniques which includes Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Multiple Linear Regression (MLR). The study revealed that population, household income, GDP per capita, low cost flat, 2-3 storey terraced, town house, 2-3 storey semi-detached and apartment/condominium were positively strong correlated with solid waste generation. PCA analysis indicated that population, household income, GDP per capita, single storey terraced, 2-3 storey terraced, single storey semi-detached, 2-3 storey semi-detached, town house, low cost flat, and condominium/apartment were the most potential contributors to waste generation. MLR revealed that population, GDP per capita, household income, high income class and middle-income class were the significant factor towards solid waste generation in Kuala Lumpur. This study gives new insight on the part of socioeconomic parameter in influencing the production of solid waste.

The role of solid waste composting in mitigating climate change in Jordan.

Solid waste composting has never been practised on a full scale in Jordan. However, the National Solid Waste Management Strategy recommended five major composting facilities to be put into operation starting from 2025. According to the Ministry of Environment, the waste sector is contributing to 10.6% of the total greenhouse gas emissions of the country. The main objective of this study was to assess the potential of solid waste composting in mitigating greenhouse gas emissions in Jordan. Applying the upstream-operating-downstream account framework and developing a model that estimates the greenhouse gas emissions, it was possible to estimate the emissions associated with composting of source-segregated bio-waste, which was compared with three other scenarios, including business as usual (dumping and landfilling), sanitary landfilling, and anaerobic digestion. The assessment revealed that composting and anaerobic digestion of the total generated source-segregated bio-waste (Scenarios 3 and 4) have the least net greenhouse gas emissions with 1.1 million Mg CO2-eq y-1, while engineered sanitary landfilling and dumping have net emissions of 2.6 and 3.75 million Mg CO2-eq y-1, respectively. The findings of this research are paving the way to make informed and responsible decisions in the Jordanian solid waste sector to adopt sustainable and integrated management options.

Taking control of persistent solid waste pollution

The complexity and scale of the sources, types and environmental impacts of persistent solid waste pollution (PSWP) continue to overwhelm the capabilities of government and private efforts to control it. Global cumulative production of virgin plastics is expected to quadruple by 2050 with a concomitant doubling of plastic waste. All nations must take significant steps to realize eventual mitigation of PSWP. These will include adopting a long-term PSWP elimination policy, creating an overarching authority to lead and coordinate a comprehensive national solid waste management program, and creating an International Convention for the Prevention of PSWP to enable global solutions for this global pollution. Initiating these changes will necessitate major, coordinated efforts on the part of environmental organizations, their supporting foundations and concerned citizens.

The Practices of Good Governance in National Solid Waste Management Policy (NSWMP) Implementation: A Case Study of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Practices of Good Governance in National Solid Waste Management Policy (NSWMP) Implementation: A Case Study of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia

The Constraints of Good Governance Practice in National Solid Waste Management Policy (NSWMP) Implementation in Malaysia

The Constraints of Good Governance Practice in National Solid Waste Management Policy (NSWMP) Implementation in Malaysia

Constraints to 3R construction waste reduction among contractors in Penang

Rapid development of construction industry increases construction waste on landfill leading to shorter life span of the landfill. Waste reduction through Reduce, Reuse and Recycle (3R) practice has been encouraged in construction industry towards sustainable waste management since couple of decades ago. However, waste reduction through 3R is still at its infancy in construction industry in Penang, Malaysia. The aim of this paper is to determinate the constraints to construction waste reduction through 3R among contractors in Penang. The findings reported herein is based on feedbacks from 143 construction contractors of grade CIDB G7, G6 and G5 based in Penang, experts from Penang Local Authority, CIDB in Penang and its headquarters, National Solid Waste Management Department, and headquarters of Solid Waste and Public Cleansing Management Corporation (SWCorp). Based on interviews and questionnaire surveys, constraints identified are Time and cost, Contractor’s attitude and low participation, Lack of enforcement law and regulation, Lack of awareness and knowledge, Lack of coordination, and Lack of space. Awareness and knowledge, and enforcement law and regulation are the major barriers which influence others constraints as well. Therefore, these constraints should be emphasized by the authorities in order to improve the implementation of 3R construction waste reduction.

The Potential Benefits of Introducing Informal Recyclers and Organic Waste Recovery to a Current Waste Management System: The Case Study of Santiago de Chile

Chile has experienced rapid economic growth in recent decades. However, this economic growth has been accompanied by a huge increase in waste generation. Although the country has historically put emphasis on appropriate final disposal of waste through landfill, the environmental problems generated by this activity have shown that it is necessary to improve the national solid waste management approach. Santiago, the capital of Chile, generates about 43% of the national solid waste. A study conducted by the Ministry of the Environment in 2011 found that 14% of the waste generated in the capital is recycled, mostly thanks to local campaigns and collection by the informal sector (scavengers). While in 2009 the government set a target to recycle 25% of municipal inorganic waste by 2020, there is no information on the implementation process to reach this target. Most importantly, the law has not established specific recycling rates for target materials, and, has not taken into consideration organic waste recovery, which accounts for 48% of the total waste stream. In order to meet the government target and at the same time promote organic waste recovery, this study proposes and evaluates the environmental impacts of different viable alternatives for municipal solid waste collection, treatment and recovery by using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). The proposed scenarios range from the current situation to the introduction of organic waste recovery and the inclusion of informal recyclers in the collection process. By considering the investment and treatment costs of each alternative, the study identifies the most effective scenario in terms of avoided pollutants per cost ratio. Finally, the study analyzes the feasibility of the implementation of the selected scenario by indicating benefits and challenges. The results of the scenario evaluation suggest that the scenario with the highest recovery of inorganic and organic materials, coupled with the participation of the informal collectors, will have a positive impact not only in terms of meeting and surpassing the government goal, but also in the reduction of CO2eq emissions. This scenario can reduce by approximately 3.5% the national CO2eq generated, with a cost of $14.1/ton. Moreover, the potential reductions of CH4 account for 8.5% of the national CH4 emissions and 24.5% of the national waste sector CH4 emissions.

Material flows analysis of plastic in Thailand

A study of the plastics materials flow analysis in Thailand was aim to show the flow of plastic materials through production, consumption, and waste management based on the year 2013 and projection to the year 2020. This paper finds the plastic waste generation increasing steadily in line with population growth and increasing consumption. In addition, the simulation under waste management three scenarios includes the following: the business as usual, increasing recycled rate set on the National Solid Waste Management Master Plan (2016-2021) and increasing in rate of energy recovery by the Alternative Energy Development Plan 2015-2036. The plastic material flow analysis has shown that the implementation of the National Solid Waste Management Master Plan (2016-2021) or the Alternative Energy Development Plan 2015-2036 can reduce uncollected waste and improper waste disposal. Moreover, there is benefit by adding value from recycled materials and energy recovery.