Waste Generation, Incineration and Landfill Diversion. De-coupling Trends, Socio-Economic Drivers and Policy Effectiveness in the EU

Waste generation and waste disposal are issues that are becoming increasingly prominent in the environmental arena both from a policy perspective and in the context of delinking analysis. Waste generation is still increasing proportionally with income, and economic and environmental costs associated to landfilling are also increasing. This paper provides a comprehensive analysis of waste generation, incineration, recycling and landfill dynamics based on panel data for the EU25, to assess the effects of different drivers (economic, structural, policy) and the eventual differences between western and eastern EU countries. We show that for waste generation there is still no Waste Kuznets Curve (WKC) trend, although elasticity to income drivers appear lower than in the past. Landfill and other policy effects do not seem to provide backward incentives for waste prevention. Regarding landfill and incineration, the two trends, as expected, are respectively decreasing and increasing, with policy providing a strong driver. It demonstrates the effectiveness of policy even in this early stage of policy implementation. This is essential for an ex post evaluation of existing landfill and incineration directives. Eastern countries appear to perform generally quite well, thus benefiting from their EU membership and related policies in terms of environmental performances. We may conclude that although absolute delinking is far from being achieved for waste generation, there are first positive signals in favour of an increasing relative delinking for waste generation and average robust landfill diversion, and various evidence of a significant role of the EU waste policies implemented in the late 1990s and early 2000s on landfill diversion. Waste prevention is nevertheless the next necessary target of waste regulatory efforts.Waste Kuznets Curves, Delinking, Waste Generation, Waste Disposal, Landfilling, Landfill Policies, Evaluation Methodology, Incineration

Causative factors of construction and demolition waste generation in Iraq Construction Industry

The construction industry has hurt the environment from the waste generated during construction activities. Thus, it calls for serious measures to determine the causative factors of construction waste generated. There are limited studies on factors causing construction, and demolition (C&D) waste generation, and these limited studies only focused on the quantification of construction waste. This study took the opportunity to identify the causative factors for the C&D waste generation and also to determine the risk level of each causal factor, and the most important minimization methods to avoiding generating waste. This study was carried out based on the quantitative approach. A total of 39 factors that causes construction waste generation that has been identified from the literature review were considered which were then clustered into 4 groups. Improved questionnaire surveys by 38 construction experts (consultants, contractors and clients) during the pilot study. The actual survey was conducted with a total of 380 questionnaires, received with a response rate of 83.3%. Data analysis was performed using SPSS software. Ranking analysis using the mean score approach found the five most significant causative factors which are poor site management, poor planning, lack of experience, rework and poor controlling. The result also indicated that the majority of the identified factors having a high-risk level, in addition, the better minimization method is environmental awareness. A structural model was developed based on the 4 groups of causative factors using the Partial Least Squared-Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique. It was found that the model fits due to the goodness of fit (GOF ≥ 0.36= 0.658, substantial). Based on the outcome of this study, 39 factors were relevant to the generation of construction and demolition waste in Iraq. These groups of factors should be avoided during construction works to reduce the waste generated. The findings of this study are helpful to authorities and stakeholders in formulating laws and regulations. Furthermore, it provides opportunities for future researchers to conduct additional research’s on the factors that contribute to construction waste generation

Awareness on 3R practice: a case study at UTHM Pagoh residential college

Solid waste can be defined as any scrap material; or unwanted surplus substance; or rejected products arising from the application of any process [1]. This also includes any substance required to be disposed of as being broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled. Over the years, the problems of solid waste generation are increasing all over the world. In the year 2016, cities around the world generated 2.01 billion tonnes of solid waste, amounting to a footprint of 0.74 kilograms per person per day [2]. With rapid population growth and urbanisation, the annual waste generation is expected to increase to 3.4 billion tonnes by year 2050. The same trend can be seen in Malaysia. The waste generation rate in this country has been steadily increasing from 12.3 million tonnes in year 2013 to 13.9 million tonnes in year 2018 [3]. This amount is expected to increase to 14.4 million tonnes by year 2020

Responsibility for regional waste generation: A single region extended input-output analysis with uni-directional trade flows

The paper uses a regional input-output (IO) framework and data derived on waste generation by industry to examine regional accountability for waste generation. In addition to estimating a series of industry output-waste coefficients, the paper considers two methods for waste attribution but focuses first on one (trade endogenised linear attribution system (TELAS)) that permits a greater focus on private and public final consumption as the main exogenous driver of waste generation. Second, the paper uses a domestic technology assumption (DTA) to consider a regional ‘waste footprint’ where local consumption requirements are assumed to be met through domestic production.waste attribution; regional economy; input-output analysis; Wales

The role of socio-economic and cultural factors in municipal solid waste generation: a case study in Taman Perling, Johor Bahru

The absence of a comprehensive database on solid waste generation and composition appears to be the major drawback to the development of an integrated waste management system in Malaysia. While many studies have been conducted on related fields, such as Abd. Karim et al. (1996), Sabarinah (1997), and Salim et al. (1994), there is still a lack of clear model or approach in determining attributes influencing the amount of wastes generated by our community. A study conducted in Taman Perling, Johor Bahru has shown that such as attributes as income, education, and other socioeconomic factors barely affect the amount of waste generated. It seems that only family size and lifestyle factors, particularly the eating habits of residents, contribute significantly to variations in the generation of residential waste in the study area. While the amount increases with the size of family, it decreases as the respondents dine out more often. This study suggests new insights concerning the role of social factors and lifestyle in affecting the generation of household waste

An extension and application of the Leontief pollution model for waste generation and disposal in Scotland

Solid waste generation, treatment and disposal are important policy concerns for the Scottish Parliament. As a result of the Environment Act 1995, a National Waste Strategy for Scotland was introduced with the general aim of reducing the amount of waste produced and dealing with what is produced in more sustainable ways. This implies the need for an empirical framework to inform policymakers regarding the relationship between economic activity and waste generation, treatment and disposal and the likely impacts of any policy actions or other disturbances on all types of sustainability indicators. In this paper we report on a study to develop an extended input-output (IO) system of the type originally proposed in the seminal paper by Leontief (1970). This involves extending the standard IOaccounts to take account of pollution or waste generation as an additional output accompanying production and consumption activities in the economy and of the activity required to clean up (or prevent) these unwanted outputs. The extension of IO tables to take account of pollution/waste generation is relatively widespread in the literature. It is usually achieved through the introduction of physical pollution/waste-output coefficients, and has been previously applied to Scotland for the case ofair pollution (see McNicoll & Blackmore, 1993, McGregor et al, 2001). Such an approach allows us to examine the impact of the economy on the environment, in terms of the amount of pollution/waste emitted as a result of economic activity. However, it does not allow us to track the feedback from the environment to the economy in terms of the resources used in environmental cleaning. If we areinterested in this aspect, we need to identify the input structure of any pollution abatement or waste disposal activities and identify columns in the IO tables representing cleaning activities

Study on waste from hospital and clinics in Phitsanulok

Waste generation depends on numerous factors such as established waste management methods, type of hospital establishment, hospital specialization, proportion of reusable items employed in hospital, and proportion of patients treated on a day-care basis. This study surveyed the waste from hospital and clinics in Phitsanulok and found the average daily waste generated as general, medical and hazardous waste from all hospitals in Phitsanulok Province at 1.751, 0.284 and 0.013 kg/bed respectively and at 0.323, 0.041 and 0.002 kg/bed respectively from all clinics in Phitsanulok Province. Medical waste from all hospitals consisted of needles, gloves, drain tubes, cottons and gauze, napkins, plastic syringes, swap and body parts with total daily generation at 0.452, 0.480, 0.390, 0.404, 0.018, 0.355, 0.004 and 0.382 kg/bed respectively. Information about proper waste management process is needed to improve hospital waste management. Hospital waste management is an important and necessary component of environmental health protection

Simulation and comparative analysis of waste in concrete slabs

Construction sector generates significant amounts of waste that affects the environment and obstructs a sustainable development. The horizontal structure (slabs and roofs) is one of the building elements, by its functional requirement (geometry and layout) and volume, who uses more raw material for its constitution (potential generators of waste) On the other hand, the choice of the system to use, is typically based on criteria such as the ease of construction, the economy availability or the technological feasibility; so, from a sustainable perspective, the generation of waste has not been considered or evaluated. This work compares and analyzes four different common elements used in slabs and the possible generation of waste produced for the construction and eventual demolition of them, in order to provide a new weighting criterion in the choice.Peer ReviewedPostprint (published version

Implementation of food waste composting in Malaysia

As urbanisation continues to occurring, waste management is becoming one of the major environmental problems around the world, including Malaysia. The generation of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in Malaysia has increased more than 91% over the past decades. Based on waste composition, food waste was indicated as the main waste component. Thus, recycling of food waste through composting had emerged as a potentially viable means that local governments can reduce the waste volume that is entering the landfills. Furthermore, MSW management in Malaysia can be considered as relatively poor and disorganized. The most preferred of MSW disposal method is through landfill due to various factors. This article elaborates on composting that gives benefits to Malaysian. This paper also exposes strategy to implement the composting in Malaysia by focusing on Food Waste Management Development Plan for the Industry, Commercial and Institution Sector. The current methods of food waste composting that are applied in Malaysia are also discussed in this paper. Finally, this paper reveals the challenges towards food waste composting in Malaysia

The Swedish Penal Code of 1965

Colombo City is the commercial capital of Sri Lanka with an estimated resident population of over 750,000 spread over 3741 hectares (ha) and has a population density over 1188 per ha. It is located in the western coast of Sri Lanka and is in wet zone. The topography is of flat terrain with a mix of land and water. Considering the population and the limited undeveloped land available, the disposal of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and Sewer is a major environmental problem in Colombo. The major object of this thesis is to identify and evaluate a productive waste management system that is not only environmental friendly but also sustainable and cost effective. In this context, as a sustainable technology, applicability of anaerobic digestion is investigated and methane generation potential of the waste is evaluated. In order to identify a sustainable waste management system, the quantity of waste generated within the city of Colombo is identified. The current practices of disposal of these wastes are then reviewed to identify any issues regarding its sustainability. The majority of the MSW is currently disposed as open landfill that is causing pollution of waterways, with its leachate, as well as the polluting the atmosphere around it with its bad odour. The sewer is discharged to sea or disposed via a self-contained soakage pit. Except for few small-scale anaerobic digestion plants that use solid waste for generation of biogas for localized use, there is no large-scale waste to energy projects in operation in Sri Lanka. The sewer is not used productively at all. Having identified the quantity of waste and the disposal methods practiced, the priority is to identify sustainable and productive methods of disposal of wastes that suits best the local conditions. With this in view research hitherto carried out are studied and available literature is reviewed. The objective is to ascertain the processes that productively harness the energy potential of MSW and Sewer, individually or in combination. There are many physical and chemical methods for treatment of wastes. However bioconversion of waste provides the best options for tapping the energy of the wastes. Of the two main bioconversion methods aanaerobic processes exhibit many advantages over aerobic digestion with its ability of handling high organic loading rates and low sludge production. However, the reason for the increase in applications of anaerobic processes, is, its potential for production of energy using the biogas generated. The methane so produced can replace fossil fuel and therefore has a direct positive effect on greenhouse gas reduction. Therefore, compared with other bioconversion technologies for treatment of MSW and sewer/wastewater, the energy and environment benefits make anaerobic digestion an attractive option. Anaerobic treatment of waste in an engineered landfill bioreactor is found to be the best option for treatment of MSW. Whilst providing a decrease in long term environmental risks and low operational and closure costs it provides with valuable energy source in generation of methane. As for sewer generation of methane in anaerobic processes can be enhanced with co-digestion of different types of waste suitably selected. In this regard co-digestion of sewer and wastewater with food waste is found to be productive and is applied in this study. Literature review is carried out to determine suitable models to predict the methane generation potential. The "First Order Decay Model" is identified as the appropriate model for prediction of methane from MSW in landfills. The "Anaerobic Digestion Model No.1" is applied for prediction of methane from sewer and waste water. Chemical composition of MSW is the primary parameter which affects the methane generation. The chemical composition is computed applying the ultimate analysis and using a stoichiometric based approach. For sewer and waste water the basic parameters of BOD and COD concentrations are available from data gathered. Apart from these two parameters the other parameters relevant to local conditions are not available. Therefore values that closely fit the local conditions are taken from the literature. The study determines the methane generation potential of MSW approximately 2.1 x 106 m3 per annum and anaerobic co-digestion of sewer and food substrates generate 9.1 x 106 m3 per annum. If parameters could be determined for the wastes generated locally the accuracy of the methane generation potential could be further enhanced. In this context, further studies, should be directed from the conventional landfills to "Anaerobic Bioreactor Controlled" landfill, where circulation of liquids including leachate is carried out to increase the biogas yield. For sewer the focus should be on the most economical foot print of parallel banks of number of continuous-flow stirred-tank reactors (CSTR) operating in series to accommodate the total flow rate of sewer