Waste Disposal Patterns Research Articles

Determinants of household waste disposal practices and implications for practical community interventions: lessons from Lilongwe

Open waste disposal has a negative effect on local ecology, economy, and public health. Understanding factors influencing waste disposal decisions is necessary for developing solutions to curb open waste disposal. This paper discusses the associations between household’s social demographic and spatial characteristics with preference for domestic waste disposal. The paper also utilizes this knowledge practical community action. This was achieved by gathering and examining a novel dataset of the waste disposal patterns of 200 randomly chosen households in Malawi. We observed that households were likely to dispose of their waste openly when the residential unit was closer to an existing open waste disposal site. A multinomial logistic regression model showed that the likelihood of choosing waste disposal methods, such as private garbage collection services, is higher when the household head is a woman, the housing unit is owned by the occupants, or in situations where a fence is present around the housing unit. We presented these findings to the neighborhood community development committee. A short-term community waste management plan was created using a participatory community planning approach. The plan included co-designing waste disposal solutions with landlords, setting up community waste bylaws, and intensifying civic education activities. In conclusion, our study provides insights into the factors that influence households’ disposal behavior. This unique case study highlights a potential approach for developing waste management policies using a bottom-up approach.

Social Context of Solid Waste Disposal among Residents of Ibadan Metropolis, Nigeria

The study sought to assess the social context of solid waste disposal pattern of residents in Ibadan metropolis, in order to assess the Solid waste disposal patterns of people in Ibadan metropolis, Oyo State, Nigeria. Specifically, the study identified solid waste disposal habits of residents, frequency of clearing the dumpsters, accessibility of waste dumpsters to people determines the waste disposal pattern of people; and analyze the willingness of people in Ibadan to pay for improved service. Solid waste management has been part of human activities right from time. Efforts by Oyo State Government is seen in the collection of dirt that have been placed on the medians. Waste generation is an unavoidable product of man activities, however, sustainable management of such waste is a challenge faced in many countries today. Nigeria, a developing country in Africa, has been in a quandary of how to efficiently manage the municipal solid waste its population generates. Many states in the country lack adequate plans and infrastructure required for efficient and sustainable management of municipal solid waste. For Ibadan, the largest city in Nigeria, the problem is further compounded by its rather large and still increasing population. In this research, Ibadan metropolis is taken as a case study; the rate of solid waste handling in households as regards solid waste management from household collection to final disposal are focused upon. The study found out that 45.6% drop their refuse in the dumpsters as 18.8% burns their refuse, 17.7% of the respondents drops their waste on the median, 12% in the drainage while 6% opts to drop their waste in the streams. On the effectiveness of the Private operators collecting waste from the respondents, the study found out that 7.6% effective, 37.5% of the respondents says the operators waste collection is poor, 7% says it is abysmal while 43.5% said it is not applicable to them because they do not have storage containers in their houses and as a result did not subscribe to their service. Many countries, particularly the developed ones, have employed options in the waste management hierarchy for sustainable management of their municipal solid waste and the blend of options employed is usually highly dependent on local factors. Following the waste management hierarchy, possible options for sustainable municipal solid waste management in Ibadan are discussed. It is concluded that waste reduction, reuse, and recycling are potential management options for the state. Landfilling will remain an important option for final disposal but reliance on this method could be significantly reduced if management options are exploited to the maximum in a sustainable solid waste management structure in Ibadan metropolis. Key Words: Waste handling, Ibadan Metropolis, Landfill, Municipal Solid Waste Word Count: 435

Municipal waste management in the era of COVID-19: Perceptions, practices, and potentials for research in developing countries

The novel COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted all facets of society globally. Often overlooked is the potential contamination of the waste disposed by individuals diagnosed with the virus. The proliferation of contaminated waste is expected to increase as cases increase. The pandemic has caused a surge in waste material stemming from the widespread use of disposable personal protective equipment at the household level. In the developing countries where waste management measures are relatively inadequate, the vulnerability of COVID-19 contraction from contaminated waste is high. This study intended to unravel the susceptibility of communities in the developing countries of Guyana and Nigeria to the potential spread of the virus through waste. The study explored the possibility of cross-contamination between residents and landfill scavengers, the community perception on the effectiveness of their solid waste practices, the notable changes in waste collection and waste disposal patterns, and also, the potential knowledge / policy gaps that exist. An online survey was administered within all the districts of the two countries and the qualitative assessment was conducted demonstrating the proportional trends in the responses of the participants. Findings showed that the communities were relatively perceptive about the issue of waste disposal and the potential contamination of COVID-19. The communities readily recognized the inefficiencies of the waste management systems and the need for policy intervention. Tackling the issue of COVID-19 and waste management in the developing countries of Guyana and Nigeria requires policies that are holistic and participatory involving stakeholder at all levels.

Impact of COVID-19 on household waste flows, diversion and reuse: The case of multi-residential buildings in Toronto, Canada

The COVID-19 pandemic has had numerous environmental consequences, including impacts on municipal waste management systems. Changes in consumption and waste disposal patterns and behaviours during the lockdown period have produced new challenges for solid waste management and waste diversion activities. This paper develops a conceptual model that reflects short-term changes in waste flows from households that are due to COVID-19 disruptions, focusing on the case of multi-residential buildings in Toronto, Canada. Multi-residential buildings are of interest because they differ from single family homes in several key ways that can produce some slightly different impacts of COVID-19 on waste flows and practices. Primary research for the study included interviews with 19 staff, residents and property managers of ten multi-residential buildings. All of the research took place while Toronto was still in partial-lockdown. Analysis of the interviews revealed five themes around the impact of COVID-19: (1) changes in garbage, recycling and organics flows, (2) new health and safety concerns, (3) changes in reuse and reduction practices, (4) changes in special waste and deposit-return bottle collections, and (5) changes in waste diversion and reduction education. Given the time frame of our study, we recognize these as short-term impacts and call for future research to determine how many of the changes are likely to perpetuate over the medium and longer term.

Sanitation Status and Waste Disposal Pattern in the Slum Area of Sylhet City Corporation

Aims: Majority of slum people are living in poor quality housing where the absence of basic amenities is a significant issue. The primary aim of the study was to determine the present status of sanitation and waste disposal patterns of the selected slum areas of Sylhet City Corporation (SCC).
 Study Design: Both descriptive and analytical methods were applied to reach the final outcome.
 Methodology: To conduct the study, 355 samples were collected from five different wards through a constructive questionnaire survey. Key Information Interview (KII), field observation, and focus group discussion (FGD) were also used to collect data.
 Results: While the slum people are always struggling to ensure their basic needs, they don’t give emphasis on the sanitary, hygiene, health condition, etc. About 80.4% of slum dwellers defecate in an unhygienic place which may cause various diseases and lead to water pollution by pathogenic microbes. Only 54.9% of people dispose of their waste in a proper way and the others are accountable for environmental pollution by disposing of waste here and there. This study also reveals the socioeconomic condition, health issues, and other water-related challenges of the slum dwellers.
 Conclusion: Due to lack of education and knowledge about health and hygiene, unwillingness, poverty, etc. are the possible reasons behind the deterioration of the situation of slum inhabitants. Thus, several remedial measures need to be taken for the improvement of sanitation and waste disposal system.

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.

Discovering the energy, economic and environmental potentials of urban wastes: An input–output model for a metropolis case

Tremendous amounts of wastes are generated in urban areas due to accelerating industrialization and urbanization. The current unreasonable waste disposal patterns and potential energy value of urban wastes necessitates the promotion of waste-to-energy implementation. This study is intent on discovering the complete energy, economic and environmental potentials of urban wastes taking municipal solid wastes, waste oil, organic wastewater and livestock manure into consideration. A waste-to-energy system is constructed incorporating these wastes and five waste-to-energy technologies. A novel input–output simulation model is developed and applied to a metropolis to introduce the waste-to-energy system into the current socioeconomic system and form five waste-to-energy industries. The trends in waste generation and energy recovery potential, economic benefits and greenhouse gas mitigation contribution for the study area are estimated and explored from 2011 to 2025. By 2025, biodiesel production and power generation could amount to 72.11 thousand t and 1.59 billion kWh respectively. Due to the highest energy recovery and the most subsidies, the organic wastewater biogas industry has the highest output and net profit, followed by the waste incineration power generation industry. In total 17.97 million t (carbon dioxide-equivalent) accumulative greenhouse gas emission could be mitigated. The organic wastewater biogas industry and waste incineration power generation industry are more advantageous for the study area in terms of better energy, economic and environmental performances. The methods presented and the quantified energy, economic and environmental potentials of urban wastes are expected to provide local decision makers with options for sounder waste management.

Food Sources and Accessibility and Waste Disposal Patterns across an Urban Tropical Watershed: Implications for the Flow of Materials and Energy

Garcia-Montiel, D. C., J. C. Verdejo-Ortiz, R. Santiago-Bartolomei, C. P. Vila-Ruiz, L. Santiago, and E. Melendez-Ackerman. 2014. Food sources and accessibility and waste disposal patterns across an urban tropical watershed: implications for the flow of materials and energy. Ecology and Society 19(1): 37. https://doi.org/10.5751/ES-06118-190137

Wastewater and solid waste disposal patterns of Dukem town households in Ethiopia

The objective of this descriptive, cross-sectional study was to assess wastewater and solid waste management by the households of Dukem, a town in Ethiopia. A total of 391 households were selected using stratified random sampling techniques. Face-to-face interviews were carried out with respondents by asking questions about wastewater and solid waste management in the households. A majority (75.1%) of households used unsafe wastewater disposal methods. Approximately two thirds (67.7%) of households had a temporary storage container in their compound in which to store solid waste. 53.3% of households used a safe solid waste disposal method. Only 4.9% of the households used waste as manure (compost) for home gardening. More than a quarter (28.1%) of households practised burning waste on their premises. The availability of safe wastewater disposal facilities was significantly associated with private home ownership and family size (p-value 0.05). Generally, there were inadequate domestic wastewater and solid waste disposal facilities in the studied households. Thus, there is a need for improved waste management in the households. Environmental health and health education programmes should be emphasised in order to improve practices of household waste management.

Environmental Hazards of Waste Disposal Patterns—A Multimethod Study in an Unrecognized Bedouin Village in the Negev Area of Israel

ABSTRACT The Bedouin of the Negev region of Israel are a formerly nomadic, indigenous, ethnic minority, of which 40% currently live in unrecognized villages without organized, solid waste disposal. This study, using both quantitative and qualitative methods, explored the transition from traditional rubbish production and disposal to current uses, the current composition of rubbish, methods of waste disposal, and the extent of exposure to waste-related environmental hazards in the village of Um Batim. The modern, consumer lifestyle produced both residential and construction waste that was dumped very close to households. Waste was tended to by women who predominantly used backyard burning for disposal, exposing villagers to corrosive, poisonous, and dangerously flammable items at these burn sites. Village residents expressed a high level of concern over environmental hazards, yet no organized waste disposal or environmental hazards reduction was implemented.

Waste disposal and infection transmission in health care institutions

In the present study waste disposal patterns of 10 purposely selected health care institutions from two states of India have been examined. Data were collected by pre-structured interviews of hospital administrators and on-the-spot observations, and were evaluated with reference to the possibility of transmission of various diseases, including HIV infection. It was observed that none of these institutions had a documented waste management and disposal policy. All categories of waste were disposed by being thrown on the open ground or in open municipal cans without any pre-treatment, rendering them accessible to rag-pickers. Both the internal and external transportation of hospital wastes were faulty and hazardous. A physical examination of 40 rag-pickers and 70 hospital workers who were directly involved in the disposal of hospital wastes, revealed that almost 40% (n= 47) of them suffered from skin infections and/or had cuts or abrasions on their palms, hands, or feet. None of them ever ued hand gloves while working and only a limited few (n = 23) were found to be wearing shoes while coming in contact with hospital wastes. This study stresses the importance of periodic in-service orientation programmes for all categories of health care personnel and suggests some acceptable and affordable alternative measures for disposal of hospital wastes.

A dimensionless analysis in the optimal management of groundwater pollutant sources

The impact of optimal waste disposal patterns upon the maximum assimilative capacity of groundwater systems is investigated in cases where the simultaneous utilization of the same aquifer for water supply as well as for waste disposal is required. A groundwater quality management model that combines analytic solutions off the dimensionless advective-dispersive transport equation with linear programming is developed. Three different patterns of waste disposal are considered: a constant rate, a pulsing-type, and a continuously varying rate. Optimal schedules for all the patterns are determined for a wide range of the problem's parameters, and a critical evaluation of their benefits leads, eventually, to a complete series of useful guidelines. These guidelines can serve as a-priori criteria for the selection of the most suitable waste disposal patterns.