Residual Household Research Articles

Assessing the Potential Climate Impacts and Benefits of Waste Prevention and Management: A Case Study of Sweden

This study employs a life cycle perspective to analyze the carbon footprints of various waste streams, evaluating 52 cases across 26 types of household waste in Sweden, with a focus on waste prevention and management. It demonstrates that while recycling can reduce carbon emissions, prevention could significantly enhance these benefits, with savings ranging from −36.5 to −0.01 kg-CO2-eq per kg of waste. Notably, Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE), textiles, tires, residual household, and plastic waste are the top five fractions most amenable to prevention on a per mass basis. Further analysis, considering waste volumes, shows that targeted recycling of materials like WEEE, metals, and paper could account for over 80% of potential carbon savings. However, the majority of potential climate impact is attributed to the energy recovery of unsorted (mixed) waste, contributing to more than 90% of total impacts. Redirecting all mixed waste to recycling could triple carbon savings, but focusing on prevention could potentially increase benefits twenty-sevenfold, particularly for waste like WEEE, food, and textiles. This research provides a valuable tool for identifying key areas in waste management to optimize climate benefits and enhance public awareness. However, it advises using local data for precise planning due to inherent uncertainties.

Impact of a High Penetration of Electric Vehicles and Photovoltaic Inverters on Power Quality inan Urban Residential Grid PartII-Harmonic Distortion

This paper presents a measurement-based assessment of the impact of a high penetration of plug-in electric vehicles with on-board charger (EVC) and photovoltaic inverters (PVI) on Power Quality in a public low voltage (LV) network with residential customers. This is the second part of a two-part paper.While part I provides all details about the measurement location and discusses the impact on unbalance, this part is focused on the harmonic distortion. The results are based on extensivemeasurements in an urban grid with almost 100 households(HH),43 PVIs and 36 EVCs. This paper discusses in detail the impact of PVI and EVC on selected low order harmonics as well as the total harmonic distortion at different levels of customer aggregation. At first the individual impact of a single PVI and EVC are analyzed for different operating conditions. In particular, a sunny day, a cloudy day and hours during the night are used for PVI,while periods of charging and periods of no-charging are considered for EVC. Next, the interaction between PVI, EVCand the residual household load at household level is discussed. Finally, the impact on current and voltage distortion at the level of the low voltage grid is analyzed.

Physico‐chemical characterization of Residual Household Waste for energy recovery in insular territories: Case study of Reunion Island

AbstractWaste‐to‐energy is a promising approach to face the current challenge of waste overproduction in Reunion Island, a French territory. In this particular context of an isolated and tropical territory, it is essential to study the properties of potential feedstocks to choose the most appropriate conversion process. This article reports on the composition of Residual Household Waste from Reunion Island and its physico‐chemical parameters. Twelve representative samples of Residual Household Waste were subjected to thermal and elemental analysis. The results showed that their composition had a significant influence on the physico‐chemical properties, including calorific value. Residual Household Waste from the selective sorting (rich in wood, plastic, and sanitary textiles) as well as dry mixed RHW are the most interesting for energy recovery. Due to their high volatile matter and high carbon content, and their low moisture content, these types of waste have a high calorific value exceeding 18 MJ/kg. Furthermore, the RHW sample comply with the environmental and health criteria applied by French regulations concerning halogen and heavy metal. Thus, it seems that Residual Household Waste can be an alternative to conventional fuels used in incineration or pyro‐gasification processes. However, the study also points the need for a pre‐treatment process for these wastes. Indeed, it is necessary to sort them correctly in order to avoid the risks of pollution and important maintenance. And more importantly, drying beforehand is unavoidable to improve combustibility and obtain optimal energy conversion.

Joint modelling of systolic and diastolic blood pressure and its associated factors among women in Ghana: Multivariate response multilevel modelling methods.

Elevated blood pressure is the leading cause of cardiovascular diseases related mortality and a major contributor to non-communicable diseases globally, especially in sub-Saharan Africa where about 74.7 million people live with hypertension. In Ghana, hypertension is epidemic with prevalence of over 30% and experiencing continuing burden with its associated morbidity and mortality. Using the 2014 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey, we analyzed data on 4744 women aged 15-49 years residing in 3722 households. We employed univariate and multivariate response multilevel linear regression models to analyze predictors of systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP). Geospatial maps were produced to show the regional distribution of hypertension prevalence in Ghana. Stata version 17 and R version 4.2.1 were used to analyze the data. Of the 4744 woman, 337 (7.1%) and 484 (10.2%) were found to be hypertensive on SBP and DBP, respectively. A combined prevalence of 12.3% was found. Older ages 25-34 (OR 2.45, 95%CI: 1.27, 3.63), 35-44 (OR 8.72, 95%CI: 7.43, 10.01), 45-49 (OR 15.85, 95%CI: 14.07, 17.64), being obese (OR 5.10, 95%CI: 3.62, 6.58), and having no education (OR -2.05, 95%CI: -3.40, -0.71) were associated with SBP. For DBP, we found the associated factors to be older ages 25-34 (OR 3.29, 95%CI: 2.50, 4.08), 35-44 (OR 6.78, 95%CI: 5.91, 7.64), 45-49 (OR 10.05, 95%CI: 8.85, 11.25), being obese (OR 4.20, 95%CI: 3.21, 5.19), and having no education (OR -1.23, 95%CI: -2.14, -0.33). Substantial residual household level differences in SBP (15%) and DBP (14%) were observed. We found strong residual correlation of SBP and DBP on individual women (r = 0.73) and household-level (r = 0.81). The geospatial maps showed substantial regional differences in the observed and reported hypertension prevalence. Interventions should be targeted at the identified high-risk groups like older age groups and those who are obese, and the high-risk regions.

Analysis and Estimation of Short Term Residual Household Waste Production: Case Study Reunion Island

The objective of this approach is to evaluate the formation of waste production at the communal level in a small island state. The question of waste management is an important issue for all local authorities, but it is even more so in an island context. The small island areas are all the more confronted with this problem insofar as they must combine their own specific characteristics, which can be very restrictive: isolation and remoteness, centralized economy, non-competitive domestic market, geographical and climatic conditions, growing demography, social structure and economic and energy dependence. The list is certainly not exhaustive, but it is sufficient to establish a framework for reflection, where these different specificities interact strongly with the development of these territories. Although they reveal above all remarkable and fragile ecosystems, a bad waste management policy can cause irremediable damage environmentally, economically, and socially. It is therefore important to understand the implications of waste management on the island. This approach introduces an analysis, in order to express the communal specificities of the production of residual household waste, in order to bring contextualized elements of answers to the waste management strategy of Reunion Island. Indeed, dysfunctions have been noted in the collection and transfer process and more particularly, in waste disposal.

A Survey of the Gasification of Residual Household Waste

Solid waste is a promising renewable fuel that can substitute conventional fuel. According to the researchers, thermoconversion of solid waste such as municipal solid waste or residual household waste (RHW) is beneficial to society. However, due to its heterogeneity, the gasification of RHW is more complex. This review article discusses the steps that RHW must undergo before its thermoconversion and the state of the art of solid waste gasification. First, characterisation methods of RHW are surveyed. Second, the properties of RHW, the production lines of refuse derived fuel (RDF) from RHW, the influence of RDF composition and operating parameters such as equivalence ratio and temperature are reviewed. Moreover, RDF gasification products, scientific barriers and proposed solutions are evaluated. In conclusion, concerning emissions, costs and technical aspects related to each thermochemical process, it can be said that gasification is a promising technique for the recovery of RHW. However, studies on cogasification of waste and biomass on a pilot-industrial scale are still scarce and synergistic effects of this cogasification need to be clarified.

Target and Nontarget Screening of PFAS in Biosolids, Composts, and Other Organic Waste Products for Land Application in France.

Zwitterionic, cationic, and anionic per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are increasingly reported in terrestrial and aquatic environments, but their inputs to agricultural lands are not fully understood. Here, we characterized PFAS in 47 organic waste products (OWP) applied in agricultural fields of France, including historical and recent materials. Overall, 160 PFAS from 42 classes were detected from target screening and homologue-based nontarget screening. Target PFAS were low in agriculture-derived wastes such as pig slurry, poultry manure, or dairy cattle manure (median ∑46PFAS: 0.66 μg/kg dry matter). Higher PFAS levels were reported in urban and industrial wastes, paper mill sludge, sewage sludge, or residual household waste composts (median ∑46PFAS: 220 μg/kg). Historical municipal biosolids and composts (1976-1998) were dominated by perfluorooctanesulfonate (PFOS), N-ethyl perfluorooctanesulfonamido acetic acid (EtFOSAA), and cationic and zwitterionic electrochemical fluorination precursors to PFOS. Contemporaneous urban OWP (2009-2017) were rather dominated by zwitterionic fluorotelomers, which represented on average 55% of ∑160PFAS (max: 97%). The fluorotelomer sulfonamidopropyl betaines (X:2 FTSA-PrB, median: 110 μg/kg, max: 1300 μg/kg) were the emerging class with the highest occurrence and prevalence in contemporary urban OWP. They were also detected as early as 1985. The study informs for the first time that urban sludges and composts can be a significant repository of zwitterionic and cationic PFAS.

The influence of recycling schemes on the composition and generation of municipal solid waste

To ensure the transparency and comparability of life cycle assessment (LCA) studies of waste management systems, a comprehensive waste data is necessary. We sampled and characterised municipal household waste in Denmark to investigate the impact of recycling schemes on the composition and generation of residual household waste (RHW), provide detailed waste data to waste management authorities as well as LCA practitioners. In total, 20 ton of waste, taken from 1,800 households in seven Danish municipalities in 2011 and 2017, was manually sorted. These municipalities had in common the systems for source separation of paper, cardboard, metal and glass, whereas the recycling of food and plastic varied among them. The waste sorting campaigns provided detailed composition of individual recycling scheme including (1) food, (2) plastic, (3) paper, (4) cardboard, (5) metal, and (6) glass as well as (7) RHW. For each of the six recycling schemes, waste was sorted into two different waste catalogues containing 48 and 50 fractions. Such a detailed waste composition enables waste management authorities to design comprehensive guidelines for waste sorting, while providing LCA practitioners with data that can significantly improve the validity and certainty of their results and recommendations. The results show that the highest misplacement rate was found in waste bins dedicated to food, plastic and RHW. The statistical analyses show that source separation of food and plastic waste reduces significantly (11%) the total amount of household waste, suggesting that, in addition to the environmental benefit of diverting food and plastic waste from landfill and incineration, source segregation may as well contribute to waste prevention. Moreover, the source-sorting of food waste, independently of whether plastics were sorted or not, significantly influences the composition of the RHW.

Seasonal changes in bulk density-based waste identification and its dominant controlling subcomponents in food waste

Bulk density is an effective evaluation criterion for food and residual household solid waste (HSW) source separation accuracy, but the effect of seasonal components on its variation is unknown. The objective was to accurately determine seasonal variation in bulk-density based waste identification and to ascertain the dominant controlling subcomponents in food waste leading to seasonal variation. A total of 540 bagged wastes were collected in Beijing in August and December representing summer and winter half year. Low-valued food and residual waste were the primary categories, accounting for 60% and 35% of HSW, respectively. Average residual waste threshold was <114 kg/m3, irrespective of season, with good homogeneity (p=1.000). For food waste, winter thresholds were all lower than summer in investigated communities, appearing relatively seasonal difference (p=0.102), so they were divided into two: >193 kg/m3 in winter and >211 kg/m3 in summer. Mixed waste thresholds were 114-193 and 114-211 kg/m3 in winter and summer, respectively. Moreover, the pericarp moisture remarkably changes with season (p<0.005) while other subcomponents remain unaffected. Frequency distribution of pericarp species further indicate a higher frequency of watermelon pericarp in summer leads to greater food waste moisture than in winter, and therefore significant bulk density threshold differences between seasons. Understanding seasonal change in bulk density identification provides a theoretical basis for ‘intelligent supervision trashcan’ application in various climate areas across China, further realizing more efficient residual and food waste resource recovery.

Science Development Alternatives (Labtek Apung) Environmental Concern in Ciliwung

Waste management and domestic liquid waste residual household activities such as bathing, washing, and defecation were not done well along the Ciliwung river, causing water quality to decline. Residents of Kampung Tanah Rendah, Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, is still free-throw garbage and domestic household waste into the Ciliwung River. Waste management is not unified and usually carried by an individual or group by using the tool carrier in the form of a cart. Waste transportation costs are paid by the voluntary contributions of citizens. Most residents do not have bathroom facilities at home are reluctant to use latrines and still perform a routine to defecate on a bamboo raft floating raft river or familiarly called. Inspired by the citizens raft (getek) used for bathing, washing and activity, defecation, trash, and interact in Ciliwung, people consisting of adults and children are invited to get to know various kinds of water pollution. Adopting an idea of things that a citizen of the existence of the Ciliwung River on the raft, then made a scientific introduction of alternative methods such as “Labtek Apung” that implementation can be done independently or together and anywhere. Tests conducted is a test that is based on visual and organoleptic sensory processes. Parts of organs that play a role in sensing are the eyes as senses of sight, nose, and tongue as the sense of smell as a sensory taster. The scope of experiments on various kinds of water in the village is a test of physics, chemistry, and biological simple to use tools and materials that are easily found in the home. Simple physics test to see the physical shape, smell, color, and taste of the water. Simple chemical testing to see on the water hardness using the tea and simple biological test is performed to determine the existence of microorganisms that live in the water. The introduction of scientific alternatives to the residents, especially the children through these activities, would make scientific terms such as levels of turbidity, acidity, disorders of harmful microorganisms that normally can only be understood by most people with a specific background in the laboratory, to be made easier to understand. It is expected that after this event took place, residents are targeted to raise awareness of environmental problems that occur.

Efficacy of Indoor Residual Household Spraying in Control of Malaria among Children Under Five Ndola, Zambia

Efficacy of Indoor Residual Household Spraying in Control of Malaria among Children Under Five Ndola, Zambia

Evaluation of Indoor Residual Household Spraying (IRHS): Challenges Faced by Ndola Urban District

Evaluation of Indoor Residual Household Spraying (IRHS): Challenges Faced by Ndola Urban District

Quantity and quality of clothing and household textiles in the Danish household waste

Despite the fact that studies have indicated that a large proportion of textiles is disposed in the waste, only few studies have looked at the content of textiles in waste, and even less have considered the quality of these textiles. However, it is crucial to know both quantity and quality, in order to assess the potential for improved reuse and recycling. Following a new method for assessing the quantity and quality of textile waste, this study assessed residual household waste from 17 areas and small combustible waste from six recycling stations throughout Denmark. The average contents of Clothing and Household textiles in residual household waste were 1.4 ± 0.5% and 0.6 ± 0.3%, respectively, whereas the content was 4.5 ± 2.1% for Clothing and 2.6 ± 1.2% for Household textiles in the small combustibles. On an annual basis each resident discards to 2.4 ± 0.9 kg of Clothing and 1.1 ± 0.5 kg/resident/year of Household textiles with the residual household waste. The quality assessments showed, that an average of 65 ± 8.0% and 65 ± 19.3% of the Clothing and Household textiles were reusable in the residual household waste, while in small combustibles it were an average of 69 ± 5.8% and 66 ± 9.6% of the Clothing and Household textiles. In addition, an average of 12 ± 5.3% and 15 ± 10.5% of the Clothing and Household textiles in residual waste, and an average of 14 ± 3.9% and 16 ± 8.7% of the Clothing and Household textiles in small combustibles, could be recycled. This emphasizes that there is good potential for improving textile waste management, as most of the identified Clothing and Household textiles were misplaced and little were actually waste.

The importance of characterizing residual household waste at the local level: A case study of Saguenay, Quebec (Canada)

Knowledge of the quantity and the type of residual household waste (RHW) generated by a population within a given territory is essential for developing affordable, effective, and sustainable management strategies for waste. This study aims to accurately describe the composition of residential residual materials collected directly from households over the course of a year. Household waste was collected from urban and rural sectors that were representative of the study territory. Samples were collected during the winter, summer, and fall of 2014. A total of 3039 kg of RHW was collected and sorted into 9 categories and 39 subcategories. Statistical analysis showed, except for organic matter, that the weight percentage of each category of material did not significantly differ among sampling periods or locations. Therefore, the results for a category were compiled to generate a single value to calculate the relative abundance of each type of residual material. Organic matter made up the majority fraction of the RHW (53% to 66%). This was followed by plastics (9%), bulky items and renovation/demolition debris (6%), textiles (5%), metals (4%), paper and cardboard fiber (4%), glass (2%), and household hazardous waste (2%). This approach has allowed us to improve the accuracy of the data used in MRM, contribute to the creation of a regional dataset for waste, and develop a methodology more applicable to local realities. Specific to the immediate needs of municipal MRM, we updated knowledge regarding the generation, recovery, and disposal of the contents of the residential sector, and tracked the evolution and the variation of contents over a given period. We believe our methodology is applicable to other regions having similar characteristics in terms of climate, socio-economic status, and other parameters that affect the composition of RHW.

Increasing the quantity of separated post-consumer plastics for reducing combustible household waste: The case of rigid plastics in Flanders

In Flanders, Belgium, rigid and soft plastics represent an interesting fraction of residual household waste as a potential 80 000 Gg a−1 can be recycled instead of incinerated. Removing a large amount of rigid packaging and non-packaging plastics from the residual household waste fraction could contribute to the goal to reduce the amount of residual household waste to less than 150 kg capita−1 a−1 for the Flemish region, where currently only 20% of plastics are collected selectively in drop-off facilities. Given the wide range of plastic separation schemes across the region, it is the aim of this paper to identify whether the applied separation options have an impact on the quantity of separated plastics, and, moreover, which scheme is able to separate most plastics. Cross-sectional data for the period 2008–2012 were collected for all 308 Flemish municipalities to conduct a regression analysis. The results of the analysis show that the quantity of separated plastics differs significantly between the different separation schemes used. If municipalities change their separation schemes, Flanders as a whole would be able to collect more plastic waste to better comply with its own objectives and EU regulation on recycling. Improved separation-at-source recycling initiatives, by applying the appropriate separation scheme for plastics, may increase recycling growth.

Compositional analysis of seasonal variation in Danish residual household waste

Seasonal variations are considered one of the key factors affecting the generation and composition of residual waste. Despite this importance, attempts have not been made to characterize residual household waste consistently by accounting for seasonal variations in waste disposal patterns. To assess differences between seasons and within individual households, we collected residual household waste from the same 101 households in summer, autumn and winter. The waste bags were sorted individually, and residual household waste data (mass and composition) were generated for each household. In total, 3t of waste were collected, weighed and manually sorted into nine (9) waste fractions. The result of mixed linear model indicated that for this study area, seasonal variations may introduce no significant difference to the mass and composition of residual household waste. However, residual waste generation within a household may change significantly between the seasons. The result also showed that while household size may significantly influence the generation of residual household, the difference in residual household waste composition was not significantly different between household sizes.

Environmental impacts and resource losses of incinerating misplaced household special wastes (WEEE, batteries, ink cartridges and cables)

The contribution of misplaced special waste (sWEEE, lamps, CRT, batteries, ink cartridges and cables) to environmental impacts from incineration of residual household waste was quantified through life cycle assessment (LCA)-modelling. Misplaced special waste was quantified to constitute less than 1% of the net impact for most environmental impact categories, except for the toxic impact categories (4–28% of toxic impacts) and the impact on abiotic resource depletion. It was found that the main contributor (96%) to the toxic impact categories was related to the presence of mercury (Hg) from lamps and batteries. However as shown by sensitivity analysis, lack of good data on the transfer of rare and hazardous metals to the flue gas in the incineration process should receive further investigation before the environmental impacts from misplaced incinerated special waste can fully be concluded upon. Although the misplaced special waste is only 0.5% of residual household waste, it constitutes in the residual household waste the most significant fraction with respect to metal content when iron and aluminum are excluded. By extending the boundary of the LCA beyond the traditional “zero burden boundary”, we were able to quantify the impact of abiotic resources not recovered from incineration residues. This appeared to be a significant impact category, and the special waste contributed about 96% of this category although it by weight makes up only 0.5% of the waste. Furthermore, enhancing the recovery of iron (Fe) and aluminum (Al) from the ashes would not affect the loss of abiotic resources significantly. Only by recovering elements as platinum (Pt), copper (Cu), gold (Au), and silver (Ag) would it be possible to reduce the loss of abiotic resources from the system. These elements are primarily found in misplaced special waste (sWEEE, lamps, CRT, batteries, ink cartridges, and cables).

Application of stability indicators for the assessment of the degradation of residual household waste before landfilling.

In France, domestic waste production is estimated at c 350 kg year-1 per person and landfilling still represents a predominant way of municipal solid waste management, with 39% of waste dumped in 2007. Waste characterization campaigns were conducted at different stages of a mechanical-biological treatment process in order to evaluate its efficiency. Waste samples were sorted by size (>100 mm, <100-20 mm and <20 mm) in order to assess the opportunity for mechanical and aerobic degradation and to reduce the volume of waste landfilled. The monitoring of parameter characteristics of waste stabilization highlighted a decrease in both organic matter and oxidizable organic matter, and an increase in fine particles <20 mm. The respirometric index after 4 days performed on waste samples from the pre-treatment stage showed a decrease in the biological activity compared with the samples taken upstream in the process. The biochemical methane potential of the waste is above the German limit of acceptance in landfills. This intermediate phase of stabilization is confirmed by the results of the leaching tests and hydrophobic fractionation.

Food waste from Danish households: Generation and composition

Sustainable solutions for reducing food waste require a good understanding of food waste generation and composition, including avoidable and unavoidable food waste. We analysed 12tonnes of residual household waste collected from 1474 households, without source segregation of organic waste. Food waste was divided into six fractions according to avoidability, suitability for home-composting and whether or not it was cooked, prepared or had been served within the household. The results showed that the residual household waste generation rate was 434±18kg per household per year, of which 183±10kg per year was food waste. Unavoidable food waste amounted to 80±6kg per household per year, and avoidable food waste was 103±9kg per household per year. Food waste mass was influenced significantly by the number of occupants per household (household size) and the housing type. The results also indicated that avoidable food waste occurred in 97% of the households, suggesting that most Danish households could avoid or at least reduce how much they generate. Moreover, avoidable and unavoidable food waste was more likely to be found in houses containing more than one person than in households with only one occupant.

Resource recovery from residual household waste: An application of exergy flow analysis and exergetic life cycle assessment

Exergy is based on the Second Law of thermodynamics and can be used to express physical and chemical potential and provides a unified measure for resource accounting. In this study, exergy analysis was applied to four residual household waste management scenarios with focus on the achieved resource recovery efficiencies. The calculated exergy efficiencies were used to compare the scenarios and to evaluate the applicability of exergy-based measures for expressing resource quality and for optimizing resource recovery. Exergy efficiencies were determined based on two approaches: (i) exergy flow analysis of the waste treatment system under investigation and (ii) exergetic life cycle assessment (LCA) using the Cumulative Exergy Extraction from the Natural Environment (CEENE) as a method for resource accounting. Scenario efficiencies of around 17–27% were found based on the exergy flow analysis (higher efficiencies were associated with high levels of material recycling), while the scenario efficiencies based on the exergetic LCA lay in a narrow range around 14%. Metal recovery was beneficial in both types of analyses, but had more influence on the overall efficiency in the exergetic LCA approach, as avoided burdens associated with primary metal production were much more important than the exergy content of the recovered metals. On the other hand, plastic recovery was highly beneficial in the exergy flow analysis, but rather insignificant in exergetic LCA. The two approaches thereby offered different quantitative results as well as conclusions regarding material recovery. With respect to resource quality, the main challenge for the exergy flow analysis is the use of exergy content and exergy losses as a proxy for resource quality and resource losses, as exergy content is not per se correlated with the functionality of a material. In addition, the definition of appropriate waste system boundaries is critical for the exergy efficiencies derived from the flow analysis, as it is constrained by limited information available about the composition of flows in the system as well as about secondary production processes and their interaction with primary or traditional production chains. In the exergetic LCA, resource quality could be reflected by the savings achieved by product substitution and the consideration of the waste’s upstream burden allowed for an evaluation of the waste’s resource potential. For a comprehensive assessment of resource efficiency in waste LCA, the sensitivity of accounting for product substitution should be carefully analyzed and cumulative exergy consumption measures should be complimented by other impact categories.