Solid Waste Pollution Research Articles

Research on the Evaluation of Cross-regional Environmental Collaborative Governance Ability—Take the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei urban agglomeration as an example

The cross-regional environmental collaborative governance capability evaluation problem is a heterogeneous multi-attribute decision-making problem. In response to this problem, this paper first constructed a cross-regional environmental collaborative governance capability evaluation index system, including five dimensions, involving 25 specific indicators with heterogeneous multi-attribute characteristics. Then it designed a heterogeneous multi-attribute decision-making model to calculate the relative closeness, and then used closeness to construct a value function to determine the weight index of each attribute. Finally, an empirical study was conducted on the urban agglomeration in Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region of China. After years of environmental governance, the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region has gradually formed comprehensive environmental management measures against air pollution, water pollution, solid waste pollution and ecological environmental damage. Using the data of 13 cities from 2010 to 2018, the weight calculation and comprehensive index calculation of the environmental collaborative governance capability index of China's Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei regional urban agglomeration were carried out. The evaluation methods and results provide a scientific basis for the selection of comprehensive governance measures for cross-regional environmental collaborative governance.

Effect of Environmental Regulation on Industrial Solid Waste Pollution in China: From the Perspective of Formal Environmental Regulation and Informal Environmental Regulation.

To address the concern of environmental pollution, it is necessary to study the effect of environmental regulation on industrial solid waste emission reduction in China. This paper aimed to analyze the effectiveness of provincial environmental regulation (both formal and informal) on the industrial solid waste emission reduction. The results show that both the effect of formal and informal environmental regulations on industrial solid waste emission intensity present an inverted “U” shape. The threshold value of per capita GDP as an indicator variable is CNY 16,299 and CNY 15,572 respectively. The effect on pollution emission reduction will appear when the value is higher than the threshold, and the two-way transmission mechanism between formal and informal environmental regulations does exist. When GDP per capita exceeds CNY 27,961, there is a phenomenon of “rebound” in the effect of informal environmental regulation on pollution reduction. Based on the findings, it was suggested that both formal and informal environmental regulation should be promoted to achieve the goal of industrial solid waste emission reduction. The coordination between formal and informal environmental regulation should be considered when the government makes policies. Different environmental regulation policies should be implemented in different regions. Informal regulation should be enriched and further promoted. Environmental law should play an important role in maintaining the public’s participation in environmental regulation to prevent the failure of informal environmental regulation.

An impact assessment of energy undesirable output on climate-carrying capacity: a case study of Shanghai.

It is important to evaluate the impact of undesirable energy output on the climate-carrying capacity of the power grid-based economy to promote the green development. Three indicators-climate natural capacity, urban climate pressure, and urban coordinated development capacity-are used as input factors to study the climate-carrying capacity. The Nemerow index method and comprehensive evaluation method based on entropy weight are employed to calculate inputs. Pollution emissions such as carbon dioxide emissions, waste gas, wastewater, and solid waste pollution are included as energy undesirable outputs, and industry output value is included as a desirable output to calculate the non-radial directional distance of the output of climate-carrying capacity that combines desirable and undesirable outputs. The total factor non-radial directional distance function and energy-environmental non-radial directional distance function are used to obtain the efficiency index of total factor climate-carrying capacity and the efficiency of climate-carrying capacity performance, respectively. These two indices are included in the analysis to estimate the impact of energy undesirable output on climate-carrying capacity. Results from empirical analysis showed that when two types of undesirable outputs, namely waste gas and wastewater outputs, in Shanghai are constrained, the efficiency and performance efficiency of climate environmental carrying capacity are both lower than 0.8, indicating that undesirable outputs had a substantial influence on the climate-carrying capacity. In Shanghai, the major approach to improve the regional climate-carrying capacity is to improve energy efficiency and reduce undesirable outputs of power grid-based economy.

Application of Lake Wetland Ecological Rehabilitation Technology in Environmental Pollution Control and Ecological Rehabilitation

With the continuous development of the economy, environmental pollution has become more and more serious, especially water pollution. During and after the “Eleventh Five-Year Plan”, China’s environmental protection and ecological construction and restoration work will be fully carried out. Among them, water pollution control, air pollution, solid waste pollution, heavy metal pollution, radioactive pollution control, and desertified land control are environmental protection and ecological, one of the very important contents of environmental construction. The purpose of this article is to study the application of lake and wetland ecological restoration technology in environmental pollution control and ecological restoration. Commonly used domestic lake pollution treatment methods include: microbial method, dredging and salvage, chemical sedimentation (flocculation), physical measures (filtration and membrane), constructed wetland, reoxygenation (micropores, turbulent aeration), mechanical dilution transfer (flushing) Water, water change) etc. The microbiological method is to put in microorganisms, the use of microbial preparations can digest and degrade organic pollutants and remove the purification mechanism of ammonia nitrogen and phosphorus, so as to achieve the goal of various water pollution control. And its disadvantage is that it can’t last forever. Ecosystem restoration project: It is the process of using engineering technology to assist the restoration of an ecosystem that has been degraded, destroyed, newly built or rebuilt. Its application enables the ecosystem to be restored and strengthened in terms of its own health, integrity and sustainability. Once the ecological restoration project is completed, the ecosystem does not need to be maintained by humans, as long as it is prevented from degrading due to disturbance. This is similar to the microbiological method in the lake and wetland ecological restoration technology.

Research on optimal control of low power thermal plasma field for waste gas treatment

The innocuous treatment of solid waste, waste gas and other pollutants has become a major environmental protection problem that needs to be solved urgently in China’s green development. Aiming at the problems of low efficiency and secondary pollution of traditional waste gas treatment methods, the use of high temperature generated by thermal plasma and active particles to quickly decompose and destroy pollutants and eventually form stable harmless substances has proven to be an effective way. This article studies a method that can stably generate thermal plasma in a low-voltage. By adding an auxiliary high-voltage electrode to the front end of a hot plasma sliding arc, it helps the thermal plasma device to more easily penetrate the air for arcing. By using a flow meter and a fan to change the flow field of channel. The arcing conditions of the device under different flow fields was investigated. And by studying the influence of input power and air flow velocity on the arc length and period of the arc, the contact situation between the thermal plasma arc and the gas is obtained. The experimental results show that a stable and appropriate flow field environment is the key to the efficient work of thermal plasma.

A novel synthesis and characterization of polyhedral shaped amorphous iron oxide nanoparticles from incense sticks ash waste

This research study has investigated the potential applicability of incense sticks ash (ISA), a waste material, in synthesizing highly pure iron oxide nanoparticles (IONPs). Synthesis of IONPs from ISA involved five major steps: burning of incense sticks to collect ISA, recovery of ferrous fractions from wet slurry by magnetic separation method, acidic treatment of ferrous fractions under sonication, formation of IONPs by co-precipitation method by using NaOH, calcination of the obtained powder in a muffle furnace. The IONPs synthesized from ISA extracted ferrous particles have two different types of particles, small circular disk shaped of size 60–200 nm in diameter, while larger rectangular particles whose diameter was 150–600 nm by length. The formation of large particles is due to the agglomeration of several small IONPs. The synthesized nanoparticles were amorphous and polyhedral in shape. These IONPs were characterized by Particle size analyzer (PSA), X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), Transmission Electron Microscopy (TEM), Field emission-scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), Electron diffraction spectroscopy (EDS), Atomic Force Microscopy (AFM) and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR). The FTIR spectra revealed the characteristic bands at 452 and 565 cm−1 which is attributed to Fe–O bonds of IONPs, while the XRD diffractogram supported the amorphous nature of IONPs by showing a broad peak at 2θ, 36.090. The average particle size and polydispersity index (PDI) revealed by PSA was 734.9 nm and 0.357respectively. Since the size given by PSA is in hydrodynamic radius so there is large average size of the particles. The polyhedral shape was confirmed by the microscopic techniques while the presence of Fe and O peaks only by EDS confirmed the purity of the synthesized IONPs. The result obtained in the mentioned method proves that ISA waste can be utilized to synthesize highly pure IONPs by an economical and eco-friendly approach. The current method also focuses on the reduction of solid waste and water pollution arising due to the ISA disposal in water bodies. In, future, ISA may be used as substitute source material for all the ferrous and ferrous based industries (steel). Moreover, based on the purity, in subsequent time it could be used in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), drug delivery, and as an adsorbents for the environmental clean-up.

Research on the fluid characteristics of cemented backfill pipeline transportation of mineral processing tailings

With the deepening of underground resource exploitation, the application of cemented backfill pipeline transportation of mineral tailings has become the best option to reduce the risk of deep ground pressure and solid waste pollution. Research in this field is mainly centred on slurry fluidity experiments. However, the slurry transportation parameters, particle characteristics and complexity of the pipeline all cause uncertainty in the calculation of backfill pipeline transportation parameters. The conventional backfill loop test is expensive. Combining structural fluid tests with particle flow models, this paper presents a method to optimize backfill pipeline transportation parameters. The H-B model is employed to analyse the transportation resistance of backfill slurry along the line to establish the relation function between the resisting force and the parameters. Adoption of a custom function improves the accuracy of the inter-phase drag model and the erosion effect. This paper analyses the flow state of the high-concentration solid-liquid dense phase fluid in backfill gravity transportation to obtain optimized transportation parameters. The research results improve the accuracy of the calculation of the backfill pipeline transportation parameters, which can be effectively applied in the optimal design of high-concentration slurry backfill pipeline transportation.

Impact of income inequality and environmental regulation on environmental quality: Evidence from China

China’s environmental pollution is of widespread concern, and environmental governance has become the country’s main method of achieving high-quality development. Environmental quality is a comprehensive indicator, which includes many factors, such as air, water, and solid waste pollution. This study did not use a single pollutant as a substitute variable for environmental quality. Firstly, we used principal component analysis to construct a comprehensive environmental quality index. Secondly, the Stochastic Impacts by Regression on Population, Affluence, and Technology and panel quantile regression models were used with data from 30 Chinese provinces in China from 1998 to 2017 to analyze the effect of income inequality and environmental regulation on environmental quality. The constructed comprehensive index revealed that China’s environmental quality had an M-type trend over time. The mean regression results showed that income inequality and environmental regulation improved environmental quality, but higher income inequality reduced environmental quality. The panel quantile regression model results revealed that the coefficient of income inequality was positively significant at the 10–30% quantiles and negatively significant at the 70–90% quantiles. The coefficients of the absolute value of income inequality at the 10–30% quantiles were less than those at the 70–90% quantiles. This implied that higher income inequality reduced environmental quality, whereas higher environmental regulations improved environmental quality. Considering the possible impact of environmental quality on income inequality and environmental regulations, we designed a simultaneous equation model to overcome the deviation caused by bilateral causality. The conclusions of this study provide policymakers with a new perspective on environmental governance and new paths for achieving high-quality development.

Perceived versus objective knowledge towards a sustainable solid waste management in Northern Nicosia

General environmental knowledge is often attributed to positive environmental behaviour; however, a very little is known about how perceived and objective knowledge influences behaviour within the context of SSWM. This study measures people’s perceived and objective knowledge on SSWM methods and evaluates which one of these has more impact on participation. A semi-structured survey study was conducted on 400 adults. The results show that 83% of the participants were concerned about solid waste pollution; however, most of them knew very little about SSWM methods. Total participants’ scores for perceived and objective knowledge were 63 and 15%, respectively. The disparity between the perceived and objective knowledge was rather unexpected as 70% of the participants had a degree in higher education. Compared to objective knowledge, perceived knowledge had a larger impact on SSWM behaviour. In addition, the participants with perceived knowledge were more motivated to receive education on SSWM than the others. The findings suggest that a sense of understanding related to perceived knowledge positively correlates with public engagement. In conclusion, the environmental educators should develop effective active learning techniques to equip the learners with both types of knowledge focusing more on the perceived one as part of the compulsory education.

Types, occurrence, and distribution of microplastics and metals contamination in sediments from south west of Kerkennah archipelago, Tunisia.

Microplastics (MPs) are one of the most significant solid waste pollutants in the marine environment and accumulate in sediments around worldwide. In this study, the pollution level, the type, occurrence, and distribution of MPs in sediments from the southwestern Kerkennah archipelago, Tunisia, were investigated. Sediment samples were collected from 20 adjacent sites through three "lines L1, L2, and L3." MPs were separated from sediment by density flotation (NaCl, 1.2gcm-3) and characterized in terms of shape, size, and color using microscope. The accumulation of toxic chemicals such as trace metals on microplastics was measured by atomic absorption microwave-assisted acid extraction. Polymer types were identified using FTIR-ATR spectroscopy. This study showed that microplastics were found in all samples, which emphasized that their extensive distribution throughout three lines by an average abundance of "MPs" was 611 items/m2. Among the shape categories of plastic particles, fiber and fragment were the most dominant frequent shapes (94%). The more frequent colors found were white (52.7%) and transparent (35.1%). Regarding the sizes, the microplastics below 1mm were the most common accounting for 97% of all plastics. Results of trace metals Zn, Cu, Pb, Cr, and Ni in sediments with concentrations were reported as 3.48μg/g, 0.41μg/g, 0.38μg/g, 0.33μg/g, and 0.12μg/g, respectively. Graphical abstract.

Environmental Taxes. Its Influence on Solid Waste in Mexico

Globally occurs a series of transformations and natural dynamics connected with activities promoted by the human being in the environment. A situation of alteration in the stability is lived, which affects the local context with a regional, national and global scope. Solid waste pollution represents in Mexico a tax collection strategy in which environmental taxes, also known as green taxes, are applied. This article will describe and analyse the legal-fiscal instruments that are required to apply in Mexican environmental policy, visualizing the relevance of the solid wastes to generate the green taxes applied to them.

Effect of magnetic field on sodium arsenate metastable zone width and crystal nucleation kinetics for crystallization

AbstractSodium arsenate, the main component of arsenic‐containing solid waste pollutants, causes serious environmental health threats. Crystallization is one of the effective methods for separating and purifying sodium arsenate from arsenic‐alkali residue lixivium. However, the crystallization process is limited for its low observability and the lack of separation and purification data. In this work, a laser detection system with a magnetic field generator was designed, and the solubility, metastable zone width, interfacial tension, interfacial entropy factor, crystal nucleation, and growth rate of sodium arsenate were investigated in a constant composition environment. The results showed that the solubility, metastable zone width, interfacial tension, and interfacial entropy factor decreases with the presence of a magnetic field. The magnetic field shortened the crystallization induction time and changed the nucleation and growth rate of sodium arsenate. Under the magnetic field, the nucleation rate increased from 2.43 × 1016 to 8.98 × 1017 (s m3)−1, and the growth rate decreased from 4.94 × 10−8 to 2.73 × 10−8 (s m3)−1, the growth mechanism of sodium arsenate as a continuous growth mode was unchanged. In addition, the X‐ray diffraction and infrared showed that the crystal structure of sodium arsenate is unaffected by the magnetic field, indicating that the enhancement of the crystallization process of sodium arsenate with the magnetic field could be a feasible method in engineering application.

International Principles of Sustainable Development and the Challenges to Environmental Rights Enforcement in Nigeria

Human existence in the environment with disregard for International Principles of Sustainable Environment has often led to overutilization of the nation’s natural and environmental resources, excessive gas flaring with consequences of global warming, flood, environmental degradation, desertification, water pollution, solid waste pollution, diseases and such conditions that violate human rights to a clean and healthy environment. Necessary International and National legal instruments as well agencies have also been put in place to overcome the above problems and enhance access to environmental justice for victims. However, it observed that these instruments could still not save mankind from the threat to Sustainable Development and environmental rights. This paper examines the challenges to the enforcement of environmental rights on sustainable development in Nigeria. With the qualitative content analysis doctrinal method, the study concludes that the enforcement of human rights on environmental pollution is very poor in Nigeria. The challenges to enforcement of Environmental rights on sustainable development goals also identify with useful recommendations.

Spatial Classification and Environmental Treatment Protocols of Solid Waste Sources—A Case Study of Shengzhou, China

The focus of waste management is to control pollution produced directly from the sources, rather than removing it from soil, water and other such polluted bodies. This study defined solid waste source (SWS) as a space where solid waste is directly produced and proposed a method for measuring the solid waste generated by SWSs. Then, taking Shengzhou, China, as an example, empirical research was conducted on the spatial classification and treatment protocol of SWSs. The results show that (1) A hierarchical spatial system of SWSs can be constructed, which consists of 3 classes, 3 subclasses and 14 types. (2) The main forms of solid waste in Shengzhou are domestic waste, industrial solid waste and agricultural solid waste. According to the total amount of solid waste produced, all SWSs can be divided into five levels: maximum, large, medium, low and none produced. (3) In view of the main SWSs with a large amount of solid waste produced, three methods—combining energy-saving, emission reduction and resource utilization; multiple steps of classification, transportation, storage and treatment; and the use of piggeries with waste-absorbing land—are proposed to realize the control of solid waste pollution at-source.

Thermophilic whole-cell degradation of polyethylene terephthalate using engineered Clostridium thermocellum.

SummaryPolyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a mass‐produced synthetic polyester contributing remarkably to the accumulation of solid plastics waste and plastics pollution in the natural environments. Recently, bioremediation of plastics waste using engineered enzymes has emerged as an eco‐friendly alternative approach for the future plastic circular economy. Here we genetically engineered a thermophilic anaerobic bacterium, Clostridium thermocellum, to enable the secretory expression of a thermophilic cutinase (LCC), which was originally isolated from a plant compost metagenome and can degrade PET at up to 70°C. This engineered whole‐cell biocatalyst allowed a simultaneous high‐level expression of LCC and conspicuous degradation of commercial PET films at 60°C. After 14 days incubation of a batch culture, more than 60% of the initial mass of a PET film (approximately 50 mg) was converted into soluble monomer feedstocks, indicating a markedly higher degradation performance than previously reported whole‐cell‐based PET biodegradation systems using mesophilic bacteria or microalgae. Our findings provide clear evidence that, compared to mesophilic species, thermophilic microbes are a more promising synthetic microbial chassis for developing future biodegradation processes of PET waste.

Characteristics and impacts of solid waste on giant panda habitat in Wanglang Nature Reserve

Systematic research on solid waste pollution in giant panda habitat is lacking. To fill in this gap in the literature, a survey for solid waste was conducted in Wanglang Nature Reserve in July and August of 2018 and 2019. A total of 16 transects, 16 giant panda habitat plots, 16 livestock habitat plots, and 16 common habitat plots were surveyed. We analyzed the type and distribution of solid waste and the possible impacts of typical solid waste. Results showed that 133 solid waste samples from the five categories (livestock feces, plastic waste, metal waste, construction waste, and paper waste) were detected. Livestock feces accounted for the highest proportion of solid waste at 82.7%, while the remaining types of waste accounted for only 17.3% of the solid waste observed. Livestock feces were distributed relatively evenly within 400 m from roads, while 69.6% of non-livestock fecal waste were distributed 0–100 m away from roads. Giant panda habitat and common habitat (shared by giant pandas and livestock) did not significantly differ in habitat characteristics, but livestock habitat was significantly different from them in the number of trees and the height of bamboo. Specifically, livestock habitat had more trees and shorter bamboo. Based on the short bamboo located in livestock habitat, we predicted that bamboo in the common habitat has a high probability of being damaged by livestock. To limit solid waste pollution, livestock should be forbidden from entering giant panda habitat. In addition, tourism and infrastructure construction activities should be strictly controlled. To ensure the effectiveness of conservation, the needs and possible contributions of residents in surrounding communities should be taken into account in the giant panda conservation plan, and routine monitoring of solid waste should be performed.

Heavy metals in urban grounds in Ekaterinburg (Russia)

Problem Statement. Urban grounds have an artificial origin, they are formed as a result of construction activities, contain solid waste products and pollutants along with natural mineral and organic raw materials. Not all the cities have a system of registration of the urban ground types. The assessment of the pollution degree of urban grounds plays a key role in the environmental quality assessment in urban areas. The objective of the study is to conduct quantitative assessment of pollution with heavy metals for the urban grounds (on the example of Ekaterinburg, Russia). The material for the study is represented by the results of environmental engineering surveys conducted in Ekaterinburg in 2012–2015. The samples of the urban ground were collected with vertical stratification to a depth of 7 m in different geographical parts of the city. The content of Pb, Zn Cu, Mn and Ni, and the level of acidity were determined in the urban ground samples. Results. The analysis of vertical ground profiles showed a decrease in Pb, Zn and Ni content with increasing the depth. The accumulation of typical pollutants for urban environment (Pb, Zn and Cu) was found in the upper ground layer 0-20 cm. The metal content in the layer 0-20 cm was up to 5 times higher than the metal content in the lower horizons with a twofold decrease in metal concentration to depth of 1 m. In artificial ground in Ekaterinburg, there was a tendency to alkalization of soils with increasing depth (pH of the surface layer 0–20 cm was 6.5, when pH value was close to 8 at the depth > 4 m).

From public to private solid waste management: Stakeholders’ perspectives on private-public solid waste management in Lobatse, Botswana

Upon the realization that urban areas can only achieve sustainable solid waste management systems through an interplay of partnerships and stakeholders, developing countries have geared themselves towards the privatization of waste management services in efforts to reduce costs and improve efficiency. Lobatse, a town located in the south of Botswana, faces the increasing challenges of poor waste management due to the lack of finances and resources available to the Lobatse Town Council, which hinders efforts towards a sustainable waste management system. This has negative implications for public health and the environment, as a result of solid waste pollution from littering and the illegal dumping of waste. This work examines the current state of solid waste management and its challenges in Lobatse, within the context of the interplay between public and private solid waste management. The study aims to perform a social exploration of the efficiency of waste management services, considering the political economy and households’ perceptions towards these services. Key stakeholders were interviewed and a social survey of 222 households was conducted to generate primary data. The findings indicate that the involvement of the private sector yielded positive outcomes, as it increased the solid waste collection frequency and improved the quality of the waste management service. Most of the stakeholders were in favor of privatization, and the households were satisfied and willing to contribute towards the cost recovery of solid waste management. It is, therefore, recommended to promote and establish a private-public-community partnership in the town to improve the quality of the waste management system.

Effects of objective and subjective environmental pollution on well-being in urban China: A structural equation model approach.

Environmental pollution has become an increasingly severe problem in recent years and has aroused extensive concern. However, the influences of environmental factors on human well-being, especially their internal paths and causality, have received little research. Using cross-sectional data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) for 2016, together with data on air, water, and solid waste pollution, this study explored the critical paths and causality of the influences of objective (actual) and subjective (perceived) pollution on perceptions of well-being. Perceived pollution had both direct and indirect negative impacts on well-being. Actual pollution indirectly affected well-being by influencing perceptions of health and pollution, but had no direct influence on well-being. Air pollution had a positive association with depression and a negative association with life satisfaction and happiness, while water and solid waste pollution had negligible associations with well-being. The negative impacts of both real and perceived pollution on health are the main ways in which pollution decreases well-being.

Solid Wastes Provide Breeding Sites, Burrows, and Food for Biological Disease Vectors, and Urban Zoonotic Reservoirs: A Call to Action for Solutions-Based Research

Background: Infectious disease epidemiology and planetary health literature often cite solid waste and plastic pollution as risk factors for vector-borne diseases and urban zoonoses; however, no rigorous reviews of the risks to human health have been published since 1994. This paper aims to identify research gaps and outline potential solutions to interrupt the vicious cycle of solid wastes; disease vectors and reservoirs; infection and disease; and poverty.Methods: We searched peer-reviewed publications from PubMed, Google Scholar, and Stanford Searchworks, and references from relevant articles using the search terms (“disease” OR “epidemiology”) AND (“plastic pollution,” “garbage,” and “trash,” “rubbish,” “refuse,” OR “solid waste”). s and reports from meetings were included only when they related directly to previously published work. Only articles published in English, Spanish, or Portuguese through 2018 were included, with a focus on post-1994, after the last comprehensive review was published. Cancer, diabetes, and food chain-specific articles were outside the scope and excluded. After completing the literature review, we further limited the literature to “urban zoonotic and biological vector-borne diseases” or to “zoonotic and biological vector-borne diseases of the urban environment.”Results: Urban biological vector-borne diseases, especially Aedes-borne diseases, are associated with solid waste accumulation but vector preferences vary over season and region. Urban zoonosis, especially rodent and canine disease reservoirs, are associated with solid waste in urban settings, especially when garbage accumulates over time, creating burrowing sites and food for reservoirs. Although evidence suggests the link between plastic pollution/solid waste and human disease, measurements are not standardized, confounders are not rigorously controlled, and the quality of evidence varies. Here we propose a framework for solutions-based research in three areas: innovation, education, and policy.Conclusions: Disease epidemics are increasing in scope and scale with urban populations growing, climate change providing newly suitable vector climates, and immunologically naïve populations becoming newly exposed. Sustainable solid waste management is crucial to prevention, specifically in urban environments that favor urban vectors such as Aedes species. We propose that next steps should include more robust epidemiological measurements and propose a framework for solutions-based research.