Waste Strategies Research Articles

Less red meat to be greener? An exploratory study of the representations of sustainable cuisine among French chefs

The main objective of this research is to examine the representations that French chefs have of sustainable cuisine, and to determine whether this includes considerations for a reduction in meat consumption. Global sustainability questions have led to specific issues for the restaurant sector. Among these issues, the recommendation of a reduction in meat consumption is a polarizing topic in France, as meat is deeply rooted in the French culinary tradition. The study of chefs' representations offers a better understanding of the meaning of their actions, what is at stake for them, their obstacles and limitations in the implementation of more sustainable practices in their kitchens. A qualitative methodology based on 29 semi-directive interviews was chosen to explore the chefs' representations. A sub-sample of 15 French chefs was selected to carry out an initial preliminary thematic analysis and to provide some initial insights. The first results of this study show the plurality of perceptions behind the concept of sustainable cuisine. The chefs who have a concrete vision of the concept mainly mention actions related to food supply and culinary preparation. The subject of reducing meat consumption is not prominent in the chefs' representations of sustainable cuisine; however, the chefs do mention various actions to use animal products in a more sustainable way: sourcing from local food systems, favoring farms that respect animal welfare, respecting the seasonality of products or adopting a zero waste strategy in the preparation of meat-based dishes. These results have implications for the restaurant sector, as they provide initial insights into the relationship between chefs and sustainable cuisine, and pave the way for a more in-depth study of chefs' representations.

Optimal sorting and recycling of plastic waste as a renewable energy resource considering economic feasibility and environmental pollution

This work suggests an optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource with maximizing economic feasibility and mitigating environmental pollution. To derive the optimal sorting and recycling strategies of plastic waste, a novel optimization model is developed; it calculates the overall profit by subtracting the profit of recycling plastic from the total annualized cost. Then the model is used to identify the optimal strategy to sort and recycle plastic waste as a renewable energy resource in mixed-integer nonlinear programming that maximizes the overall profit. In the derived optimal sorting and recycling strategy, high-density polyethylene is recycled to produce downgrade plastic; low-density polyethylene, polypropylene, and polystyrene are recycled as pyrolysis oil; and polyethylene terephthalate is recycled to produce refuse plastic fuel. The derived optimal case can significantly increase the overall profit by about 3,137% (i.e., 35 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic), and 492% (i.e., 29 US$/1 kg of recycled plastic) compared to conventional case in South Korea and Japan respectively.

Insights into business strategies for reducing food waste in the Australian food industry

AbstractA significant amount of food produced for human consumption is lost or wasted worldwide. To prevent and reduce food waste, the food industry needs a productive and profitable approach. Such approaches often entail businesses making decisions that utilise and integrate sustainability tools. Integrating tools into businesses can inform their sustainability strategies and activities. This sustainability‐driven opportunity indicates a need to gain insights into business strategies for reducing food waste and the tools used to do so. The current study reviews these strategies and tools by examining publicly available Australian food industry documents. Based on an analysis of secondary sources, this review identified 40 food businesses and revealed their various strategies for reducing food waste. The review found that several businesses use various strategies to reduce food waste, including sustainable farming, diverting waste from landfills and donating unsold food. However, preventative strategies for surplus food creation have received less attention in addressing the causes of food waste. Interestingly, little published information on the tools contributing to more sustainable food production. The review's findings can provide practical implications and guidelines through a more nuanced understanding of food waste strategies. The conclusion also explains the study's limitations and suggests further research areas.

Challenges for Source Separation of Food Waste and Turning Waste into Compost for Island-Based Hotels

The practice of turning food waste into compost among hoteliers in Malaysian islands is still far behind compared to the government’s target of 8% by 2020. This paper aims to identify challenges associated with implementing sources of separation of food waste, turning waste into compost, and proposing relevant actions using island-based hotels on Langkawi Island as a case study. This study adopted the mixed-method approach. The researcher distributed sets of questionnaire surveys to 42 hoteliers, followed by observation and interviews with 23 hoteliers. This study identified the lack of space, existing facilities, expertise, funding, adequate knowledge and support from the hotel management affected the activities separation and composting of food waste at their hotel. The study also suggested five key actions for achieving sustainable food waste management for the hotel sector in Langkawi via separate and compost food waste strategies. Those actions are (1) monitor by establishing a unique team of the hotel staff; (2) cooperation with the contractor of taking waste hotel; (3) systematic waste collection with fixed schedule; (4) waste audit and waste mapping; and (5) adequate infrastructure. This study provides information and guidelines to help hoteliers reduce food waste, save hotel operation costs, and maintain the hotel’s focus on environmentally friendly practices. Keywords: Composting food waste; food waste; hotel sector; island; separating waste

Assessing the relation between waste management policies and circular economy goals

The European Union has recently prioritized waste policies by embedding them in the new Horizon Europe work programme. Here, circular economy (CE) and digitalization are matching together in order to support all the industrial sectors in increasing their sustainability level. One of the main impacts expected from the EU is a better exploitation of wasted resources. However, waste streams are very different in terms of volumes, embedded materials and management policies. Considering only those waste streams with highest volumes, this study focuses on End-of-Life Vehicle (ELV), Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Waste from Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE). Starting from some policy recommendations and analyses identified through a literature review and the support of the experts, a survey has been conducted to identify the most critical items for each waste stream. Results of the survey show that, on the one hand, end of waste strategies has the highest importance for WEEE and ELV categories. On the other hand, social change has the highest importance for MSW. Consequently, end of waste strategies and social change should be considered as enablers of reuse and recycling practices in their reference contexts. In order to counteract the significant socio-economic issues already caused by delays in taking clear decisions about climate change mitigation strategies, policymakers should focus on these policy implications urgently if even more imminent environmental catastrophes are to be avoided.

Fate identification and management strategies of non-recyclable plastic waste through the integration of material flow analysis and leakage hotspot modeling

Low priority on waste management has impacted the complex environmental issue of plastic waste pollution, as evident by results of this study where it was found that 24.3% of waste generation in Jakarta and Bandung is emitted into the waterway due to the high intensity of human activity in the urban area. In this study, we investigated the viable integration between material flow analysis and leakage hotspot modeling to improve management strategies for plastic pollution in water systems and open environments. Using a multi-criteria assessment of plastic leakage from current waste management, a material flow analysis was developed on a city-wide scale defining the fate of plastic waste. Geospatial analysis was assigned to develop a calculation for identification and hydrological analysis while identifying the potential amount of plastic leakage to the river system. The results show that 2603 tons of plastic accumulated along the mainstream of the Ciliwung River on an annual basis, and a high-density population like that in Bandung discarded 1547 tons in a one-year period to the Cikapundung River. The methods and results of this study are applicable towards improving the control mechanisms of river rejuvenation from plastic leakage by addressing proper management in concentrated locations.

Flows and waste reduction strategies of PE, PP, and PET plastics under plastic limit order in China

Plastic pollution is a global threat. China's plastic limit order has the most significant impact on plastic pollution. However, under the plastic limit order, the change characteristics of flows and waste for polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), and polyethylene terephthalate (PET) (the most widely used plastics in China) are unknown. Therefore, this study explored the flow characteristics of PE, PP, and PET based on material flow analysis, then considered the impact of the plastic limit order on them, and obtained the most effective strategies for mitigating plastic pollution. The study found that if plastic waste is not controlled, the total amount will reach 128.84 Tg, an increase of 116% over 2017. The PET waste was the largest, followed by PE waste. Moreover, the waste reduction under multiple strategies would be the most significant, and the waste of PE, PP, and PET would reduce by 23.32, 16.84, and 28.96 Tg respectively, and the total would reduce by 69.12 Tg, 54% less than the “business as usual (BAU)” in 2030. The second is the alternative strategies, which is 33% less than BAU (reducing by 42.11 Tg), followed by strategies of prohibition (reducing by 24.29 Tg) and standardizing waste management. Notably, PE waste from packaging and agriculture is reduced most significantly under the prohibition strategy. This study expounds on the reduction potential and strategies of PE, PP, and PET waste under plastic limit order, which will provide a scientific basis for promoting the sustainable consumption of plastics and realizing the waste reduction goal.

Sistema computacional para a gestão integrada de resíduos da construção e demolição

Abstract Knowledge of the qualitative and quantitative composition of waste is essentialin order to propose alternatives and strategies for construction and demolition waste (CDW) management. Tools to support the integrated management of CDW have been of great help in identifying the best management alternatives. This article aims to develop a computational system (software) which supports the integrated management of CDW for Brazilian municipalities. The software was divided into four stages: knowledge acquisition (data collection), system structuring (system tools), coding and validation, all based on a case study. In conclusion, the computational tool developed and tested with a robust database for managing CDW in municipalities makes it possible to identify better management alternatives, considering the different realities of each municipality and each construction project.

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Regeneration of textile sludge into Cu8S5 decorated N, S self-doped interconnected porous carbon as an advanced bifunctional electrocatalyst for overall water splitting

The utilization of hazardous textile sludge as a precursor for energy production has broad practical application prospects for both sustainable economic and environmental development. Herein, a novel Cu8S5 decorated N, S self-doped interconnected porous carbon (Cu8S5/NSC) with abundant mass transfer channel is successfully designed through a direct pyrolysis strategy of textile sludge waste. Benefiting from the synergistic catalysis between Cu8S5 nanoparticles and the abundant mass transfer channel of the N, S self-doped porous carbon, the Cu8S5/NSC-900 catalyst exhibits excellent electrocatalytic activity and stability with small overpotentials of 313 and 137 mV at 10 mA cm−2 for the oxygen evolution reaction (OER) and hydrogen evolution reaction (HER), respectively. Significantly, the resultant water splitting system achieves a current density of 10 mA cm−2 at 1.64 V, outperforming the benchmark Pt/C||RuO2. Therefore, this study offers an environment-compatible route for synthesizing attractive bifunctional catalysts for water splitting directly from textile sludge waste.

Causes Influencing Construction Waste Generation During the Design Process: An Analytical Study

Despite the social and economic contributions of the construction industry towards achieving sustainable development objectives, it has an adverse effect on the environment such as the generation of waste, water, and energy consumption. Construction waste (CW) is the loss of materials that are produced during or after the construction process and has no remaining value. Several countries promote waste elimination plans at early stages to reduce CW at its source. The Egyptian government is expanding its investments in new mega projects and infrastructure facilities like new administrative capital, bridges, roads, energy projects which resulted in increasing the rate and amount of generated CW. The literature review stated that 33% of CW generated in the primary design stage is the result of design flaws such as design errors and lack of waste management strategies used during the design process. Accordingly, this research aims to investigate the factors influencing CW generation during the design process. To achieve this aim, the development of proper research methodology took place, where it consisted of qualitative analysis of previously published literature and examining case studies to accomplish two objectives. Firstly, an investigation of previous literature focused on studying the design process, CW, and the global and national waste management strategies. Secondly, three case studies were introduced and analysed to study the role of design out waste strategies towards reducing CW during the design process.

High‐Performance Supercapacitors Fabricated from Sugarcane Waste‐derived Activated Carbon Electrodes and Carbon Dot‐added Molasses as Electrolytes

AbstractIn this work, bio‐renewable, high‐performance supercapacitors were prepared from sugarcane wastes. Activated carbon and carbon dots (CDs) was prepared from sugarcane bagasse and leaves, whereas electrolyte, for the first time in any kind of electrochemical device, was prepared from molasses. The supercapacitors were then fabricated from activated carbon electrodes and molasses electrolyte. The supercapacitors using bagasse‐ and leaf‐derived activated carbon and molasses aqueous solution yielded a specific capacitance of 101 and 80 F g−1, respectively, at a scan rate of 30 mV s−1. When the molasses electrolyte was prepared in H2SO4 solution, the specific capacitance increased to 308 and 268 F g−1, respectively. Interestingly, when the CDs were added to molasses/H2SO4 electrolyte, the specific capacitance was further boosted to 456 and 356 F g−1, which are equivalent to 148 % and 133 % increases. In addition to enhancing the specific capacitance, the use of CDs also improved the cycling stability of the supercapacitors. A combination of enhanced surface capacitance and reduced interfacial resistance offered by the CDs led to a significantly enhanced performance. This work thus demonstrates a value‐adding strategy for sugarcane wastes and the fabrication of novel, high‐performance supercapacitors.

Current status, topographical constraints, and implementation strategy of municipal solid waste in India: a review

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is one of the key components of India’s prominent mission “Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.” Rising urbanization, faster economic growth, and lifestyle changes all contribute to higher waste generation in India. Unscientific treatment, improper collection, and low use of technology-based solutions for handling MSW lead to hazards like environmental degradation, water pollution, air pollution, and soil pollution. The review paper describes the current status of MSW in different states and union territories as well as reviews the MSW generation, characteristics, and processing methods as practiced in India. It also highlighted government policy and various geographic constraints while rolling out an effective municipal solid waste management (MSWM) system. Furthermore, a comparison of MSW has been described for advanced, developing, and lesser developed countries based on adopted technology, policies, and infrastructure. The study will help decision-makers and scholars formulate more effective strategies for an effective way forward plan for MSWM.

Environmental and Economic Assessment of Repairable Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymers in Circular Economy Perspective.

The explosive growth of the global market for Carbon-Fiber-Reinforced Polymers (CFRP) and the lack of a closing loop strategy of composite waste have raised environmental concerns. Circular economy studies, including Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Life Cycle Costing (LCC), have investigated composite recycling and new bio-based materials to substitute both carbon fibers and matrices. However, few studies have addressed composite repair. Studies focused on bio-based composites coupled with recycling and repairing are also lacking. Within this framework, the paper aims at presenting opportunities and challenges of the new thermosetting composite developed at the laboratory including the criteria of repairing, recycling, and use of bio-based materials in industrial applications through an ex ante LCA coupled with LCC. Implementing the three criteria mentioned above would reduce the environmental impact from 50% to 86% compared to the baseline scenario with the highest benefits obtained by implementing the only repairing. LCC results indicate that manufacturing and repairing parts built from bio-based CFRP is economically sustainable. However, recycling can only be economically sustainable under a specific condition. Managerial strategies are proposed to mitigate the uncertainties of the recycling business. The findings of this study can provide valuable guidance on supporting decisions for companies making strategic plans.

A sustainable and efficient recycling strategy of feather waste into keratin peptides with antimicrobial activity

The study aimed to propose an efficient and eco-friendly strategy to improve the utilization of feather waste and converting it into high-valued antimicrobial products. Under the synergistic effect of instant catapult steam explosion (ICSE) (1.5 MPa-120 s), over 90% of chicken feather powder (CFP) was degraded into soluble peptides via keratinolysis within 3 h, about 90% of which were smaller than 3 kDa, indicating an overwhelming advantage than general proteolysis. Importantly, the keratinolysis hydrolysate of CFP was able to inhibit E. coli growth, among which the fraction < 3 kDa exhibited highest antimicrobial activity with a minimal inhibitory concentration of 30 mg/mL. Compared to other fractions, the fraction < 3 kDa contained higher content of hydrophobic amino acids (364.11 mg/g), in which about 79% of peptides had more than 60% hydrophobic ratio, potentially contributing to its antimicrobial activity. ICSE-keratinolysis process holds potential in reducing both protein resource waste and environmental pollution by valorizing feathers into antimicrobial product.

Offsite Sustainability—Disentangling the Rhetoric through Informed Mindset Change

The construction sector and concomitant supply chain has been acknowledged in the literature as a major contributor to environmental “stress”, from the design, sourcing and extraction of raw materials through to transportation, design, construction and demolition. Clear indicators/solutions have been showcased as vehicles for reducing this stress, ranging from lifecycle costing through to waste reduction strategies, carbon assessment and “green” environmental assessment tools to name but a few. However, this paper argues that whilst some of these (intervention strategies) may have had some positive effects, the main challenge rests with people—inter alia, the key decision-makers and leadership structures with the “position power” to effect change. Acknowledging this as a supposition, this paper uses three discreet construction organisations engaging in offsite construction as a micro-study (cf. cross-case study) to evaluate sustainability perceptions. In doing so, it focuses specifically on sustainability practices and business processes underpinning technology (adoption, absorption and diffusion), including the perceptions of different stakeholders involved in each of these three companies. In total, 30 respondents from three organisations (cases) participated in this study, representing three tiers of management (top, middle and first line). Priority areas are highlighted, along with the reasons supporting these perspectives. Findings from this work present a new technology diffusion sustainability model for offsite construction. This model identifies sustainability causal links, super catalysts, actuators, barriers, forces and facilitators. More importantly perhaps, this work presents a clear case for “conjoined thinking” in order to instill a collective mindset change and common purpose for those wishing to evidence offsite sustainability.

Robust optimization of construction waste disposal facility location considering uncertain factors

The location of a construction waste disposal facility is a vital part of recycling construction waste strategy. Many factors affect the location especially, ignoring uncertain factors can lead to inaccurate results, resulting in an inappropriate location. Therefore, waste supply and transportation cost, as two uncertain factors, were highlighted in current study. Based on the traditional nominal facility location model approach and considered the uncertainty of two parameter intervals. Thus, a novel robust facility location model is established in the hybrid programming of CPLEX and MATLAB. Results show that: (1) the supply uncertainty costs of construction waste transfer stations and transportation significantly affected the total costs of waste disposal, the total costs of location and site allocation scheme of construction waste disposal facilities were more sensitive to changes in waste supply. (2) As the combination value of the uncertainty level parameter increases (2%, 7%, 10%), the optimal total cost sum and α also increases, and its changing trend is from obvious to slow. (3) The optimal cost of the distribution and disposal facility layout of the construction waste transit station was determined taking Guangzhou for example. This study provided a scientific and effective method for the location of construction waste disposal facilities by considering multiple uncertain factors. This can also help stakeholders reduce the costs of the distribution net and choose appropriate interval value according to preference for risk.

Assessment of Belief Constructs to Support an Intervention in Municipal Solid Waste Separation at the Source in Low–Middle-Income Countries: Observations from the Greater Accra Region of Ghana

This article uses a modified model of the theory of planned behaviour to assess salient beliefs of household heads towards the separation of municipal solid waste at its source in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse the responses of 598 household heads to a questionnaire in a cross-sectional design. Whilst the default model produced an acceptable fit to the data and explained 37% of the variance in households’ intention to separate waste at its source, the modified model with moral norms as an additional construct fitted the data excellently, explaining 52% of the variance in intention. Moral norms and perceived behavioural control were the predominant latent constructs to influence intentions. Control beliefs related to the availability of waste receptacles, provision of regular waste collection services, and access to knowledge of the separation process had the greatest tendency to facilitate households’ intentions. Pro-environmental interventions designed in a participatory manner to promote moral correctness, responsibility, respect for the environment, and positive affect may empower households to separate waste at its source. This research contributes to the development of a municipal solid waste strategy in the region, and may further support research in waste diversion and the circular economy in other jurisdictions.

Magnetic Co/Fe nanocomposites derived from ferric sludge as an efficient peroxymonosulfate catalyst for ciprofloxacin degradation

• Cobalt adsorbed on ferric sludge was recycled to create bimetallic catalyst via a facile solvothermal method. • Co/Fe nanocomposites derived from ferric sludge (CoFe@FS) exhibited an excellent performance toward PMS. • SO 4 •− , • OH, O 2 •− and 1 O 2 were produced from PMS activation by synergetic effect of Co and Fe on the catalyst surface. • The possible degradation mechanism of CIP is proposed based on DFT calculations and LC/MS analyses. • This is a cost-effective method to achieve “treating wastewater by waste residuals”. Ferric sludge, generated during drinking water purification process, can be considered as a promising support with potential iron resource. Herein, magnetic bimetallic Co/Fe nanocomposite derived from ferric sludge (CoFe@FS) was created via a facile solvothermal treatment and employed as an efficient peroxymonosulfate (PMS) activator for the elimination of antibiotic ciprofloxacin (CIP) in water. CoFe@FS exhibited nano-sphere structure with the composites of CoO, CoFe 2 O 4 and SiO 2 crystals and presented excellent catalytic performance with 97.3% removal efficiency of 10 mg/L CIP within 15 min. Sulfate radicals (SO 4 •− ), hydroxyl radicals ( • OH) superoxide radicals (O 2 •− ) and singlet oxygen ( 1 O 2 ) all contributed to CIP degradation, and SO 4 •− functioned as the dominant reactive species in this activation system. CoFe@FS composite exhibited great reusability due to the strong Co/Fe-Si interaction and was able to regenerate by a simple solvothermal process. The CIP degradation mechanism in the CoFe@FS/PMS system were also proposed based on density functional theory (DFT) calculations and analysis of intermediate products. Overall, the magnetic Co/Fe bimetallic catalyst derived from ferric sludge could be employed as high-efficiency and low-cost candidate for the degradation of refractory organic contaminants. This work not only provides a promising reclamation strategy of water treatment waste from ferric sludge to high-effective catalyst, but also clarifies the mechanisms of PMS activation and CIP degradation. The more stable bimetallic CoFe catalysts derived from waste sludge need to be developed in the future study to relieve the occurrence of metal leaching.

Beyond recycling: An LCA-based decision-support tool to accelerate Scotland's transition to a circular economy

Resources and waste strategies have recently seen a shift in focus from weight-based recycling targets to impact-driven policies. To support this transition, numerous decision-support tools were developed to help identify waste streams with the highest impacts. However, the majority of these tools focus solely on greenhouse gas emissions and show a narrow picture of the overall environmental impacts. Furthermore, they cover burdens associated with direct waste management activities and hence fall short when it comes to highlighting the substantial benefits that can be achieved by preventing waste in the first place. This paper quantitatively demonstrates the necessity to adopt impact-based targets that go beyond estimating the greenhouse gas emissions of waste and highlights the substantial benefits of waste reduction and prevention. Using a state-of-the-art waste environmental footprint tool, the paper quantifies the overall environmental impacts of Scotland's household waste and shows how targeting ‘heavy’ materials does not necessarily have the highest overall environmental benefit. Results show that embodied environmental impacts of household waste dominate the total environmental burdens, contributing more than 90% to the whole life cycle impacts, and hence policymakers should prioritise interventions that aim at waste reduction and prevention. Moreover, our analysis shows that food and textile wastes are high-priority materials in Scotland, with the largest contribution to overall environmental burdens; up to 42% and 30%, respectively. Considering the overall environmental impacts of specific waste materials will enable policymakers to develop more granular and targeted interventions to accelerate our transition to a sustainable circular economy.