What A Waste! A Secondary Environmental Science Unit On Waste Reduction And Management

This writing serves as an introductory unit to waste management and reduction to be used in a high school urban environmental education classroom. The research question for this capstone was, does teaching environmental science through waste reduction and management in an urban classroom affect student engagement and connection? The research outlined in this paper explores and examines the concept of an urban classroom environment, the importance of teaching environmental science, and tools and materials to incorporate a unit on waste into an environmental science course. The paper goes on to explain the importance of educating students about the waste crisis and explores ways to increase engagement when it comes to waste reduction in their communities. This topic was chosen due to its extreme relatability to students who reside in a metropolitan or urban area. It contains immediately applicable content that would serve to enrich a current curriculum or aid in developing a new one

Development, Implementation, and Evaluation of Sustainability Education through the Integration of Behavioral Science into Pedagogy and Practice

abstract: For some time it has been recognized amongst researchers that individual and collective change should be the goal in educating for sustainability, unfortunately education has generally been ineffective in developing pro-environmental behaviors among students. Still, many scholars and practitioners are counting on education to lead us towards sustainability but suggest that in order to do so we must transition away from current information-intensive education methods. In order to develop and test novel sustainability education techniques, this research integrates pedagogical methods with psychological knowledge to target well-established sustainable behaviors. Through integrating education, behavior change, and sustainability research, I aim to answer: How can we motivate sustainable behavioral change through education programs? More specifically: How do diverse knowledge domains (declarative, procedural, effectiveness, and social) influence sustainable behaviors, both in general as well as before and after a sustainability education program? And: What are barriers hindering education approaches to changing behaviors? In answering these questions, this research involved three distinct stages: (1) Developing a theoretical framework for educating for sustainability and transformative change; (2) Implementing a food and waste focused sustainability educational program with K-12 students and teachers while intensively assessing participants' change over the course of one year; (3) Developing and implementing an extensive survey that examines the quantitative relationships between diverse domains of knowledge and behavior among a large sample of K-12 educators. The results from the education program demonstrated that significant changes in knowledge and behaviors were achieved but social knowledge in terms of food was more resistant to change as compared to that of waste. The survey results demonstrated that K-12 educators have high levels of declarative (factual or technical) knowledge regarding anthropocentric impacts on the environment; however, declarative knowledge does not predict their participation in sustainable behaviors. Rather, procedural and social knowledge significantly influence participation in sustainable food behaviors, where as procedural, effectiveness, and social knowledge impact participation in sustainable waste behaviors. Overall, the findings from this research imply that in order to effectively educate for sustainability, we must move away from nature-centric approaches that focus on declarative knowledge and embrace different domains of knowledge (procedural, effectiveness, and social) that emphasis the social implications of change.Dissertation/ThesisPh.D. Sustainability 201

Classification and Densification of Municipal Solid Waste for Biofuels Applications

Municipal solid waste has been gaining interest as a potential feedstock for biofuels development as it is highly organic in nature and it is a waste product requiring very little processing to become a suitable feedstock. The main focus of this research project was to evaluate whether municipal solid waste (MSW) is a good source for bioenergy development, in particular, as a feedstock for conversion to biofuels. And if densification of MSW is a feasible process to integrate into waste disposal systems in Canada. These topics were addressed through a comprehensive review of classification of MSW in Canada with focus on suitability for biofuels development and a subset of experiments that produced information on the characteristics of MSW refuse-derived fuel (RDF) and the parameters required to produce a quality, densified fuel product. A review of existing systems in Canada was conducted to establish how different regions currently classify waste; then, a classification framework produced specifically for energy recovery from MSW was used to analyze the strengths and gaps in those existing systems. Finally, a discussion regarding the suitability for biofuels development in each region was made based on the analysis. The City of Edmonton was used as the reference jurisdiction due to their established waste-to-biofuels project, and a geographic distribution of regions that were reviewed included Vancouver, Saskatoon, Toronto, and Halifax. The review determined that most jurisdiction classify MSW by material or product, with the former method being more suitable for investigating alternative utilization methods. Each region has potential for pursuing biofuels development, however, the greatest barrier appears to be whether there is a driving socio-political reason for doing so in the area. Characterization of MSW-RDF fluff sample received from Edmonton showed that the composition of the material was approximately 35% paper, 22% plastics, 14% fabrics, 6% organics/wood, and 23% fines by mass. The RDF was densified, as well as the biodegradable (paper and wood) fraction of the RDF stream to compare quality of pellets for the two material compositions. A characterization of the thermochemical and biochemical properties of MSW RDF-fluff was conducted to evaluate the suitability of MSW RDF-fluff for biofuels application. The ash content of RDF material was 19-39% while that of the biodegradable material samples was 20-23%. Proximate analysis resulted in a CHNS ratio of 33-41% carbon, 5-6% hydrogen, 0.6-0.8% nitrogen, and 0.2-0.5% sulfur for all samples. From the results of the proximate analysis, the higher heating value (HHV) for MSW RDF-fluff was calculated to be 14-16 MJ/kg. Fibre analysis of the biodegradable fraction determined that it contained 28% insoluble lignin, 1 % soluble lignin, 22% glucose, and 0% xylose. A single pelleting trial was conducted to examine the compaction parameters that would produce high quality pellets: grind size, moisture content, pelleting pressure, and pelleting temperature. It was determined that quality pellets, for both materials, were formed at a grind size of 6.35 mm at 16% moisture under pelleting conditions of 90°C and 4000 N applied load. The compact density of pellets produced from RDF ranged from 880-1020 kg/m3; the compact density of the biodegradable pellets ranged from 1120-1290 kg/m3. Fitting of the Walker and Jones models to the experimental data both indicated that the biodegradable material fraction has a higher compressibility than the RDF material, where neither moisture content nor grind size at all levels had a significant effect on the compressibility of either material. The Kawakita-Lüdde model estimated the porosity of the pelleted samples, while the Cooper-Eaton model indicated that the primary mechanism of densification was particle rearrangement. Application of the Peleg and Moreyra model for analysis of relaxation properties of the compressed materials determined the asymptotic modulus of the residual stress to be between 89 and 117 MPa for all experimental parameters; however, the RDF material produced more rigid pellets than the biodegradable material. Pilot-scale pelleting was then completed to emulate industrial pelleting process utilizing the parameters from the single pelleting operation that were deemed to produce quality pellets. All six of the sample treatments produced durable pellets (88-94%), with the ash content around 20% for all samples. A techno-economic feasibility study determined that 6.35 mm diameter pellets could be produced for an average cost of $38/Mg and includes both size reduction and densification procedures, although the aggressive process of the size reduction required indicates that it may not be a technically feasible option

Analysis of Possible Use of Identification Technologies in Disassembly

The barcodes and Radio Frequency Identification tags that are being used during manufacturing, assembly, warehousing, and distribution could also be reused at the end of the product lifecycle for an identification of the correct disassembly process that would result in recycling of its components. The barcodes or RFID tags can be helpful in identifying objects in terms of sustainable development, regarding disassembly, recycling and reuse. In this paper, the analysis of the current applications of RFID Technology in the final phase of the product lifecycle will be presented. The simulation of the disassembly process supported by both barcode and RFID-enabled product sorting in Rockwell simulation Software Arena

Sustainable Municipal Solid Waste Management: A Local Issue with Global Impacts

This reprint focuses on applied research in the field of solid waste management as a local issue with global dimensions. The role of circular economy practices to achieve sustainable waste management is highlighted. Furthermore, modeling techniques to assess the impacts of various waste treatment options are demonstrated. A waste-to-hydrogen energy option using metal scrap is evaluated. On a regional level, four articles from the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region highlight the challenges and opportunities in the field of municipal solid waste management. Options for marine plastic reduction are highlighted. Factors and actors for the management and use of bio-solids are another topic that is covered in the reprint

Visualising Plastic Ocean Pollution: Designing Waste Ontologies

It is challenging to comprehend the extent of oceanic plastic pollution because of the sea depth and currents. This PhD by practice in design uses marine scientific findings and data on plastic waste recycling extrapolation to support an argument that the oceans are the world's largest mismanaged landfill. As the sea's landfill is not visible, the research applied various approaches to making invisible plastic waste present. Through Higher Education (HE) action-based workshops, research participants were invited to experience ocean plastics in ways designed to challenge perceptions. The HE action-based research co-created an aesthetically positive waste response and new experiential values that re-shaped the thinking of participants. Through a co-design approach with design students, research created meaningful connections with long-lasting plastic resources and re-imagined plastic pollution as oceanic species. This PhD thesis research comprises a series of three practice-based projects. First, HE-based waste symposium engagements facilitate landfill dialogue and promote plastic reuse. Second, HE participatory workshops enabled the visualisation of oceanic plastic pollution through making installations. Third, the research explored plastic pollution using craft expositions and participated in a sailing expedition. The PhD interventions promoted positive change through hands-on reuse tactics with plastic packaging, raising environmental and oceanic landfill awareness, and acknowledging that this may not lead to changes in stakeholders' behaviour. Through the design agency-praxis, the research draws on recent works in speculative design formulating experiential design futures and design fictions. These PhD thesis contributions funnelled visual strategy insights from three practice-based interventions into two experiential scenarios - future-based climate fiction narratives. The first future scenario unpacked the responses of HE design workshop stakeholders and proposed informal global services and design-led packaging solutions. The second fiction scenario is a visionary post-anthropocentric future that visually re-imagined the planetary plastic pollution changes through intersections of research and praxis. This participatory research re-imagining with plastic waste and visualising the complexity of plastic pollution contributes further to knowledge relating to design research in three clustered domains. First, various HE learning tools for oceanic environmental awareness and waste reuse were developed. Second, the research designed an innovative methodology that expands praxis vocabulary and forms a new eco-centric compendium through workshop interventions and waste aesthetic approaches. Lastly, through practice-based participatory action and speculative agency, the research uniquely constructs a socio-material narrative with plastic things making new interdisciplinary connections and design relations to nature. The PhD promoted hands-on plastic reuse and new perceptions of plastic waste in HE design education, connecting to discard study, marine science and feminist thinking. A co-creation design approach raised transformative environmental awareness and promoted novel waste aesthetic and design language towards engaged relationships with plastic pollution

Living off garbage: Waste picker institutions in Brazil through the lens of Elinor Ostrom's principles for governance of common-pool resources

In many cities of the developing world, an active informal waste sector, made up of millions of people, make a living from the recovery and recycling of resources found in waste. They are often the major suppliers of secondary materials to industry and in some places they achieve significant recycling rates. The living and working conditions of informal recyclers are, however, often extremely difficult. Also, informal recycling, notably of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), is characterized by highly pollutant processes, without compliance to environmental, safety and health standards. Calls have been made for the integration of informal sector recycling into mainstream waste management, for the millions of jobs it creates to the urban poor, the potential to improve working conditions and for the need to address unsound environmental practices. Integration requires a level of organizing and a common venue is the establishment of associations or cooperatives of waste pickers. Brazil is known for its initiatives of waste picker integration, and is home to over a thousand organizations of waste pickers, often characterized by the principles of self-management and collective decision-making. In this thesis, waste picker institutions in Brazil are examined through the lens of common-pool resource (CPR) theory, and in particular, Elinor Ostrom's core design principles for the efficacy of groups (E.Ostrom, Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences 2009). It is set against the emerging background of waste as a resource, specifically waste as a common-pool resource. The research adopts a descriptive, multiple-case study approach, in which Ostrom's principles are applied to two institutions of waste pickers with the aims of verifying to which extent they characterize these institutions and if their presence (or absence) is related to their institutional performance. Multiple sources of data were used: primary data through field visits, observations and interviews, and secondary data from the body of literature. Results suggest a strong relationship between the degree to which the principles are present at these institutions and the results they achieve in terms of income level, recycling rates and the mix of services they offer. In light of these findings, the design principles could be used by waste picker institutions to evaluate performance and to highlight modes of improvement. At a theoretical level, findings strengthen the case for generalization of the principles across groups outside the traditionally studied natural CPRs. This study contributes to the conceptualisation of waste as resource and, in particular, as a common-pool resource. As such, it is relevant to the understanding of the incentive structure underlying materials recovery from waste and to resource efficiency. It joins the growing body of research on the urban commons