Waste Management Sector Research Articles

Management of waste electrical and electronic equipment based on circular economy strategies: navigating a sustainability transition toward waste management sector

In transitioning to a circular economy with sustainable waste management, the role of waste management sector shifts from being a regulator to being a facilitator. Instead of just regulating waste flows, the sector tries to encourage businesses to address all aspects of circular economy sustainability in a more efficient manner. The sustainability assessment in the sector lacks a hybrid method to aggregate the sustainability dimensions of circular economy strategies into a single summary indicator. This process is a multiple-criteria decision-making problem that requires the integration of circular economy strategies to form the sustainability indices. In order to make the right choices here, this study proposes a fuzzy three-phase group multiple-criteria decision-making approach. This approach integrates fuzzy analytic network process (fuzzy ANP), fuzzy decision-making trail and evaluation laboratory (fuzzy DEMATEL) and fuzzy multi-objective optimization on the basis of ration analysis (fuzzy MULTIMOORA). In addition, a proposed aggregate circular economy-based sustainability index is applied to calculate the closeness of the outcomes of the hybrid method to the ideal strategies. The performance of the method is evaluated in the real-world cases concerning the selection of the most suitable circular economy strategies for a sustainable waste electrical and electronic equipment management practice.

Maximizing recyclable materials and user utility in waste collection: a linear-quadratic bilevel optimization approach

In this paper, we present the problem in which a municipal company operating in the waste management sector willing to encourage users to use differentiated waste collection facilities, designs a utility user function to attain such a goal. The problem is modeled in terms of bilevel optimization where the leader is the municipal firm which aims at maximizing the concurrent fraction of user waste demand thrown in recycling facilities, and the follower are users aiming at maximizing the utility function proposed by the leader. The resulting bilevel model is analysed in terms of stability showing that its optimistic solution value equals the pessimistic solution value. A solution approach is presented. Finally, a computational study shows the effectiveness of our proposal.

Bringing trust and transparency to the opaque world of waste management with blockchain: a Polkadot parathread application

The majority of countries are currently struggling to achieve sustainable levels of recycling and waste treatment, particularly relating to household waste, and this area is in urgent need of new solutions. In general, the waste management sector has struggled with low consumer trust, fraud, manipulation, significant manual processes, and low levels of information and control. Here we propose a hybrid blockchain solution called a Polkadot parachain. Polkadot is a blockchain technology that allows for the development of a network of blockchains, each called a parachain that can be customised to the business needs of a given application. This solution provides the cost benefits, scalability, and control of a permissioned blockchain while providing the security, verifiability, and trust of a public blockchain. The solution combines three typically separate blockchain use cases: supply chain tracking, incentivisation through a payment system, and gamification to achieve a complete solution for waste management. We provide a detailed discussion on the design of this blockchain solution with the use of blockchain functionality assessed against the criteria and development approaches found in the literature. Finally, we demonstrate how such a blockchain can be implemented with the Substrate blockchain development framework and detail a pilot project where this system will be implemented.

ІНВЕСТИЦІЙНЕ ЗАБЕЗПЕЧЕННЯ СФЕРИ ПОВОДЖЕННЯ З ВІДХОДАМИ ЯК СКЛАДНИК ЕКОНОМІЧНОГО МЕХАНІЗМУ ПРИРОДОКОРИСТУВАННЯ

The article considers the systemic characteristics of investment support for waste management as a component of the economic mechanism of nature management. It is revealed that the economic mechanism of nature management operates with a set of methods, tools and methods of influencing the processes of Environmental Protection, which are provided through the functioning of environmental infrastructure facilities in the public and corporate sectors, as well as in the household sector. It is established that an important component of the environmental infrastructure is the material and technical base of waste management, which provides placement, storage, sorting, disposal, and incineration of industrial and household waste. It is proved that modernization, reconstruction and technical re-equipment of the waste management industry require a significant amount of investment injections. It depends on the availability of an institutional environment for stimulating the investment process. Studies have shown that in 1996-2020, in Ukraine as a whole, there is an upward trend in the dynamics of capital investment in waste management, but the growth potential of investment injections into this component of environmental infrastructure is not fully used. It is established that the increase in investment injections in the modernization and reconstruction of the waste management industry depends on the inclusion in the economic mechanism of nature management of a complex of fiscal, credit and budget incentives for environmental business entities specializing in waste placement, sorting and disposal. It is proved that in the context of deepening decentralization of power, in particular, increasing the resource capabilities of United territorial communities, the institutional framework for increasing the amount of investment in the development of the waste management industry is significantly expanding, provided that local self-government bodies and business entities enter into statutory and non-statutory associations or conclude agreements between municipal and private partners. It is proved that the highest level of effectiveness of stimulating investment in the waste management sector is observed in the conditions of cluster formations, where coordination of the activities of municipal and corporate partners, as well as the household sector, is ensured to increase resource and financial flows in the modernization and reconstruction of the household waste disposal industry.

Negative Emissions in the Waste-to-Energy Sector: An Overview of the Newest-CCUS Programme

The deployment of Carbon Capture and Storage technologies in the waste management sector can make municipal and industrial waste a strategic resource for climate change mitigation. The generation of energy, in the form of electricity and heat, via the processing and incineration of waste already avoids methane emissions from landfill. The addition of CCS to Waste-to-Energy plants with CO2 capture levels close to 99% can reduce their CO2 emissions to the atmosphere close to zero. With CCS, biogenic carbon in waste becomes a domestic source of negative emissions with a supply chain that would complement other negative emission technologies, such as Bio-Energy with CCS (BECCS). The NEWEST-CCUS project is an ongoing €2.5M multidisciplinary (2019-2022) project involving academics and researchers from six organisations and four European countries. It seeks to improve understanding of technologies and opportunities for negative emissions in the waste-to-energy sector. This paper outlines the broad range of activities undertaken by the consortium in response to key challenges facing the sector.

Municipal waste collection flow planning issues

In Hungary, municipal waste collection plays a key role in the waste management sector. The common interest of the sector is to increase the efficiency of waste collection and minimize costs. It is also important in terms of material expenditure and environmental impact that this collection system works as efficiently as possible. In the presented work we tried to illustrate the currently operating system, the division of the Waste Management Regions, and the linking of the settlements and landfills. In addition, we examined the design of one other theoretical collection system that appears to be more efficient than the existing one and to present the influencing factors which have an effect the practical implementation of the theoretical model, their incorporation into specific flight plans.

The waste management sector of Hungary

Nowadays, the waste management sector faces a number of challenges. Changes in consumer habits generate huge amounts of industrial and household waste. Today’s trends, which involve a higher use of critical raw materials, such as in the manufacture of batteries and solar cells, make it urgent to extract valuable raw materials from waste. The waste sector as a whole, taking into consideration all levels of the waste hierarchy (prevention, reuse, recycling, energy recovery, landfilling), is a significant branch of the national economy, both in terms of employment and income-generating capacity. In addition, the sector can be considered a major intermediary in industrial value chains as it contributes to the generation of secondary raw materials that can be sold to industries and thus help to achieve a circular economy through the collection, treatment and processing of waste.

Low-carbon future opens opportunities for water sector

The list of countries that have committed to net-zero emissions by 2050 is growing. All Australian states and territories have committed to this target. It has prompted businesses in both the public and private sectors to begin developing and investing in strategies that contribute to a low carbon future. The global climate policy instruments, particularly the Paris Agreement, provides the legal framework for countries to plan and deliver on their commitments to reduce their greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. While the traditional energy sources (coal, gas, oil, solar and wind) will continue to play an important role in Australia’s future, the transition to a low carbon economy will require a diverse mix of other transformational low emission technologies. Energy-from-waste technologies like direct combustion, gasification and anaerobic digestion will play a major role in the waste management sector to support state and national resource recovery goals including the transition to a circular economy. Renewable gas and hydrogen production, as well as carbon capture and storage will complement current efforts to decarbonise the industrial, transport, domestic and energy sectors. This paper presents an overview of the policies relating to climate change and emissions reduction strategies in Australia, as well as a review of low emission technologies and investment opportunities for the water and waste sectors.

Comparative analysis of the criteria for evaluation of complex infrastructure of the socio-economic projects in the context of digitalization

The formation and development of the waste processing industry is important in the social and economic life of society. Ensuring environmental safety, rational nature management and minimizing the negative impact of waste on the environment are priority areas for the development of the Voronezh region. Currently, the regional system for managing municipal solid waste is being modernized through the formation of inter-municipal environmental waste processing clusters (IEWC). In this regard, the need to study the issue of assessing the effectiveness of ongoing measures to form an integrated infrastructure for safe waste management is very relevant, especially in the context of digitalization. The analysis of the system of target indicators of the federal and regional levels for the disposal, disposal and disposal of waste. As a result of the study, it was concluded that environmental indicators prevail in the management system in the field of safe waste management. The team of authors examined the variety of properties and characteristics of socio-ecological clusters and, on the basis of a comparative analysis, highlighted criteria by which it is possible to assess the results of digital transformation and the efficiency of the functioning of the sphere of safe waste management in our region. Using the results of this study will make it possible to analyze and control the degree of achievement of the objectives of the regional program for the modernization of the waste management sector in order to make effective management decisions in the context of digital transformation.

Lithium-Ion Batteries as Ignition Sources in Waste Treatment Processes—A Semi-Quantitate Risk Analysis and Assessment of Battery-Caused Waste Fires

Increasing occurrences of waste fires that are caused by improperly discarded lithium-based portable batteries threaten the whole waste management sector in numerous countries. Studies showed that high quantities of these batteries have been found in several municipal solid waste streams in recent years in Austria. This article reveals the main influence factors on the risk of lithium-based batteries in their end-of-life and it focuses on the quantification of damages to portable batteries during waste treatment processes. Hazards are identified and analysed and potential risks in waste management systems are comprehensively assessed. In two scenarios, the results showed that the potential risks are too high to maintain a sustainable form of waste management. According to the assessment, a small fire in a collection vehicle is located in the risk graph’s yellow region (as low as reasonably practicable, ALARP), while a fully developed fire in a treatment plant has to be classified as an unacceptable risk (red region of risk graph). Finally, basic recommendations for action were made.

Impact of utilizing solid recovered fuel on the global warming potential of cement production and waste management system: A life cycle assessment approach

Cement production is responsible for a significant share of global greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A potential option to reduce the cement production emissions is to use alternative fuels which can have also an impact on emissions from the waste management sector. This work investigates the change in global warming potential (GWP) of ordinary Portland cement (OPC) production and affected waste management systems when conventional fuels are partially replaced by solid recovered fuel (SRF) made from commercial and industrial waste (C&IW). A life cycle assessment (LCA) was conducted with a functional unit of 1 metric tonne of OPC production and treatment of 194 kg of C&IW. Data from an existing cement plant have been used, where the share of SRF from total fuel energy demand increased from 0% to 53% between 2007 and 2016. Four scenarios were established with varying waste treatment methods and SRF share in the thermal energy mix of cement production. It was found that GHG emissions decreased by 20% from 1036 kg carbon dioxide (CO2), eq. (functional unit)-1 in Scenario 1 to 832 kg CO2, eq. (functional unit)-1 in Scenario 3. Furthermore, it is possible to reach a reduction of 30% to 725 kg CO2, eq. (functional unit)-1 in Scenario by increasing the share of SRF to 80%. In conclusion, significant GHG emissions reduction can be achieved by utilizing SRF in cement production. Especially in the middle-income and low-income countries where waste is dumped to the open landfills, emissions could be reduced without huge investments to waste incineration plants.

The institutional challenges of public-private partnerships (PPPs) in transition economies: lessons from Kosovo

Although infrastructure public-private partnerships (PPPs) have become increasingly popular globally, they face their own institutional challenges in transition economies. This paper highlights some of these challenges by examining the (in)formal factors affecting Kosovo’s first PPP in the waste management sector, Ecohigjiena sh.p.k. Drawing upon semi-structured interviews with executives, senior managers, and administrative personnel from Ecohigjiena sh.p.k, the Tax Administration of Kosovo (TAK), and the municipality of Gjilan, the case analysis shows the PPP ultimately faced insurmountable internal and external difficulties, including low levels of professionalism, challenging legal frameworks, poor communication/trust between partners, and inadequate enforcement of regulations.

Chinese Engagement Abroad in the Scrap Business

This paper explores the changing nature of Chinese engagement abroad in the scrap business. Based on primary sources and interviews conducted by the author, it identifies the factors that, at different times, led Chinese scrap dealers and recyclers to extend the scope of their professional activity beyond the borders of their home country. Drawing on recent scholarship in discard studies, the author argues that it is necessary to move beyond the environmental dumping narrative in order to better understand Chinese national policy and its implications. This narrative serves as the main official justification for the bans on imports of recyclable waste that the central government adopted in recent years. However, there is good reason to believe that, by adopting a highly restrictive stance on the international waste trade, the central government sought first and foremost to bolster the municipal solid waste management sector within China. In turn, official support for domestic industrial players makes it possible for some Chinese corporations to emerge as providers of waste collection and recycling services at the international level. The trend, described in the paper, has already begun. It marks a shift from globalisation from below to globalisation from above.

More value from fewer resources: how to expand value stream mapping with ideas from circular economy

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss recent trends in the circular economy and investigate how value stream mapping (VSM) can be extended to more fully include some of the critical aspects of circular economy. Design/methodology/approach The findings are based on previous research that has explored the usage of VSM to include aspects of the environment and sustainability aspects. These ideas are then expanded to new ways to use VSM by mapping value of a product as it is; used, maintained, re-used, remanufactured, recycled, incinerated or used for landfill. The authors test out this approach through application in the waste management sector to identify possibilities for improvement and new business opportunities in what now is considered waste. Findings This paper introduces an expanded version of VSM that refines the existing Lean toolbox for exploring value and mapping value in a circular economy. Practical implications The aim of this paper is to expand the relevance and practical value of VSM as the world economy increasingly moves toward a circular one. Originality/value Today, VSM is a widespread method within Lean manufacturing that scrutinizes value creation within an organization or within a value chain. This paper describes how VSM can be refined to explore value streams in the afterlife of a product and explore waste as a resource utilization opportunity.

Impact of city characteristics on its phosphorus metabolism in the bay area: A comparative analysis of cities in the Greater Bay Area of China

Multiple types of human activities have greatly influenced anthropogenic phosphorus (P) cycle, causing severe environmental pressure especially for populous cities in the bay area with abundant water resources. The impact of city characteristics on their phosphorus metabolism should be identified to accordingly adjust these factors to sustain a more effective phosphorus management. Using the Greater Bay Area of China which contains 11 cities as a case, this study develops a phosphorus flow analysis model to quantify phosphorus flow amounts characterized by production, processing, consumption, and waste management sectors for each city. Impact of city characteristics on their phosphorus metabolic features illustrated by six indicators are then revealed by multiple regression analysis using variable data of the 11 cities. Results show that in 2016, to satisfy the human phosphorus demand of 59.9 Gg/y in the Greater Bay Area of China, 33.0 Gg/y was discharged into surface water, and 59.3 Gg/y accumulated in the city ecosystem. The average utilization rates of phosphorus in crop production, livestock production, and aquaculture were around 33.0%, 27.8%, and 26.7%, respectively. Cities with dense population or with developed agriculture had high emission intensity of phosphorus loads, while the latter type had a much higher per capita phosphorus pollution discharge of more than 2.5 kg/y. The scale of grain crop production and aquaculture production exhibited significant influence on phosphorus pollution emission features, while the recycling rate of sludge and agricultural wastes decided the whole urban systems’ phosphorus recycling rate to a great extent. This study can provide support to depict the urban phosphorus flow patterns, recognize its most influential socioeconomic and environmental factors, and propose effective phosphorus management measures for cities in the bay area.

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.

City Environmental Footprint: insights and application of an innovative LCA-based method to evaluate urban environmental impacts

In 2015, the United Nations chose cities as target of the 11th Sustainable Development Goals, which aims to ‘make cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable’. However, few quantitative methodologies can tackle the sustainability challenge and support cities in this transition. In order to comply with UN SDGs, the City Environmental Footprint (City EF) has been developed. Being systemic and systematic, its aim is the holistic assessment of urban environmental impacts (up to 18), as result of activities performed in key urban sectors (built environment, waste and water management, mobility, production and consumption sectors) by its main stakeholders (e.g. residents, but also important local entities etc.). This facilitates the identification of major hotspots and drivers of impacts in the city, and, based on these, areas of priority interventions and proposals for alternative scenarios. The City EF follows an enhanced LCA-based approach where specific methodological improvements are proposed, both system-related (city as object of investigation), than methodology-related (LCA as effective methodology). Furthermore, a first application of City EF was performed on the city of Leuven (Belgium) to test the method, and its feasibility. The aims of the present contribution are threefold: i) an overview of the City EF, its methodological proposals for urban footprinting, and how it accomplishes to the tasks; ii) provide insights about its first application to the city of Leuven; iii) and critical reflections for future applications, including identified working points and potential research outlooks.

Water-energy-nutrient nexus: Multi-sectoral metabolism analysis and technical path optimization for eco-towns

The multi-sectoral metabolisms of substance and energy in rural areas are complex, whose optimization is the key to realize resource recycling and energy cascade utilization. Through Substance Flow Analysis (SFA), we establish a Multi-sectoral Metabolism Analysis Model specific to rural areas (MMAM-rural), and investigated the multi-sectoral metabolisms of Liujiadian Town in Beijing city. We simulate the water, energy and nutrients (carbon, nitrogen and phosphorus) metabolisms of a total of five sectors (water, waste management, livestock husbandry, forestry, and residential sectors), and identify the key metabolic flows significant for improving regional metabolism performance of Liujiadian Town. For further technical path optimization, we construct an index system made up of resource utilization efficiency, environmental burden of production and recycling efficiency, and adopt Scenario Analysis to evaluate the water-energy-nutrient metabolism performance under multiple technical scenarios different from disposals of agricultural waste, livestock and poultry manure, and domestic waste. Results show that, for agricultural wastes disposal, the combination scenario of edible fungi cultivation, anaerobic fermentation and aerobic composting is optimal. For livestock and poultry manure, all pig manure should be composted after anaerobic fermentation. For domestic wastes, food wastes require anaerobic fermentation and composting for optimization. Our study provides a model to evaluate metabolism performance of water-energy-nutrient nexus in rural areas, and raises solutions for optimization in the process of eco-town construction.

Environmental impacts of new Coronavirus outbreak in Iran with an emphasis on waste management sector.

The COVID-19 pandemic have brought several environmental problems worldwide, among which management of municipal solid wastes (MSW) is of great importance due to the effects of solid wastes on soil, air and water resources. This research focused on the emerging challenges in MSW management in Tehran, the capital of Iran, during the COVID-19 pandemic. Tehran has been experiencing higher generation of MSW during the pandemic. Extensive use of personal protective equipments increased textile and plastic wastes considerably. On average, more than 4.5 million pieces of facemasks have been daily discarded by Tehranian residents during the COVID-19 pandemic. Generation of hospital wastes in Tehran also increased by 17.6–61.8% during the pandemic. Legal source separation and recycling programs are still suspended, though waste collection procedure in Tehran has not been subjected to significant changes after the outbreak of the Coronavirus. Hospital wastes, which had been partially separated and treated, are now being collected altogether and landfilled. Waste incineration and composting have been ceased completely; therefore landfilling of MSW has increased by 35% and opted as the only disposal option in Tehran during the COVID-19 outbreak. This research represents a baseline to devise proper urban waste management strategies in developing countries during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Governance Issues in PPP Procurement Options Analysis of Social Infrastructure: Case of Indian Waste Management Sector

AbstractThis paper assesses the impact of procurement strategies on the local governments’ service delivery in the context of India. The validity of the rhetorical arguments previously developed in...