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PubMed2005

Solid waste management in Macao: practices and challenges.

The rapid economic development and population growth in Macao have resulted in a large increase in refuse generated over the past decade. In 2003, the quantity of solid waste generated reached 249,255 tons, corresponding to 1.52 kg/day per capita. This figure has been gradually increasing. Domestic solid waste is the primary source of solid waste generation. The data showed that a considerable amount of the solid waste generated can be recycled and reutilized. Due to Macao's small geographic area and high cost of land, landfilling has the lowest priority for waste disposal. Solid waste incineration has been given a top priority over other waste disposal methods although it is much more expensive. In the last decade, more than 80% of the total waste in Macao was incinerated. However, the incineration capacity of the Macao Incineration Plant is going to reach its saturation earlier than expected. Waste minimization, the establishment of an effective waste collection and disposal fee system, and alternate ways dealing with the limited capacity of waste treatment facilities are regarded to be major challenges in the future.

Industrial Waste↗

PubMed2001

A solid waste audit and directions for waste reduction at the University of British Columbia, Canada.

A novel design for a solid waste audit was developed and applied to the University of British Columbia, Canada, in 1998. This audit was designed to determine the characteristics of the residual solid waste generated by the campus and provide directions for waste reduction. The methodology was constructed to address complications in solid waste sampling, including spatial and temporal variation in waste, extrapolation from the study area, and study validation. Accounting for spatial effects decreased the variation in calculating total waste loads. Additionally, collecting information on user flow provided a means to decrease daily variation in solid waste and allow extrapolation over time and space. The total annual waste estimated from the experimental design was compared to documented values and was found to differ by -18%. The majority of this discrepancy was likely attributable to the unauthorised disposal of construction and demolition waste. Several options were proposed to address waste minimisation goals. These included: enhancing the current recycling program, source reduction of plastic materials, and/or diverting organic material to composting (maximum diversion: approximately 320, approximately 270, and approximately 1510 t yr(-1), respectively). The greatest diversion by weight would be accomplished through the diversion of organic material, as it was estimated to comprise 70% of the projected waste stream. The audit methodology designed is most appropriate for facilities/regions that have a separate collection system for seasonal wastes and have a means for tracking user flow.

British Columbia↗

PubMed2005

Removal of batteries from solid waste using trommel separation.

This paper describes the design and testing of a trommel for separation of batteries from solid waste. A trommel is a cylindrical separation device that rotates and performs size separation. It has also been used in areas such as municipal solid waste (MSW) processing, classifying construction and demolition debris, screening mass-burn incinerator ash and compost processing. A trommel has been designed based on size separation to separate household batteries from solid waste, which can then be used as feedstock for alternative applications of solid waste combustion, particularly where the metal content of the product is also a critical parameter, such as the Co-Co process for integrated cement and power production. This trommel has been tested with batches of university office and restaurant wastes against various factors. The recovery efficiency of batteries increases with decreasing inclination angle of the trommel and decreasing rotational speed. A physical characterization of the university solid waste has been performed with a 20-kg sample of the tested waste. It was found that there is a trend of decreasing recovery of batteries with increasing paper composition, and a trend of increasing recovery of batteries with increasing organic materials composition.

Manufactured Materials↗

PubMed2001

Urban solid waste generation and disposal in Mexico: a case study.

The adequate management of municipal solid waste in developing countries is difficult because of the scarcity of studies about their composition. This paper analyses the composition of urban solid waste (USW) in the city of Morelia, Michoacán, Mexico. Residential and non-residential waste sources were sampled, and a structured interview was made to evaluate the socioeconomic characteristics of the studied area. Also, to determine the seasonal patterns of solid waste generation and the efficiency level of the collection service, quantification of solid waste deposited in the dumping ground was measured. Our results show that the recorded amount of SW deposited in the municipal dumping-ground is less than the estimated amount of SW generated; for this reason, the former amount is not recommended as an unbiased indicator for planning public waste collection services. It is essential that dumping-grounds are permanently monitored and that the incoming waste be weighed in order to have a more efficient record of USW deposited in the dumping-ground per day; these data are fundamental for developing adequate managing strategies.

Cities↗

PubMed2002

Steam pressure disruption of municipal solid waste enhances anaerobic digestion kinetics and biogas yield.

Biomass waste, including municipal solid waste (MSW), contains lignocellulosic-containing fiber components that are not readily available as substrates for anaerobic digestion due to the physical shielding of cellulose imparted by the nondigestible lignin. Consequently, a substantial portion of the potentially available carbon is not converted to methane and the incompletely digested residues from anaerobic digestion generally require additional processing prior to their return to the environment. We investigated and developed steam pressure disruption as a treatment step to render lignocellulosic-rich biomass more digestible and as a means for increasing methane energy recovery. The rapid depressurization after steam heating (240 degrees C, 5 min.) of the nondigested residues following a 30-day primary digestion of MSW caused a visible disruption of fibers and release of soluble organic components. The disrupted material, after reinoculation, provided a rapid burst in methane production at rates double those observed in the initial digestion. This secondary digestion proceeded without a lag phase in gas production, provided approximately 40% additional methane yields, and was accompanied by a approximately 40% increase in volatile solids reduction. The secondary digestate was found to be enriched in lignin and significantly depleted in cellulose and hemi-cellulose components when compared to primary digestate. Thus, steam pressure disruption treatment rendered lignocellulosic substrates readily accessible to anaerobic digestion bacteria and improved both the kinetics of biogas production and the overall methane yield from MSW. Steam pressure disruption is central to a new anaerobic digestion process approach including sequential digestion stages and integrated energy recovery, to improve process yields, provide cogenerated energy for process needs, and to provide effective reuse and recycling of waste biomass materials.

Anaerobiosis↗

PubMed2002

Life cycle inventory for municipal solid waste management. Part 2: MSW management scenarios and modeling.

Evaluating the environmental performance of municipal solid waste management options is a complex task. Part 1 of this study presents the municipal solid waste management program of the Pamplona Region in Spain and explores the operational, economic, and environmental factors of the program. In Part 2, alternative waste management scenarios that include the selective collection of organic material and composting are illustrated. The use of a Life Cycle Inventory model for waste management allows for the comparison of the environmental burdens of the different scenarios. This use of a Life Cycle Inventory model for solid waste management lets program managers and decision makers include energy use, final solid waste, and Greenhouse gas emissions in the decision making process. Additionally, the different management scenarios are evaluated on their ability to fulfil Pamplona regional objectives and meet European Packaging and Landfill Directive targets.

Cities↗

PubMed2003

Analytical predictive Bayesian assessment of occupational injury risk: municipal solid waste collectors.

Unlike other waste streams, municipal solid waste (MSW) is collected manually, and MSW collection has recently been found to be among the highest-risk occupations in the United States. However, as for other occupational groups, actual total injury rates, including the great majority of injuries not compensated and those compensated by other insurance, are not known. In this article a predictive Bayesian method of assessing total injury rates from available information without computation is presented, and used to assess the actual numbers of musculoskeletal and dermal injuries requiring clinical care of MSW workers in Florida. Closed-form predictive Bayesian distributions that narrow progressively in response to information, representing both uncertainty and variability, are presented. Available information included workers' compensation (WC) data, worker population data, and safety records for one private and one public collection agency. Subjective input comprised epidemiological and medical judgment based on a review of 165 articles. The number of injuries was assessed at 3,146 annually in Florida, or 54 +/- 18 injuries per 100 workers per year with 95% confidence. Further, WC data indicate that the injury rate is 50% higher for garbage collectors specifically, indicating a rate of approximately 80 per 100 workers. Results, though subject to uncertainty in worker numbers and classification and reporting bias, agreed closely with a survey of 251 MSW collectors, of whom 75% reported being injured (and 70% reported illness) within the past 12 months. The approach is recommended for assessment of total injury rates and, where sufficient information exists, for the more difficult assessment of occupational disease rates.

Accidents, Occupational↗

PubMed2004

Risk of adverse reproductive outcomes associated with proximity to municipal solid waste incinerators with high dioxin emission levels in Japan.

BACKGROUND: Great public concern about health effects of dioxins emitted from municipal solid waste incinerators has increased in Japan. This paper investigates the association of adverse reproductive outcomes with maternal residential proximity to municipal solid waste incinerators. METHODS: The association of adverse reproductive outcomes with mothers living within 10 km from 63 municipal solid waste incinerators with high dioxin emission levels (above 80 ng international toxic equivalents TEQ/m3) in Japan was examined. The numbers of observed cases were compared with the expected numbers calculated from national rates adjusted regionally. Observed/expected ratios were tested for decline in risk or peak-decline in risk with distance up to 10 km. RESULTS: In the study area within 10 km from the 63 municipal solid waste incinerators in 1997-1998, 225,215 live births, 3,387 fetal deaths, and 835 infant deaths were confirmed. None of the reproductive outcomes studied here showed statistically significant excess within 2 km from the incinerators. However, a statistically significant peak-decline in risk with distance from the incinerators up to 10 km was found for infant deaths (p=0.023) and infant deaths with all congenital malformations combined (p=0.047), where a "peak" is detected around 1-2 km. CONCLUSION: Our study shows a peak-decline in risk with distance from the municipal solid waste incinerators for infant deaths and infant deaths with all congenital malformations combined. However, due to the lack of detailed exposure information to dioxins around the incinerators, the observed trend in risk should be interpreted cautiously and there is a need for further investigation to accumulate good evidence regarding the reproductive health effects of waste incinerator exposure.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed1978

Municipal solid wastes and their disposal.

A brief overview is given of the sources, characteristics, and toxic constituents of municipal solid wastes. Several methods are presented for handling, treating, and disposal of solid wastes. Monitoring the landfill site is necessary; there has been a trend to recognize that municipal solid wastes may be hazardous and to provide separate secure handling, treatment, and disposal for their dangerous constituents. Under current state and Federal regulations, permits are being required to assure that proper handling of conventional solid wastes and more hazardous constituents are carefully managed.

Environmental Pollution↗

PubMed1989

Allium micronucleus (MNC) assay to assess bioavailability, bioconcentration and genotoxicity of mercury from solid waste deposits of a chloralkali plant, and antagonism of L-cysteine.

Samples of solid waste from a chloralkali plant were bioassayed employing the Allium micronucleus (MNC) assay. The endpoints measured were root length, root mercury and frequency of root meristematic cells with MNC. Chemical extraction methods such as 10% HNO3, ammonium acetate-EDTA and 0.05 or 0.1 M CaCl2 were used to assess the bioavailability of mercury from soil contaminated with solid waste. Analysis of mercury was by cold vapour atomic absorption spectrophotometry. The frequency of MNC induced by contaminated soil, which followed a concentration-response curve, was statistically correlated with soil mercury, extractable mercury and root mercury. The antagonism of L-cysteine against the suppression of root growth and induction of MNC by solid waste suggested the involvement of mercury as well as thiol groups in the process. The threshold assessment values, such as the median effective concentration (EC50) for root growth, gross toxicity concentration tested (GTCT) as indicated by complete inhibition of sprouting of roots, lowest effective concentration tested (LECT) and highest ineffective concentration tested (HICT) for induction of MNC, were determined. These assessment values may be useful for environmental management and regulatory purposes. Furthermore, the detection limit of the Allium MNC assay for solid waste mercury as indicated by LECT was 9.6 mg kg-1 which corresponded to 0.13 mg kg-1 of 0.05 M CaCl2 extractable or 8.3 mg kg-1 dry weight bioconcentrated mercury.

Mercury↗

PubMed2005

Some research perspectives on emissions from bio-mechanical treatments of municipal solid waste in Europe.

The bio-mechanical treatment of Municipal Solid Waste is an increasing option in Europe either as a pre-treatment before landfilling or as a pre-treatment before combustion. The present work deals with the problem of assessment of significant data related to emissions to air from bio-mechanical treatments. Reliable data are necessary for the development of: a) Life Cycle Assessment studies; b) verification of compliance with existing regulations; c) environmental impact studies assessment. In order to point out some lack of knowledge about bio-mechanical treatments, some results of a Life Cycle Assessment study on Municipal Solid Waste bio-stabilization treatment have been reported and analysed. Indeed, during the development of that Life Cycle Assessment, some problems were found regarding the availability and the quality of emission data from Municipal Solid Waste mechanical biological treatment. Concerning existing regulations, in Europe we can find both countries with enhanced approaches, and countries with a soft approach. In the second case, for instance, a few Italian regions adopted local regulations in order to improve the quality of the environmental regulation as the national one has been considered inadequate. The environmental impact assessment of bio-mechanical treatments is not still as developed as options such as incineration. The reason is that the impact of a bio-mechanical treatment plant is considered low. On the contrary it can be demonstrated that a greater attention must be paid in the case of non optimised technologies and large plants.

Air Pollutants↗

PubMed2003

Report: cost and financing of municipal solid waste collection services in Istanbul.

The collection is a high priority in the management of solid wastes in a modern city, and in order to plan and operate a collection service well, the cost and financial sources must be known and understood in detail. In this study the cost of collection services and environmental tax are evaluated for the year 2001 in Istanbul. The percentage of the employees working in municipal solid waste collection services is 83% by the private sector and 17% by the public sector. With privatisation, the labour costs can be reduced by approximately 75%. The unit collection cost ranges from 12.2 US dollar/ton to 50.7 US dollar/ton, and the average collection cost for Istanbul is 24.4 US dollar/ton. The cost of the collection service is about 70% of the total solid waste management costs, the cost of transfer is 17% and the regular disposal cost amounts to 13%. The proportion of collected tax to expenditures of waste collection varies from 3% to 67%. The management of solid wastes accounts for between 12 and 25% of the total expenditure of municipal authorities.

Cities↗

PubMed1990

Sources and fates of lead and cadmium in municipal solid waste.

Lead and cadmium enter the municipal solid waste stream as components of a variety of consumer products. Average empirical data from several resource recovery plants were analyzed to obtain an estimate of the source and fate of the subject elements. The total amounts of lead and cadmium found in municipal solid waste, determined from empirical data sources, were found to agree closely with those based on materials flow data. It was determined that most of the cadmium enters the waste stream in the combustible fraction and can account for a major share of the cadmium observed in fly ash and in atmospheric particulates. The most likely sources of cadmium are plastics and pigments. The lead emissions appeared to be derived from both combustible and noncombustible discards of batteries, plastics, and pigments. The data suggests that it would be useful to perform mass balance studies to provide primary data for the determination of the most effective methods for managing discards containing lead and cadmium. The purpose of the suggested research is the reduction of lead and cadmium emissions into the environment from resource recovery plants.

Cadmium↗

PubMed2005

GIS supported solid waste management in coastal areas.

Planning of solid waste management (SWM) facilities in terrestrial as well as coastal areas addresses several situations, and requires considering numerous factors. This leads to large amounts of data and information that must be organized and analyzed. However, in many SWM systems, all of the relevant information cannot be managed properly due to insufficiencies in methods/tools and/or resources. To assist the solid waste decision making process, GIS-based decision support systems can be applied to deal with the multi-attribute and spatial nature of SWM systems. In this study, the application potential of GIS based decision support systems to functional elements of the SWM system are reviewed first. Then particular emphasis is given to landfill site selection. In this context, landfill siting process and key siting criteria were developed to incorporate the environmental, socio-political, engineering, and economic factors for an appropriate solution. To aid decision makers to determine landfill area requirements, an area estimation model, containing population projection and waste quantity forecasting modules, was developed in Visual Basic. Following the development of a graphical user interface, suitable areas for proposed landfill were determined in an IDRISI environment.

Decision Support Techniques↗

PubMed2003

[Non-inert industrial solid waste disposal in landfill dumps: evaluation of toxicity and implications for the environment and human health].

According to Brazilian recommended technical procedures (mainly NBR 10,004), solid waste must be previously classified in order to be disposed of adequately. Non-inert industrial solid waste is being dumped in landfill areas, most of which operate inefficiently and are located near the population and important ecosystems. In order to evaluate the potential toxicity of solid waste produced by various types of industries, 21 samples were analyzed according to NBR 10,004 procedures. Of these, 18 were classified as non-inert solid waste. The main substances contributing to the classification of these samples as non-inert waste were: aluminum, iron, manganese, phenol, and surfactants. Aluminum, manganese, and phenol are the main toxicologically relevant substances for human and environmental health because they can alter the quality of groundwater situated under solid waste disposal areas.

Brazil↗

PubMed2005

Solid waste collection and recycling in Nibong Tebal, Penang, Malaysia: a case study.

The implementation of a suitable solid waste management programme with appropriate methods of recycling as an inherent element is vital to the alleviation of the problems associated with solid waste generation, handling and disposal, environmental conservation, public hygiene, etc. The present work is a case study on solid waste collection and recycling practices in Nibong Tebal town, Penang, Malaysia. The amount and types of domestic waste generated, household participation in recycling, identification of existing problems related to the implementation of the recycling programme, etc. formed the basis of this study. Surveys (interviews/questionnaires) and on-site observations were conducted to gather information on the solid waste collection and recycling practice of the residents. A focus group of 60 individuals was selected and their response to a questionnaire, prepared according to a Likert scale, was obtained and analysed. The majority of the respondents expressed concerns about recycling and wanted more to be done in this regard. Illegal collection, aesthetically displeasing sites and a lack of public awareness were problems of major concern. Issues related to inadequate funding and manpower as well as end market are also addressed and suggestions made.

Cities↗

PubMed2000

Anaerobic digestion of solid waste: state-of-the-art.

In order to make a correct assessment of the state-of-the-art of the technology, a study was made on the development of digestion capacity for solid waste in Europe. The study was limited to plants in operation or under construction that were treating at least 10% organic solid waste coming from market waste or municipal solid waste. A total treatment capacity for solid waste organics, excluding the tonnage used for sewage sludge and manures, evolved from 122,000 ton per year in 1990 to 1,037,000 ton available or under construction by the year 2000 in 53 plants across Europe, an increase by 750%. Both mesophilic and thermophilic technologies have been proven, with about 62% of capacity being operated at mesophilic temperatures. Wet and dry digestion are almost evenly split, while a clear choice was made for one-phase systems instead of two-phase systems, which represent only 10.6% of capacity. The capacity provided by co-digestion systems is limited, while there is a rising interest in digestion of mixed household waste. The reliable performance has been demonstrated for all types of anaerobic digestion systems. On the basis of the Dranco technology, a single-phase thermophilic dry digestion process, performances were reached similar to high-rate wastewater digestion. An annual average loading rate of 18.5 kg COD/m3.day, resulting in a biogas production of 9.2 m3/m3 reactor.day was obtained at a full-scale plant. The plant operated at a retention time of 15.3 days. Feedstocks range from clean organic wastes (31% dry matter) to heavily polluted grey waste organics (57% dry matter). Average dry matter concentrations of the digested residue of 41% were obtained.

Bacteria, Anaerobic↗

PubMed2005

Ecofriendly approach of urban solid waste management: a case study of Jalgaon city, Maharashtra.

In India, the traditional methods are used for urban solid waste management. These practices are associated with degradation of the urban environment Hence, an environmentally sound garbage management system is required for the urban waste management. The concept of waste minimization needs to be adopted in such systems. It is possible to implement certain corrective measures at collection, storage, transport and disposal of urban solid waste to minimize the adverse impacts on the environment The present investigations are emphasized on generation, characterzation and ecofriendly disposal of solid waste generated in Jalgaon city, Maharashtra. In the present study the waste generation at source was studied in the various income groups of the city. The per capita waste generation was studied by sampling the waste directly from the source of generation. The study reveals that the waste generation is large in the high-income group followed by middle and low-income group public. Further the physicochemical characterization of the waste was also studied. The data generated will help to develop environmentally sound and economically feasible solid waste management system for Ihe city.

Cities↗