Waste Disposal Companies Research Articles

Critical data studies meets discard studies: Waste data reflectivity in digital urban waste tracking system

The article critically examines the implementation and impact of the Digital Urban Waste Tracking System (DUWTS), a ‘smart’ waste management technology deployed in several towns in Poland to enhance urban waste segregation practices. By integrating critical discard studies with critical data studies, the article introduces the concept of ‘waste data reflectivity’ to investigate how data representation in DUWTS influences perceptions and responsibilities within waste management. The study highlights how DUWTS employs advanced dataveillance technologies to monitor waste disposal, creating distorted reflections that obscure the complexities of municipal waste management. These distortions are analyzed through the metaphorical lenses of three mirrors – concave, kaleidoscopic, and ceiling – which reveal the illusory effects on municipalities, waste disposal companies, and residents. Additionally, the article discusses how DUWTS exemplifies ‘technologies of (un)knowing’, which systematically obscure or misrepresent waste management issues, leading to the marginalization of true responsibilities and challenges. The findings demonstrate that while DUWTS represents a technological advancement, it can also perpetuate the existing challenges in waste management by masking the true nature of waste issues and obscuring the responsibilities of different stakeholders. The article concludes by emphasizing the socio-technological consequences of such systems and the importance of a critical analysis in evaluating the effectiveness and ethics of data-driven waste management technologies.

Identifying ESG types of Chinese solid waste disposal companies based on machine learning methods

In the context of China's efforts to combat climate change and promote sustainable development, the solid waste treatment industry's environmental, social, and corporate governance (ESG) performance is receiving significant attention. To comprehensively assess the ESG performance of the solid waste treatment industry and identify company types, this study constructs a targeted ESG evaluation index system based on existing literature, SASB industry standards, and company reports and utilizes a random forest approach combined with K-means clustering to determine indicator weights. Based on this index system, the paper evaluates the ESG performance of 71 solid waste disposal companies (SWDCs) from 2013 to 2021 and identifies their ESG types from static and dynamic perspectives. In the static view, company types are determined based on annual ESG performance, while the dynamic view considers time-series changes to observe the evolution of company ESG types. The results show that the overall ESG performance of SWDCs falls within the 2-8-point range, indicating a noticeable high-low imbalance. Key initiatives to improve ESG performance in this industry include enhancing waste management measures, developing emergency plans, and reinforcing ESG disclosure. From a static perspective, this paper can identify companies into three categories: delayed development, single-wheel-driven, and coordinated development. Finally, from a dynamic perspective considering the time factor, companies are further subdivided into five types: continual leading, growth catch-up, slow progress, fluctuating change, and retrogressive inertia. This study not only provides targeted recommendations for different types of ESG companies but also helps various sectors of society better understand the ESG conditions of this high environmental risk industry, thereby enhancing the regulation and support for its sustainable development.

Recycling of Disposable Surgical Instruments - Is It Worth It?

The German healthcare sector is responsible for 5.2% of the country's greenhouse gas emissions. One contributing factor is the enormous amount of waste generated daily in German hospitals, making them the fifth largest waste producer in Germany. Despite the potential for recycling, a significant portion of hospital waste is incinerated, as mandated by current regulations. This results in high levels of noxious CO2 emissions and the loss of valuable resources. The goal of this project was to demonstrate the feasibility of recycling complex, contaminated disposable surgical instruments.The study included frequently used disposable surgical instruments that could potentially be recycled as electronic waste. The instruments were wipe-disinfected and sterilised internally within the hospital. After sterilisation, the devices could be classified as electronic waste in consultation with the environmental authorities and then machine-recycled externally by a waste disposal company. Sorting machines shredded and separated the instruments into individual fractions of cables, plastics, different metals, and circuit boards, which were further processed into secondary raw materials.In the first six months (09/2022-03/2023), 239kg of material were recycled instead of being incinerated. This resulted in a reduction of 545kg CO2e. The metal content was estimated as 50% of the total weight; 30% were recyclable plastics, resulting in an 80% recycling rate. The ongoing recycling costs were 1.90€/kg after deducting revenues. Thus, recycling in this model was approximately 3.9 times as expensive as incineration. A survey of the operating theatre personnel found high satisfaction with the recycling project and a minimal additional workload of less than five minutes.We demonstrated that recycling of contaminated disposable surgical instruments is possible in coordination with government authorities. This approach avoids waste incineration and leads to a reduction in CO2-equivalent emissions. However, the higher costs of recycling and the requirement for in-house decontamination pose limitations on the implementation of such projects. To address this, it is necessary for lawmakers to reconsider current regulations and involve manufacturers in recycling costs to fully exploit the enormous recycling potential.

Dump Yard Fire Extinguishing System Using IoT

Nagpur municipal corporation (NMC) is the best waste disposal company. Nagpur municipal corporation (NMC) collects everything from household waste and stores all the garbage in different landfills. But these landfills pose a major problem for storing this waste safely as it catches fire very quickly. These toxic gases such as dioxins, furans, mercury and polychlorinated biphenyls are then released into the atmosphere and pollute the air with an unpleasant smell. The design we propose is based on a fire alarm and a landfill fire extinguisher. When garbage is gathered for the dump, our project flashes a warning. Smoke alarm, temperature sensor, and Wi-Fi module powered by batteries Our sensor checks for smoke and temperature; if either is present, an alarm will be shown on the signal from the Wi-Fi module fi that is linked to a junkyard. An IoT-based fire extinguishing system is proposed for dump yards, providing an efficient and unique approach to prevent and extinguish fire outbreaks using sensors, actuators, and a cloud-based monitoring system. This research presents an innovative IoT-based fire extinguishing system for dump yards that incorporates sensor nodes to detect fire, actuator nodes to discharge extinguishing agents, and a cloud-based monitoring system for remote monitoring and management. The proposed system provides an efficient and effective approach to prevent and control fire outbreaks in dump yards, ensuring safety and environmental protection. This paper presents a novel IoT-based fire extinguishing system for dump yards, which utilizes sensor nodes to detect fire outbreaks and actuator nodes to deploy extinguishing agents. The system also includes a cloud-based monitoring and control system that enables remote monitoring and management of the system. The proposed system aims to provide an efficient and reliable approach to prevent and extinguish fire outbreaks in dump yards.

Mapping Environmental Commitment: A Situational Analysis of Illegal Dumps in the City

The paper refers to the research Trash in the Wild: A Pilot Project Mapping Citizenship Environmental Activism in the Collaborative Study in the Lodz Area. In the study, inhabitants of Lodz (Poland) were invited to participate in data gathering and create a map of unauthorized dumps in their city. The collaborative mapping was intended to localize problematic spots in the city of Lodz, but it also shows civic commitment and the inhabitants’ ecological consciousness level. The authors based on ethnographic data (observations, walk-alongs, interviews, and data obtained from institutions), attempting to develop a situational analysis of the phenomenon of illegal dumps in the city. The analysis reveals how different positions of the City Guard, Municipal Economy Department, waste disposal companies, journalists, environmental activists, researchers, and citizens participating in the project vary their standpoints and views on the studied problem. Presenting the context and first results of the research, the authors refer to the issue of building relationships with researched subjects during the investigation process. Trying to navigate between them, researchers strive to introduce their different, sometimes contradictory, viewpoints into the research, not losing their commitment and the valuable data they can submit. The analysis shows that the issue of illegal dumps lies at the intersection of many discourses and involves numerous social worlds, organizations, and entities. In this dynamic situation, many practices and conditions contribute to the persistence of the problem of illegal waste disposal.

Development of a strategy for managing medical waste management in the Russian Federation

The problem of waste in the world is almost the most urgent and painful, we constantly see overflowing garbage cans, mountains and rivers of garbage, etc. on the Internet and on the streets. The era of the COVID-19 pandemic brought into our lives the understanding that there is a problem not only with the disposal of household and industrial waste, but also the problem of the disposal of medical waste and, in general, the sphere of handling this waste has become no less important and popular. The article presents an analysis of the experience with medical waste in foreign countries, as well as in the Russian Federation. The approaches in the field of medical waste management in Europe, the USA, and Africa are analyzed. The state of scientific research in Russia is analyzed, and a comparative analysis of the World Health Organization and Russia guidance document is carried out. The problems of legal regulation and regulation of medical waste and its place in the legal system are considered. Medical waste occupies a special place in our country, due to the specificity of the sphere of handling this waste, a large number of issues arise in practice, which are difficult to solve in the daily work of both medical institutions and waste disposal companies. The study identified negative and positive trends in the waste management system in Russia and developed a strategy (basic principles) to improve the functioning of the medical waste management system in our country, taking into account current legislation.

An improved AHP approach to select appropriate location sites for infectious medical waste disposal companies

An improved AHP approach to select appropriate location sites for infectious medical waste disposal companies

An improved AHP approach to select appropriate location sites for infectious medical waste disposal companies

An improved AHP approach to select appropriate location sites for infectious medical waste disposal companies

Sustainable solid waste management in restaurants: The case of the Ecozinha Institute, Brazil

This study aimed to propose a systematic model for the sustainable management of solid waste in restaurants, based on the experience of the Ecozinha Institute (Brazil). The Solid Waste Management System for Restaurants (SGRS-R) was developed through a case study conducted in a Brazilian restaurant. Data on meal preparation processes were collected through direct observation and recorded on forms designed specifically for this purpose according to parameters and guidelines described in the literature. Corrective actions already in place were monitored, and the need for new actions was identified. SGRS-R consists of seven steps, two of which are aimed at defining corrective actions and recommendations for solid waste management and reduction. The other five steps are supported by evaluation forms for (1) gravimetric control of solid waste, (2) description of physical infrastructure and solid waste equipment, (3) survey of solid waste collection, recycling, and disposal companies, (4) description of the flow of solid waste, and (5) monitoring of meal preparation steps. It was observed that SGRS-R implementation promoted changes in meal preparation processes in line with the principles of waste avoidance, reduction, reuse, and recycling. Waste management plans implemented by the Ecozinha Institute were able to reduce the amount of solid waste sent to sanitary landfills by up to 90%. It is important to emphasize that SGRS-R can be adapted and applied to any type of restaurant, given that solid waste management criteria are defined for each meal preparation step. SGRS-R can be used to restructure the management of solid waste in restaurants through strategies that include from menu planning to temporary storage of solid waste, thereby minimizing the environmental impacts associated with food service.

Equipment and materials management

Equipment and materials management

Urban food waste management with multi-agent participation: A combination of evolutionary game and system dynamics approach

Food waste can meet diverse demand if treated harmlessly while may bring severe environmental problems if managed improperly. China is currently trying to facilitate food waste harmless disposal and resource utilization by urban food waste management. However, conflicts of interest among government departments, restaurants and waste disposal companies often make it difficult to achieve effective urban food waste management. This paper conducts a theoretical modeling and simulation analysis of behavioral strategy interaction of the above three participants by a combination of evolutionary game and system dynamics approach. To avoid opportunistic behaviors and regulation inefficiency that occurred in fixed penalty scheme (F-scheme), we introduce random inspection penalty scheme (R-scheme) to the tripartite evolutionary game in urban food waste management. Then an in-depth scenario analysis under F-scheme and R-scheme is carried out to investigate the influences of key variables on strategy evolution of participants. The results indicate that, compared with F-scheme, R-scheme contributes to both system stability promotion and practicality enhancement. Food waste treatment fee and regulation cost are influencing factors that respectively affect the strategic choices of restaurants and government departments. To a certain extent, exposure probability that represents informal regulation of the public and NGO can improve urban food waste management. Therefore, it is critical for government departments to adopt R-scheme, take advantage of the informal regulation of the public and NGO, gradually reduce food waste treatment fee and maintain a reasonable regulation cost to improve urban food waste management, thereby promoting food waste harmless disposal and resource utilization.

Resíduos de equipamentos eletroeletrônicos: riscos e oportunidades

It is estimated that the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) increases annually due to planned obsolescence, technological changes and changes in people's lifestyles. The aim of the present study is to identify risks and opportunities related to WEEE from an environmental, social and economic point of view, considering the intensified use of technology, the generation and the need to treat this waste. The study consisted of a bibliographic research followed by three case studies with waste disposal companies. Therefore, a table was drawn up outlining the risks and opportunities of WEEE, considering different points of view. From the environmental point of view, there is a risk of increasing the consumption of this equipment to increase the illegal and incorrect disposal, but the extraction of non-renewable raw materials can be reduced by implementing reverse logistics. From the economic perspective, the costs involved in the reverse logistics of WEEE are not clearly known; however, there is an expanding market for WEEE management. From the social point of view, the risk is the increase of informal and insecure work, which can be minimized through investments from public and private powers, thus generating formal jobs.

A Study on the Improvement of Collection and Transport Processing of Local Government Living Wastes

과학기술의 발전은 언제나 새로운 쓰레기의 탄생과 연결되었다. 플라스틱, 비닐 같은 화학제품이 그 용도를 다하면 쓰레기로 전략하게 되는데, 2017년 우리나라의 쓰레기 매립은 하루 32,269톤1) 매립률은 일본의 4배, 독일의 37배에 해당한다. 환경부는 2027년 우리나라의 쓰레기 매립장은 포화상태가 되어 더 이상 쓰레기를 매립할 곳이 없을 것이라고 한다. 이렇게 발생한 쓰레기의 수집 운반에 관한 업무는 지방자치단체의 사무에 해당하여 현재 직영이나 위탁을 통하여 처리되고 있다. 하지만 생활폐기물 수집 운반 대행계약에 관한 원가산정을 각 지방자치단체의 용역에 의하여 정해지고 있고, 중앙정부 차원의 전국적으로 통일할 수 있는 기준이 없다보니 각 지방자치단체별로 원가가 천차만별이고, 과대계산되는 등 효율성이 의심되는 경우가 있다. 이에 본 논문에서는 다음과 같은 개선방안을 제안하고자 한다. 첫째, 하나의 지방자치단체도 구역별 다른 운영형태를 시행하여 서로의 장단점을 계속 하여 비교 보완해 나갈 수 있도록 하고, 둘째, 생활폐기물 처리업체가 독점적 지위에 있지 않도록 환경부가 전국 공통으로 적용할 수 있는 평가기준과 방법을 마련하고, 셋째, 지역별 수거시간을 탄력적으로 운영 및 종량제봉투의 규격을 부피뿐만 아니라 무게도 고려하도록 한다. 마지막으로 기본급 산정을 위하여 대한건설협회의 시중노임단가가 아닌 환경부 자체적으로 노임단가를 마련하고, 생활폐기물 수집 운반 대행 계약을 위한 원가계산 산정방법에 관한 규정 중 간접노무비의 정액지원을 제안하고자 한다. 이를 통해 지방자치단체의 환경분야에 대한 사무위탁의 효율성과 전문성 그리고 경제성을 제고하는 길을 모색하고자 한다.Advances in technology have always been linked to the birth of new waste. Chemical products such as plastics and vinyl will be strategic as garbage when they are used up, with the nation’s landfill being 322,269 tons per day, the nation’s waste generation and treatment status, and the 2017 landfill rate being four times that of Japan and 37 times that of Germany. The Ministry of Environment said the nation s landfill will be saturated in 2027, with no more places to reclaim waste. The collection and transport of such waste is currently handled through direct operation or consignment of local governments. However, since the cost calculation for the substitute contract for collecting and transporting household waste is defined by the services of each local government, and there is no standard for national unification at the central government level, there have been cases in which the costs of each local government are varied and over-calculated, and thus efficiency is suspected. In this paper, we propose the following improvement measures. First, a single local government should implement different types of operation by region so that it can continue to compare and supplement each other s merits and demerits, and second, the Ministry of Environment should prepare assessment standards and methods that can be applied in common nationwide so that the waste disposal companies are not in an exclusive position, and third, the standards of the collection time by region should be flexibly operated, as well as the defect of the weight of the envelope. Finally, for basic wage calculation, the Ministry of Environment, rather than the Construction Association’s commercial labor unit price, shall prepare the labor cost of the environment itself, and propose providing a fixed amount support for indirect labor costs among the provisions on the cost calculation method for the contract to collect and transport household waste. Through this, the government intends to seek ways to enhance the efficiency, expertise and economy of office consignment to the environmental sector of local governments.

Relationships between Financial Characteristics and Earnings Management in Domestic Construction Waste Disposal Companies - Focusing on the moderating effects of intermediate-level waste treatment services

Relationships between Financial Characteristics and Earnings Management in Domestic Construction Waste Disposal Companies - Focusing on the moderating effects of intermediate-level waste treatment services

Study on Domestic Waste Treatment of Urban Residents in China

With the increase of urban population and the expansion of urban scale in China, the number of domestic waste of urban residents has been increasing year by year. The current main method of domestic waste disposal in China is landfill and incineration power generation. However, compared with foreign countries, there are still many problems in the treatment of municipal solid waste in China. For example, the nature and classification of domestic wastes make it more difficult to dispose of domestic waste, the overall level of municipal solid waste disposal is low, and some foreign waste disposal technologies are implemented in China. supervision and planning of the waste treatment industry in China need to be strengthened, and it is necessary to reduce the amount of household waste, pay attention to the classification of domestic waste, encourage the recycling of domestic waste, increase the use of municipal solid waste, and increase investment in research. The development of technology and the strengthening of the government departments' standard management of waste disposal companies will improve the scientific and resourceful treatment of municipal solid waste.

Trashing violence/recycling civility: Buenos Aires’ scavengers and everyday forms of democracy in the wake of neoliberalism

The various progressive and conservative governments that administered Buenos Aires from the 1990s onward implemented strikingly similar policies that were aimed at transforming the city and metropolitan region into a market-centered society. Their policies caused a record number of citizens to lose their jobs in the formal sector and to become scavengers almost overnight. As they crisscrossed daily the city’s neighborhoods gathering paper, plastic and other recyclable materials, these socially stigmatized, politically disenfranchised and economically pauperized scavengers practiced civility from below with many neighborhood residents from all walks of life in civil society and, occasionally, with municipal officials and members of one or another environmental NGO and waste disposal company in political society. In dialogue with Norbert Elias’s and Cheshire Calhoun’s accounts of liberal civility, and Etienne Balibar’s revisionist conception of radical civility, my study discusses them from the perspective of Buenos Aires’ waste pickers.

Returning and staying connected to work after long-term sickness absence.

Returning to work (RTW) after long-term sickness absence is a challenge for convalescent workers, co-workers, managers and organizations. Few studies have investigated the post-return phase after long-term sickness absence. To investigate the RTW process as experienced by returning workers, co-workers and managers at an emergency care service and a waste disposal company, exploring various perspectives related to early RTW before full recovery and changes in the returning workers' work positions. An ethnographic field work design was employed. Returning workers with musculoskeletal disorders, co-workers and managers at two different workplaces participated in individual and group interviews and underwent participant observation over 5 months. These were repeated in a 2-week period after a 4-month interval. Grounded theory analysis was used to identify themes of importance. Four main themes were identified: (1) return before full recovery, (2) changes in work tasks, (3) changes in work position and (4) individual responsibility. Our results illustrate how returning workers, co-workers and managers at two workplaces experienced the RTW process. The results highlight some of the challenges that occur when returning at an early stage before full recovery is obtained leading to changes in the returning worker's work position.

Work reintegration after long-term sick leave: domains of influence on co-workers’ ability to be supportive

Purpose: The purpose of the study is to identify domains of influence on co-workers’ ability to be supportive of returning worker during the work reintegration (WR) process.Methods: An ethnographic study design was chosen involving fieldwork at four different workplaces, at an emergency care service, a waste disposal company and at two nursing homes. Qualitative methods for inquiry were used including participant observation, individual- and group interviews of 30 participants. Data were coded and analysed according to a grounded theory approach.Results: Four themes were identified related to domains of influence on co-workers’ ability to be supportive of returning worker during the WR process: (1) organisation of work and level of interaction; (2) disruption of work routines, (3) relationship with returning worker and (4) attitudes towards sick leave.Conclusion: The WR process after long-term sick leave is not only influenced by the WR’s arrangements made, but also by the co-workers’ responses to the process. Work arrangements not only affect the returning worker’s ability to return-to-work (RTW) successfully, but also the co-workers’ ability to be supportive and their ability to take active part in the process.Implications for RehabilitationThe process of WR after long-term sick leave involves interaction with co-workers.Domains of influence is in the co-workers’ perspective influencing their ability to be supportive during reintegration of a returning worker.Future WR management could benefit from integrating the conditions for co-worker support.We encourage co-workers to be involved in the RTW planning, monitoring and evaluation with particular focus on how the WR arrangements are influencing their work and their ability to be supportive.

Risk management for outsourcing biomedical waste disposal – Using the failure mode and effects analysis

Using the failure mode and effects analysis, this study examined biomedical waste companies through risk assessment. Moreover, it evaluated the supervisors of biomedical waste units in hospitals, and factors relating to the outsourcing risk assessment of biomedical waste in hospitals by referring to waste disposal acts. An expert questionnaire survey was conducted on the personnel involved in waste disposal units in hospitals, in order to identify important factors relating to the outsourcing risk of biomedical waste in hospitals. This study calculated the risk priority number (RPN) and selected items with an RPN value higher than 80 for improvement. These items included “availability of freezing devices”, “availability of containers for sharp items”, “disposal frequency”, “disposal volume”, “disposal method”, “vehicles meeting the regulations”, and “declaration of three lists”. This study also aimed to identify important selection factors of biomedical waste disposal companies by hospitals in terms of risk. These findings can serve as references for hospitals in the selection of outsourcing companies for biomedical waste disposal.

Comparative life cycle assessment and social life cycle assessment of used polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles in Mauritius

Improper disposal of used polyethylene terephthalate (PET) bottles constitute an eyesore to the environmental landscape and is a threat to the flourishing tourism industry in Mauritius. It is therefore imperative to determine a suitable disposal method of used PET bottles which not only has the least environmental load but at the same time has minimum harmful impacts on peoples employed in waste disposal companies. In this respect, the present study investigated and compared the environmental and social impacts of four selected disposal alternatives of used PET bottles. Environmental impacts of the four disposal alternatives, namely: 100 % landfilling, 75 % incineration with energy recovery and 25 % landfilling, 40 % flake production (partial recycling) and 60 % landfilling and 75 % flake production and 25 % landfilling, were determined using ISO standardized life cycle assessment (ISO 14040:2006) and with the support of SimaPro 7.1 software. Social life cycle assessments were performed based on the UNEP/SETAC Guidelines for Social Life Cycle Assessment of products. Three stakeholder categories (worker, society and local community) and eight sub-category indicators (child labour, fair salary, forced labour, health and safety, social benefit/social security, discrimination, contribution to economic development and community engagement) were identified to be relevant to the study. A new method for aggregating and analysing the social inventory data is proposed and used to draw conclusions. Environmental life cycle assessment results indicated that highest environmental impacts occurred when used PET bottles were disposed by 100 % landfilling while disposal by 75 % flake production and 25 % landfilling gave the least environmental load. Social life cycle assessment results indicated that least social impacts occurred with 75 % flake production and 25 % landfilling. Thus both E-LCA and S-LCA rated 75 % flake production and 25 % landfilling to be the best disposal option. Two dimensions of sustainability (environmental and social) when investigated using the Life Cycle Management tool, favoured scenario 4 (75 % % flake production and 25 % landfilling) which is a partial recycling disposal route. One hundred percent landfilling was found out to be the worst scenario. The next step will be to explore the third pillar of sustainability, economic, and devise a method to integrate the three dimensions with a view to determine the sustainable disposal option of used PET bottles in Mauritius.