Investigations of generic self disassembly using shape memory alloys

Industrial recycling is a practice of growing importance while impending `Take Back' European legislation and economic pressures are increasing. Landfill sites are becoming exhausted and the industry could benefit from a novel approach to recycling pre and post consumer waste. Cost constraints limit the number of different products that can be recycled. Recyclers are working on broadening the range of reusable components from this waste stream, but the proposed approach would significantly increase the volume of recyclable material used in manufacturing new products. This alternative could potentially reduce recycling cost per product in the event of mandatory recycling as a wide variety of consumer electronics could be actively or self disassembled on the same generic dismantling line. The use of Shape Memory Alloy (SMA) actuators in a wide variety of consumer electronic products in the same dismantling facility was tested. The candidate products had undergone a multi-stage hierarchical temperature regime on their macro and subassembly disassemblies and results reported. Two forms of SMA actuators were employed in the designs of actuators; these were one-way Nickel-Titanium (NiTi) and two-way Copper-Zinc-Aluminum (CuZnAl) actuators

Supply chain challenges for sustainability: the case of waste textiles as raw materials

Purpose: This paper addresses the growing problem of textile waste in the rapidly developing cities of subSaharan Africa and examines, from a supply chain perspective, the potential for waste textile materials to be transformed into the raw materials for new consumer products. Research Approach: The paper reflects on the outcomes of a field trip to Dar es Salaam in which stakeholders in a hypothesised textile waste supply chain were interviewed and waste textile materials were analysed in order to determine their content and appropriateness for reuse. Findings from the field study have been compared with current literature on logistics and market creation, waste generation, management and recycling in sub-Saharan Africa. Findings and Originality: The findings show that a rudimentary system has been in place for many years to collect and recycle textiles in Dar es Salaam. However, at the same time as textile waste is projected to increase in the city, collection rates are falling. The chief reasons for the falling rates are failures in the ‘modernised mixture’ approach to waste collection employed by Dar es Salaam City Council and market failure for the collected materials. Alternative combinations of ‘modernised mixtures’, incorporating community-based organisations, are likely to increase textile yields from unplanned urban areas but previous high-profile failures in such systems within Dar es Salaam mean there is caution on both sides in entering into such a relationship. The more pressing problem is to identify appropriate end markets for the textile materials, since in a country where recycling is entirely market-driven, failure to do so will undermine any attempt to improve the collection system. Whilst many studies have considered general recycling practices in sub-Saharan Africa, there are few investigations into textile waste. Furthermore, those existing studies do not consider the importance of understanding fibre composition of the materials in order to determine the most appropriate end markets. Research Impact: The research contributes to the growing body of knowledge on ‘bottom of the pyramid’ approaches to sustainable futures. Practical Impact: The work presented considers supply chain problems and offers approaches to tackling the increasing waste management issues of Dar es Salaam and proposes a mechanism for doing so which has the potential to provide income for the poorest sectors of the urban society

Black, Gold, and Green: Food Waste Management at Bryant University

The basis of this project is to examine the food waste management system at Bryant University, and to make feasible, sustainable, and cost-effective solutions for improving the system. An effective, sustainable food waste management system is an important achievement for the university in particular as Rhode Island’s landfill is quickly reaching its capacity. The study focuses on analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of the university’s current solution of sending the waste to a local pig farmer versus alternative options such as composting the waste. Research methods include surveying local food recycling and composting experts and key stakeholders, a numeric ranking system to analyze different options for Bryant, as well as benchmarking with comparable colleges and universities that have launched successful food waste management solutions

Inside the Kitchen: RWU’s Composting Effort

Through a partnership with an outside company RWU has diverted over 230 tons of food waste from the landfill since 2015

Designer/industry interface

The transcript from the discussion panel section of this event provides an interesting exchange of ideas around the notion of textile reuse and value. Following on from the exhibition Ever & Again: Experimental Recycled Textiles in October 2007, the Textiles Environment Design (TED) Project organized a one day Textiles Upcycling Symposium at Chelsea College of Art & Design on Friday 18th July 2008. The aims of the Symposium were to engage the audience and invited fashion and interior textile designers in thinking about high quality and innovative recycling practices for the future (‘upcycling’). The morning session featured the work of 12 of the most well known designers working in this field, including Orsola De Castro – ‘From Somewhere’, Kate Goldsworthy, Amy Twigger Holroyd – ‘Keep and Share’, Emmeline Child – ‘Emmeline4Re’, Kerry Seager - ‘Junky Styling’, Cyndi Rhodes – ‘Worn Again’, and Barley Massey – ‘Fabrications’. For the afternoon session invited key participants from industry contributed to an informal panel discussion with the designers and audience, to discuss the potential for shifting these ideas into mainstream and larger scale commercial production. This was chaired by sustainable textiles expert Dr Jo Heeley. The day also included a keynote speech from Professor Marie O’Mahony and a presentation of the outcomes of the three-year research project led by Rebecca Earley, which has involved teaching staff, researchers and students from Chelsea College of Art & Design

Working to consume: consumers as the missing link in the division of labour

This paper argues that the work of consumers is a significant and constantly developing field of work, and proposes a conceptual framework for understanding consumption work as part of the division of labour. The labour associated with consumption is not new, but has been rapidly expanding in recent years as a consequence of both socio-economic change and technical innovation. Few goods or services are delivered ?complete? to consumers in the sense of being ready for use without further activity, yet the role of consumers in completing a system of provision is rarely acknowledged in theories of either work or consumption. Recognition of the interdependence between the work undertaken prior to and after the purchase of goods and services problematises any assumption that all post-purchase activity comprises consumption and calls for a conception of the division of labour that extends from the market and world of paid employment to encompass also the usually unpaid labour of the end user. Consumption work is defined as ?all work undertaken by consumers necessary for the purchase, use, re-use and disposal of consumption goods?. Its key characteristics are delineated using examples from everyday life, and the approach towards it is distinguished from the practices and theories of consumption, domestic labour, and co-production/prosumption. The paper draws on current international comparative research in three socio-economic fields of activity (the work of food preparation, the installation of broad band and household recycling of waste) to illustrate its main arguments and explore the varieties of consumption work, their shaping by prevailing systems of provision, and their place within the division of labour

Sustainability of the textile waste stream in Macedonia,

In Macedonia, as a country with a developed apparel industry, a significant amount of pre-consumer textile waste is generated, more precisely apparel cutting waste. The aim of this paper is to make an accurate estimate of its quantity, as well as the characterization based on the raw material composition as a prerequisite for its further handling. Before any recycling initiative for textile waste, an analysis should be made of whether its quantity and quality can ensure the continuity of the recycling process. The analysis shows that the amount of apparel cutting waste is a fairly constant value (in the period from 2009 to 2014 an average of 3,377 tons of apparel cutting waste was generated annually). The waste from cotton and cotton blends is most common. Despite the constant annual amount of apparel cutting waste and numerous reasons for its recycling, almost all this waste ends in landfills

Combating Food Waste: Dumpster Diving as a Form of Consumer Resistance

This paper explores North America’s food waste issue associated with our current industrial globalized food system. Through a sociocultural lens, this essay examines the new social movement of dumpster diving among food waste activists and ‘freegans’ in urban areas. Millions of people are currently unaware as to where their next meal will come from, yet Western households and supermarkets waste massive amounts of edible food. Dumpster divers do not just encourage us to be mindful of the choices we make with respect to food waste; they seek to challenge pre-existing capitalist structures and conventional ways of thinking. Analyzing the counterculture movement of dumpster diving can help us better understand the role food plays in our daily lives, and can provide an important ideological template to follow in order to mitigate this pressing social and environmental injustice

Development and Marketing of a Repurposed Textile Product for Homeless Individuals in Northwest Arkansas

Growing concerns over waste disposal methods have led to a greater focus on recycling efforts in the textile industry. Second only to the oil industry, the textile industry continues to be one of the most wasteful among leading businesses around the world and determining ways to repurpose fashion materials could be a reasonable solution to this growing problem (Dobilaite, V., Mileriene, G., Juciene, M., & Sacevičienė, 2017). In addition to alleviating disposal issues, repurposed materials could serve the humanitarian needs of local communities, and even more importantly, could specifically benefit homeless populations. The purpose of this project was to design, execute, analyze, critique and report on the development of a sleeping bag prototype using repurposed materials created to benefit homeless populations in Northwest Arkansas. The product logo for the sleeping bag, identified by the name, “HIP”, was established to represent the slogan, “Homelessness Is Personal.” Using the design methodology established, the HIP prototype could be distributed to individuals living in homeless communities in Northwest Arkansas. By using repurposed materials for the end product, waste reduction of textile products may result. Further, engagement of the community could be accomplished by using the design methodology to establish work groups for production of the sleeping bags. Ultimately, this design methodology was designed so that distribution to other communities outside of the Northwest Arkansas region could be a foreseeable future goal of the committee. Materials collected from Goodwill in Fayetteville, Arkansas were used in creating the prototype and production was completed at the University of Arkansas Apparel Merchandising and Product Development (AMPD) design and development labs. Projections indicate that the design, development, and marketing efforts surrounding the HIP prototype are potentially conducive to the creation of a lasting and sustainable project, which might continue to creatively engage students for many years to come