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[Display omitted] • Dry anaerobic digestion facilities are competitive with landfills at current costs. • Compressed natural gas vehicle fueling is most profitable energy pathway for biogas. • Management of post-digester materials is the most significant and uncertain cost. • Tipping fees dominate revenue, incentivizing waste throughput over energy production. Diverting organic waste from landfills provides significant emissions benefits in addition to preserving landfill capacity and creating value-added energy and compost products. Dry anaerobic digestion (AD) is particularly attractive for managing the organic fraction of municipal solid waste because of its high-solids composition and minimal water requirements. This study utilizes empirical data from operational facilities in California in order to explore the key drivers of dry AD facility profitability, impacts of market forces, and the efficacy of policy incentives. The study finds that dry AD facilities can achieve meaningful economies of scale with organic waste intake amounts larger than 75,000 tonnes per year. Materials handling costs, including the disposal of inorganic residuals from contaminated waste streams and post-digester mass (digestate) management, are both the largest and the most uncertain facility costs. Facilities that utilize the biogas for vehicle fueling and earn associated fuel credits collect revenues that are 4-6x greater than those of facilities generating and selling electricity and 10-12x greater than facilities selling natural gas at market prices. The results suggest important facility design elements and enabling policies to support an increased scale of organic waste handling infrastructure. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of the waste recovery issue is emphasized by the concept of circular economy being introduced into a political agenda. New policies offer stricter requirements for recovery of waste materials. This paper discusses contribution of the policy instruments and technological aspects in promoting waste recovery. To assess the impact of different factors, the analysis of experience of waste management system development in the Baltic States: Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia for the period 2004 to 2014 has been made. The study assessed impact of landfill tax on landfill disposal. Separate collection – recycling ratio of biodegradable waste was analysed. Analysis of the mutual effect of various waste treatment solutions and their potential in reaching recovery objectives is conducted. Key conclusions of the study indicate that landfill tax is a desirable but not compulsory tool to divert waste from landfill. The use of a source separation system for recyclables is an essential condition to increase of recycled waste volumes. Availability of waste incineration capacities is the main driver for landfill diversion, but there are concerns, that incineration treatment availability could diminish application of recycling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pilot-scale (1800 kg per batch capacity) autoclave used in this study reduces municipal solid waste to a debris contaminated pulp product that is efficiently separated into its renewable organic content and non-renewable organic content fractions using a rotary trommel screen. The renewable organic content can be recovered at nearly 90% efficiency and the trommel rejects are also much easier to sort for recovery. This study provides the evaluation of autoclave operation, including mass and energy balances for the purpose of integration into organic diversion systems. Several methods of cooking municipal solid waste were explored from indirect oil heating only, a combination of oil and direct steam during the same cooking cycle, and steam only. Gross energy requirements averaged 1290 kJ kg−1 material in vessel, including the weight of free water and steam added during heating. On average, steam recovery can recoup 43% of the water added and 30% of the energy, supplying on average 40% of steam requirements for the next cook. Steam recycle from one vessel to the next can reduce gross energy requirements to an average of 790 kJ kg−1. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many countries in the European Union (EU) have very developed waste management systems. Some of its members have managed to reduce their landfilled waste to values close to zero during the last decade. Thus, European Union legislation is very stringent regarding waste management for their members and candidate countries, too. This raises the following questions: Is it possible for developing and developed countries to comply with the European Union waste legislation, and under what conditions? How did waste management develop in relation to the economic development in the countries of the European Union? The correlation between waste management practices and economic development was analysed for 27 of the European Union Member States for the time period between 1995 and 2007. In addition, a regression analysis was performed to estimate landfilling of waste in relation to gross domestic product for every country. The results showed a strong correlation between the waste management variables and the gross domestic product of the EU27 members. The definition of the municipal solid waste management development phases followed a closer analysis of the relation between gross domestic product and landfilled waste. The municipal solid waste management phases are characterised by high landfilling rates at low gross domestic product levels, and landfilling rates near zero at high gross domestic product levels. Hence the results emphasize the importance of wider understanding of what is required for developing countries to comply with the European Union initiatives, and highlight the importance of allowing developing countries to make their own paths of waste management development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help reduce disposable nappy (DN) solid waste to Landfill in England, the 'Women's Environmental Network' (WEN) developed 'Real Nappies for London' (RNfL) a scheme, in partnership with Local Authority, to promote the use of real nappies (RN) within several Boroughs of London. The scheme issued a voucher to residents who registered, which could be redeemed against the purchase of RN products. Over a period of 5 years from 2007 to 2012, RNfL issued 9,653 vouchers, of which 7,047 were redeemed resulting in a proposed prevention of 6,962 tonnes of DN waste to Landfill. This is equated to a Local Authority saving of around £647,466 in Landfill Tax, and disposal costs for the period, with an estimated cost to RNfL of £63,423, achieving a cost effective ratio of 10:1. In the absence of a sustainable disposal route for DN waste, increasing the use of RNs is a valuable waste prevention tool working at the top of the waste hierarchy, preventing DN use and disposal that can be rolled out across England. Success of the RNfL scheme was greatest in a context of social cohesion with community and Local Authority support. The outcome of this research suggests that the RNfL scheme has made a valuable contribution to the reduction of solid waste to Landfill. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

School cafeterias are a significant source of food waste and represent an ideal opportunity for diverting food waste from landfills. In this study, cafeteria waste audits were conducted at three Florida schools. Food waste comprised the largest fraction of school cafeteria waste streams, ranging from 47% to 58%, followed by milk, paper products (tissue, milk cartons, pasteboard, paper plates, and cardboard), and plastics (plastic wrap, packaging, and utensils). Metal and glass comprised the smallest fraction of the waste stream. Average total waste generation ranged from 50.5 to 137.6 g⋅student-1⋅day-1. The mean generation rates for food waste ranged from 24.7 to 64.9 g⋅student-1⋅day-1. The overall average for cafeteria waste generation among all three schools was 102.3 g⋅student-1⋅day-1, with food waste alone contributing 52.2 g⋅student-1⋅day-1. There are two primary approaches to diverting school food waste from landfills: reduction and recycling. Food waste can be reduced through educating students and staff in order to change behaviors that cause food waste. Food waste can be collected and recycled through composting or anaerobic digestion in order to generate beneficial end products, including soil amendments and bioenergy. Over 75% of the cafeteria waste measured in this study could be recycled in this manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper provides a summary of successes and challenges in waste minimisation at Portland International Airport (PDX). The Port of Portland benefits from a partnership with Portland State University's Community Environmental Services (CES) programme, which allows the Port to maintain one of the most comprehensive and detailed airport waste management databases in the nation. The paper describes the importance of collecting data and how to collect data and use the information to make programme management decisions. The ten-year partnership with CES also has created capacity for PDX's waste minimisation programme to influence behaviour change through education and outreach and to explore innovative solutions such as liquid collection stations, intuitive waste receptacle design and a food donation programme. The Port's waste minimisation programme has tackled challenges with diverting deplaned waste from the landfill and identifying options for difficult to recycle materials. Finally, the paper offers lessons learned in waste minimisation that focus on data collection, building relationships and partnerships, and understanding behaviour change. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Highlights: [•] Landfill tax played a relevant role in the evolution of Italian waste management. [•] Landfill diversion is stronger where the economic cost of land deriving from high population density is higher. [•] Investment in alternative technologies, like incineration, promotes landfill diversion. [•] The absence of social cohesion affects waste management choices through the lever of environmental policies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The article focuses on the strategy of a municipal solid waste management model in Central Brazil which is specific to household waste. It states that reverse logistics is driven by sorted-waste composition instead of raw waste composition, with the waste production rate at 45 tons per day. It uses sorted waste composition data to determine a domestic waste landfall diversion potential of 67 percent. It identifies reverse logistic capacity which isn't sufficient to remove all inert waste items.

Purpose – At present Glass Reinforced Plastic (GRP) waste recycling is very limited due to its intrinsic thermoset composite nature and non-availability of viable recovery options. The purpose of this paper is to assess the recycling potential of GRP waste powder and fibre in concrete, cement and rubber composites. Design/methodology/approach – Extensive laboratory experiments were conducted to examine the suitability of GRP waste in concrete, cement, and rubber composites. GRP waste samples were processed and suitable tests were performed to measure the mechanical properties of the resulting three composites. Findings – The findings of this experimental investigation confirmed that GRP waste can be used as a partial replacement for virgin and raw materials in composites. Furthermore, the addition of GRP waste powder and fibre to composites has the potential to improve their mechanical properties. Research limitations/implications – Results show that the use of GRP waste powder in concrete and rubber composites and GRP waste fibre in architectural cladding panels has technical, economic and environmental benefits. As such, the findings of this research pave the way for viable technological options for substituting quality raw materials by GRP waste in pan-industry composites and improving their mechanical properties. However, resulting recycled composites depend upon the consistency and quality of GRP waste powder and fibre, and the access to specialised composite material manufacturing facilities. Furthermore, full compliance tests including durability studies and requirements, which may depend upon specific applications, are recommended. Practical implications – The adopted methodological approach of this research and subsequent experimental results pave the way for viable technological options for substituting quality raw materials by GRP waste in pan-industry composites. It is anticipated that the results of this research would help diverting GRP waste from landfill to more useful industrial applications. Originality/value – Growing technological innovations, ample market value and demand for GRP composites all over the world has trigged interest in optimising GRP waste recovery. However, few solutions for GRP waste recycling into value-added industrial products are being explored. The work reported so far is very limited and did not show viable applications for GRP waste composites. Hence, this research sets out to examine the suitability of GRP waste powder and fibre in concrete, cement, and rubber composites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We empirically test the decoupling of waste dynamics with regard to economic growth and the effectiveness of environmental and specific waste-related policies, by exploiting an integrated data set for the EU15 over 1995–2007. We find that absolute delinking for waste generation is far from being achieved in the European Union (EU) despite the fairly stringent and longstanding policy commitment, which was and is still probably too biased towards waste management and waste disposal targets, rather than towards waste prevention per se. On the other hand, policy action as well as country structural factors seems to have an impact on landfill diversion. Country heterogeneity fairly matters: the seemingly unrelated regression analyses that we adopt, including models that tackle policy endogeneity, show that EU average figures often hide high variance in decoupling performances. EU countries can be consistently grouped according to their waste sustainability performances. The results provide food for thought for setting comprehensive EU waste policy strategies jointly aimed at waste reduction and landfill diversion. This is a relevant outcome and food for thought within an EU framework that is strongly oriented towards allowing countries to decide about the implementation of EU Directives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taking an economic-geographical perspective, through a panel analysis of Italian municipal solid waste (MSW) data, we show that although decoupling for waste generation from income is absent, there are some signs of absolute decoupling for landfilled waste. Within this general picture, geographical and socio-economic differentiation across Italian provinces seems to matter. Spatial effects at the level of provinces – the institutions that primarily manage waste regulations – seem to be negligible, especially for landfilled waste. This is consistent with the fact that the definition and implementation of landfill policy effectively happened at sub-provincial (even municipal) levels; as a result, the recent waste policy decentralisation process has been characterised by fragmented actions. In light of this fragmentation, we note that although North-South waste performances show some signs of convergence, greater co-ordination aimed at complete convergence in waste performance, in a decentralised policy scenario, will be needed for the effective achievement of EU national based targets by a federal country. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Waste disposal is an issue that is becoming increasingly important in policy terms in the European Union, and in Italy, a country showing strong geographical heterogeneity in waste management. This paper analyses the process of decoupling/delinking between economic growth and landfilling trends in a framework where economic, policy, geographical elements and spatial issues are all considered as drivers behind the phenomenon. We exploit an original and very rich provincial panel dataset over 1999–2005 for the 103 Italian provinces. Evidence shows that the observed ‘absolute’ decoupling between economic growth and landfilling is driven by a mix of structural factors. Among the main factors, population density, more than the provincial income level, emerges as a crucial driver: local opportunity costs and landfill externalities matter in shaping waste policies and local commitment to a transition away from landfilling of waste (landfill diversion). However, not only structural factors are relevant. If on the one hand landfill taxes are not a significant driver of the phenomenon, waste management tools, such as separated collection for recycling, and the tariff system connected to waste services, bring about significant effect on the amount of landfilled waste. Moreover, regarding the analysis of spatial interrelations across provinces, we note that the presence of incinerators in nearby provinces increases landfill diversion, due probably to free riding behaviour or intra-provinces ‘agreements’ on waste management; this is not true for nearby landfill sites, that cause for a given province a strong lock in effect. Future research could strengthen the analysis of policy effectiveness at regional level, focusing on policy endogeneity, and the full investigation of spatial correlations in waste disposal performances. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: A municipality with 90,000 inhabitants located in Central Brazil undertook to attract recycling enterprises. This study identifies the basic strategy of a household waste management model that would provide a steady supply of raw materials for the industry within a time frame of 20years. It developed the concept of sorted-waste composition to drive reverse logistics and ancillary industry. The domestic waste production rate was 45tons/day, and the immediate diversion potential stood at 67%. Annual progress indicators required to reach this potential within the given timeframe are detailed. Reverse logistics operators were found capable of removing all inert waste items separated at source. The necessary logistics for biodegradable matter are outlined. With the long-term guaranteed increase of recyclable material, a favourable environment for prospective industrial enterprises was constructed, and the challenge of the municipal administration was reduced to promoting source separation. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Waste generation and waste disposal are becoming increasingly prominent in the environmental arena, from a policy perspective and in the context of delinking analysis. In general, 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 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 appears lower than in the past. Landfill and other policy effects do not seem to provide backward incentives for waste prevention, and in terms of landfill and incineration, as expected, they are respectively decreasing and increasing, with policy acting as a strong driver. Eastern countries appear to be performing generally quite well, thus benefiting from EU membership and related policies in terms of environmental performance. We can conclude that although absolute delinking is far from being achieved for waste generation, there are some first positive signs of an increasing relative delinking for waste generation and robust landfill diversion, and varying evidence of a significant role of the EU waste policies implemented in the late 1990s and early 2000s. Our evidence suggests that if while landfill diversion is currently associated to a delinking partly explained by EU policies, waste prevention must be the next objective of waste regulation efforts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As biodegradable material represents approximately 70% of household waste in Brazil, any strategy to divert appreciable waste quantities from landfills of necessity has to include valorization and recycling of this material. A societal change of attitude is required to perceive this challenge. Experiments in an urban apartment building are described that produced this change of attitude with a success factor of 80%. Divided waste collection was implemented that separated at the source biodegradable from inert material. Correct collection, handling and display procedures were established. Composting of biodegradable material was carried out under the rooftop of the building as an alternative to using it as animal feed. Half of the inert material entered the reverse logistics chain and was also diverted from the landfill. Waste related material flow through the building is completely quantified, food intake and waste production are related, diversion of both biodegradable and inert waste components from the landfill is measured and the composting process is described. The landfill diversion stands at 61%, mass reduction through the composting process is 80% and matured compost is returned to residents for use in flower cages. The system has been operational for two years and stands out as a precedent in successful decentralized household waste management supported by material flow analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: 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. Thus, the need of accelerating the eventual delinking process by the introduction of policies at all stages of waste production and disposal. 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, policies) and the eventual heterogeneity on such evidence between western and eastern EU countries. We show that for waste generation there is still no absolute delinking trend, although elasticity to income drivers appears 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 effects 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. Nevertheless, it signals the risk of widening gaps between early adopters and countries which postpone ratification and implementation. It is also worth noting that EU15 and EU10 groups of countries show some different waste trends and driving forces of waste generation and landfill diversion hen analysed separately. We may conclude that although complete delinking is far from being achieved – especially for waste generation, there are some positive signals, and signs of a quite significant role of the EU waste policies implemented in the late 1990s and early 2000s. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Present municipal waste management paradigms in Brazil do not allow for flexible approaches to solving an extremely dynamic problem. This paper discusses the basic flaws in present thinking models of residents and municipal administrators. Fundamental arguments presented on municipal solid waste relate to nomenclature, destinations, definitions, logistics, social dynamics, social assistance programs, education and employment philosophies. In each case, the consequences of the stalemate are explained in terms of the unsustainable situation of constantly growing landfills. In sequence, a proactive thinking model is presented and explained that has the potential of drastically reducing landfill size. It is called Municipal Transit Material Processing. The model has been tested successfully in small communities and is now available for scale-up. The landfill diversion achieved stands at 62% of household waste in comparison with 15% theoretically possible in Brazil with selective collection models. Although of necessity the arguments apply directly to Brazil, the basic ideas behind the reasoning may be extrapolated to other Southern countries. The following simple example will illustrate to the reader the type of paradigm inversion the paper proposes to convey. The classical political slogan in Brazil is “get children out of garbage dumps”. The inversion proposed and explained is “do away with garbage dumps”. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The life cycle of basic food items was studied in order to discover the reasons for low landfill diversion rates of this material. Management failures at key points of the cycle were identified. Subjects of study were commercialization procedures of fruit and vegetables before consumption, consumption proper and after-consumption disposal procedures for food scraps in the Brazilian context. Before consumption, the rate of lost fruit and vegetables stood at 16 wt.% of the total quantity commercialized. During consumption by residents, the waste rate of food amounted to 9 wt.% of all collected household garbage. In the after-consumption sector of the cycle, biodegradables represented 72 wt.% of all household garbage collected by official means in a typical Brazilian town. The numbers produced clearly identified landfill diversion of biodegradables as a management problem. The authors experimented with original proactive administrative procedures designed to set landfill diversion targets. The occurrence of wasted fruit and vegetables at the wholesaler and retailer levels was identified. Remedies were proposed and tested to reduce this waste by at least 50%. In the after-consumption sector, the notion of divided garbage collection was developed and applied to test communities. It was shown that biodegradables may be collected separately from the rest of household waste. This resulted in a diversion potential of 100% for biodegradables alone and 77 wt.% for all collected household waste. The study produced a formal policy proposal to municipal administrations to avoid the need for tipping of biodegradable material. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]