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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.

Municipal organic waste (MOW) contributes to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions leading to global climate change. Incentives that encourage consumers to adopt MOW disposal strategies that minimize environmental impacts are needed. Policymakers must ensure that incentive programs align with environmental objectives and are economically competitive. The MOW disposal infrastructure in the city of Milwaukee, WI, was evaluated using a coordinated market model capturing the inherent value of environmental indicators (estimated with partial life cycle assessment methods) in the context of the city’s MOW supply chain. Tax programs are identified that incentivize consumers to reduce emissions through MOW disposal patterns. Results indicate that the existing MOW management infrastructure in Milwaukee incentivizes residents to minimize MOW GHG emissions by sending MOW to composting and digestion sites that have lower tipping fees and are located closer to the city (have lower transport costs). Therefore, limitations associated with MOW collection likely decrease alternative landfill disposal options. GHG reduction policy prioritizes anaerobic digestion systems for MOW disposal, but the outcome can be altered depending upon the tipping fees and transport distances. Composting and digestion hold few opportunities for reducing ammonia emissions from landfills, but there is a need to expand ammonia emissions measurements from landfill systems to improve model predictions as ammonia losses can redeposit, resulting in environmental issues and indirect formation of N₂O.

The opportunity cost concept refers to quantifying the opportunities lost upon choosing one investment option over a more economical alternative. The present study applies the concept to the process of choosing the best investment option for managing municipal solid waste. In a case study in Brazil, the options on the table are bulk collection and tipping versus reverse logistics with selective collection and sale of recovered components. The use of relative monetary values renders the results general and applicable in other scenarios. The bulk tipping option represents the reference cost of 100. The research postulates a linear relation between the opportunity cost of bulk tipping (y) and the efficiency of reverse logistics operations (x). Zero efficiency means bulk collection and tipping of all waste. Full efficiency means capture of all recyclable items, which in the case study amount to 80% of waste. Various intermediate points confirm the relationship that takes the form y=0.968x. The result shows that opportunity cost is dynamic in as much as changes of technologies and administrative procedures move it along that line. It also illustrates to municipal administrations the immediate economic effect of implementation and stepwise improvement of reverse logistics.

Commercial and regional brewers are increasingly investing in sustainability equipment that reduces input use, operating costs, and environmental impact. These technologies often require significant upfront costs that can limit market access to microbreweries. One potential solution for these brewers is to market their product as sustainable and charge a premium for their product to offset some of the costs. A stated preference choice experiment of a nationally-representative sample is undertaken to elicit consumer willingness-to-pay (WTP) for sustainability attributes in beer, thus determining whether a market for sustainably-made beer exists. The facets of sustainability, including water reduction, energy reduction, and landfill diversion, are portrayed through eco-labels affixed the front of the primary packaging (aluminum can or glass bottle). Multiple specifications are employed to handle model shortcomings and incorporate discrete heterogeneity. Across all model specifications, consumers show a positive and statistically significant marginal WTP for landfill diversion practices and carbon reduction practices, ranging from $0.40 to $1.37 per six-pack and $0.67 to $1.21 per six-pack, respectively. These results indicate consumers do in fact place value on beer produced using sustainable practices, and the demographics of consumers with the greatest WTP are similar to that of craft beer consumer.

Huge amount of wastes are being generated, and even though the incineration process reduce the mass of wastes to a large extent, large amount of residues are still remain. The sustainable development of the system should decrease the waste-to-energy ratio continuously through the planned reuse of materials. This paper reviews the existing studies on recycling municipal and construction solid waste for the manufacture of Geo polymer composites. The principal findings of this work reveal that municipal and construction solid waste could be successfully used into Geo polymer composites as an alternative in the forms of precursor, aggregate, additive, reinforcement fibres, or filling material. Additionally, the results indicate that although the inclusion of such waste might depress some attributes of Geo polymer composites, proper proportion design and suitable treatment technique could solve these detrimental effects. Finally, a brief discussion is provided to identify the important needs in the future research and development for promoting the utilization of solid waste materials in the forthcoming sustainable geo polymer industry. In summary, this work offers guidance for a greener approach to building – scoring favourably in environmental performance for being relevant to resource conservation, landfill diversion, and waste recycling. Keywords: Construction materials, Geo polymer composite, Municipal solid waste, Construction solid waste, Sustainability.

Managing waste is a crucial challenge for modern societies. The UK government has established ambitious targets in terms of landfill diversion for household waste. Household Waste Recycling Centres represent key facilities for achieving these targets. However, Local Authority budgets are under severe strain due to reductions in central government transfers. As such, local councils often need to perform reconfigurations of the recycling centres networks, by reducing the number of sites or their opening hours while still offering adequate service levels. Central to being able to do this, is understanding the spatial patterns of access to such centres. Therefore, this paper develops a spatial interaction model aimed at examining and exploring users’ behaviour and preferences when choosing recycling centres. Specifically, an origin-constrained gravity model is developed; through a careful estimation of its attractiveness parameters, the model is capable of describing demand flows from Sheffield City Council districts to Household Waste Recycling Facilities. The results are compared to actual data obtained through a users’ survey from an English Local Authority. The high level of correlation between the results provided by the model and actual users’ preferences indicates that the model can be a valuable tool in describing users’ behaviour in accessing the service. Based on this, the model can be employed in order to estimate the impacts of modifications to the network configuration on users, performing scenario analyses and providing useful suggestions to planners.

Anaerobic digestion of organic fractions of municipal solid waste (OFMSWs) represents a promising solution to achieve greater landfill diversion and resource recycling. The objectives of this study were (a) to explore potential synergistic effects on methane production in co-digestion of organic MSW components with distinct biodegradabilities, and (b) to evaluate whether and how the inoculum source and substrate composition affected methane production and microbial community composition. Anaerobic mono- and co-digestion of food waste (FW), newspaper (NP) and branch (BR) were conducted in a batch culture system inoculated with landfill leachate (LL) and anaerobic sludge (AS) under mesophilic conditions. The 16S rRNA sequencing based community analysis revealed that the microbial communities consisted of taxonomically diverse but methane yielding populations, and were primarily influenced by their inoculum. The methane generation results showed that co-digestion of readily degradable FW with more recalcitrant lignocellulosic NP and/or BR, only resulted in additive effects on the cumulative yields, but synergistic effects on the production rates (up to 22% yield increase between 10 to 15 days). This early synergism was primarily associated with the accelerated hydrolysis due to the FW addition to promote the growth of hydrolysis microorganisms. These results suggest that multi-component feedstock (e.g., OFMSWs) is preferred for efficient AD systems and brings in early synergism benefits for process optimization in practice.

This study presents solid waste management planning in an urban green area, Bangkok, Thailand based on the material flow analysis (MFA) and life cycle assessment (LCA). Global warming potential (GWP) of four scenarios for handling solid waste generated in Chulalongkorn University Centenary Park, 2018 was assessed concerning the different ratios of waste recycling, composting, incineration, and landfilling. The results show that alternative systems proposed will result in lower GWP than the existing waste management strategy. The MFA results reveal that the final weights of solid waste ending up in a landfill are 98.8, 101.9, 68.2, and 44.8 t yr− 1 for scenarios 1, 2, 3, and 4, respectively. Increased rates of landfill diversion by increased recycling, composting, and incineration decreased the quantity of solid waste disposed to the landfill and improved the environmental profile of the park waste management system. The LCA results found landfilling to be the dominant source of greenhouse gas (GHG) burdens, while waste recycling was found to result in the reduction of GHG. The results highlight that the use of MFA and LCA as a combined tool to evaluate the environmental performance of solid waste management systems provides valuable information for policy and decision-makers.

Solid waste management (SWM) is a key function of local government and is critical to protecting human health and the environment. Development of effective SWM strategies should consider comprehensive SWM process choices and policy implications on system-level cost and environmental performance. This analysis evaluated cost and select environmental implications of SWM policies for Wake County, North Carolina using a life-cycle approach. A county-specific data set and scenarios were developed to evaluate alternatives for residential municipal SWM, which included combinations of a mixed waste material recovery facility (MRF), anaerobic digestion, and waste-to-energy combustion in addition to existing SWM infrastructure (composting, landfilling, single stream recycling). Multiple landfill diversion and budget levels were considered for each scenario. At maximum diversion, the greenhouse gas (GHG) mitigation costs ranged from 30 to 900 $/MTCO2e; the lower values were when a mixed waste MRF was used, and the h...

Product take-back regulation based on Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) holds electronics producers responsible for proper recovery, e.g., collection and recycling, of end-of-life products. This is because of the assumption that environmentally friendly treatment of these products has a net cost, hence unless the market is regulated such waste would end up in landfills. However, advances in product design and recycling technologies as well as the increase in the price of precious metals found in certain waste electronics, now allow recyclers to generate a net profit from recycling these products. This change in recycling economics challenges the basic assumption such regulation relies on (i.e., recovery has a net cost), and creates a competitive marketplace for e-waste. That is, electronics producers that are subject to EPR have to compete with independent recyclers (that are not subject to EPR) in collecting and recycling end-of-life products. Consequently, a natural question in this context is whether take-back regulation leads to better environmental or economic outcomes in a competitive market for recyclable electronics. In this paper, we show that stringent take-back regulation that does not count recycling by independent entities toward meeting the targets imposed on producers, may lead to decreased landfill diversion and mute incentives for producers to design for recovery. We identify conditions under which these unintended outcomes may take place and discuss associated policy implications.

Proponents of material recycling typically point to two environmental benefits: disposal (landfill/incinerator) reduction and primary production displacement. However, in this paper we mathematically demonstrate that, without displacement, recycling can delay but not prevent any existing end‐of‐life material from reaching final disposal. The only way to reduce the amount of material ultimately landfilled or incinerated is to produce less in the first place; material that is not made needs not be disposed. Recycling has the potential to reduce the amount of material reaching end of life solely by reducing primary production. Therefore, the “dual benefits” of recycling are in fact one, and the environmental benefit of material recycling rests in its potential to displace primary production. However, displacement of primary production from increased recycling is driven by market forces and is not guaranteed. Improperly assuming all recycled material avoids disposal underestimates the environmental impacts of the product system. We show that the potential magnitude of this error is substantial, though for inert recyclables it is lower than the error introduced by improperly assuming all recycled material displaces primary material production. We argue that life cycle assessment end‐of‐life models need to be updated so as not to overstate the benefits of recycling. Furthermore, scholars and policy makers should focus on finding and implementing ways to increase the displacement potential of recyclable materials rather than focusing on disposal diversion targets.

High-density polyethylene is an important polymer for a variety of industrial applications. The pressure for landfill diversion strategies have increased with consumer awareness of traditional end-of-life practices. It is critical to understand the influence of post-consumer recycled polymer (PCR) content on properties and consumer safety as converters blend PCR with virgin resin to increase sustainability. The ability to empirically quantify the PCR content is vital for compliance with minimum content laws. This work determined ∼380% increase in UVA absorption, increased carbonyl and terminal vinyl functional groups, a 50% reduction of fluorescence properties, a reduction of the polymer crystal quality, and a ∼4 °C increase in the degradation temperature. The extractables content of all PCR blends complied with the Code of Federal Regulations for direct food contact applications. Trends between the measured properties and PCR content identified potential certification markers for empirical quantification of PCR content and single-measurement quality control metrics.

In this article, we analyze the Minnesota Electronics Recycling Act to explore the benefits and potential drawbacks of a market-based Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) implementation with operational flexibility for manufacturers. Based on publicly available reports and stakeholder interviews we find that the Minnesota Act attains two key goals of market-based EPR (i.e., higher cost efficiencies and substantial landfill diversion); however, this may come at the expense of selective collection and recycling, an increased burden on local governments, and an uneven competitive landscape for some stakeholders. We observe that such concerns arise because of flexibility provisions afforded to manufacturers that allow them to operationalize their EPR compliance with a cost efficiency focus. Thus, we conclude that a critical operational perspective is necessary for anticipating environmental and economic implications of different flexibility provisions associated with market-based EPR policy implementations.

Separate household food waste collection for anaerobic digestion is one method used in the sustainable management of biodegradable municipal solid waste (MSW). Recycling of food waste contributes to the UK’s reuse, recycling and composting targets and can help local authorities boost plateauing rates whilst encouraging landfill diversion. This study explored the reasons for differences in the provision of food waste collections, using two comparable local authorities, one with a collection in Wales (Cardiff), and the other absent of such service in England (Southampton). A PESTLE analysis investigated the political, economic, social, technological, legal and environmental impacts of separate food waste collections. The greenhouse gas impacts of the collection and treatment systems of MSW in both cities were estimated for 2012/13. Results showed significant policy and legislative differences between devolved governments, that separate food waste collections can save local authorities significant sums of money and substantially reduce greenhouse gas impacts. A survey of one hundred respondents in each city aimed to understand attitudes and behaviours towards recycling, food waste segregation, cooking and purchasing habits. The number of frequent recyclers and levels of satisfaction were higher in the authority which provided a separate food waste collection. In the area which lacked a separate collection service, over three-quarters of respondents would participate in such a scheme if it were available.

When assessing the environmental and human health impact of a municipal food waste (FW) management system waste managers typically rely on the principles of the waste hierarchy; using metrics such as the mass or rate of waste that is 'prepared for recycling,' 'recovered for energy,' or 'sent to landfill.' These metrics measure the collection and sorting efficiency of a waste system but are incapable of determining the efficiency of a system to turn waste into a valuable resource. In this study a life cycle approach was employed using a system boundary that includes the entire waste service provision from collection to safe end-use or disposal. A life cycle inventory of seven waste management systems was calculated, including the first service wide inventory of FW management through kitchen in-sink disposal (food waste disposer). Results describe the mass, energy and water balance of each system along with key emissions profile. It was demonstrated that the energy balance can differ significantly from its' energy generation, exemplified by mechanical biological treatment, which was the best system for generating energy from waste but only 5th best for net-energy generation. Furthermore, the energy balance of kitchen in-sink disposal was shown to be reduced because 31% of volatile solids were lost in pre-treatment. The study also confirmed that higher FW landfill diversion rates were critical for reducing many harmful emissions to air and water. Although, mass-balance analysis showed that the alternative end-use of the FW material may still contain high impact pollutants.

MSc (Waste Management), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus Around one third of food produced for human consumption is wasted globally, with the majority of this waste being landfilled. This is troublesome, especially in developing countries, where access to food and hunger have been raised as concerns. Sources of food waste include household, commercial, industrial, and agricultural waste, and its composition differs, depending on source and type. The disposal of food waste leads to a loss of resources in the food production life cycle, while landfilling also leads to negative environmental impacts. The waste management hierarchy advocates the disposal of waste as the least preferable option, with alternatives such as re-use, recycling and treatment, being more preferable. The aim of the study was to explore alternatives for the diversion of food waste from landfill disposal. The Waterval landfill site, located in the Rustenburg Local Municipality (RLM) was selected as a case example for what could typically be expected for a South African landfill site. Food waste was characterised (in quantity and type) over a five-day period, supported by secondary weigh bridge data, and data gathered during interviews. Two-hundred-and-twenty-one kilogrammes (221 kg) of waste was sorted during the waste characterisation study, with a total of 65,18 kg (29.5%) being food waste. Fruits and vegetables, bakery items and mixed food are the three types of food that were found to be present in the largest quantities. The results of the study compared well with what other researchers have found elsewhere in South Africa. Literature was reviewed to determine which alternatives to landfilling would be the most suitable for the food waste characterised at the Waterval landfill site, based on factors such as food waste composition and estimated quantities, cost, technology required, creation of job opportunities, etc. The results of comparing alternative methods showed that composting and livestock feeding were the most suitable alternatives, based on the waste quantities and types. Anaerobic digestion was also considered, but not found feasible due to the amount of food waste required for sustainable, ongoing anaerobic digestion. Incineration was considered as an option, but were not considered feasible, due to its low position on the food waste hierarchy, and limited incineration capacity in RLM. Interviews with staff from the RLM indicated that alternative initiatives would be supported. Review of documentation, such as the integrated waste management plan (IWMP) and integrated development plan (IDP) has indicated that the reduction of food waste to landfill has been identified as a priority within the municipality. The allocation of operational budget towards the investigation and implementation of alternatives has, however, been identified as being a gap. Masters

This chapter analyzes the best available technologies (BAT) for waste to energy (WtE) for the developing countries (DCs) in Latin America, Asia, and Africa. A general overview of WtE commercialized technologies is presented (biological and thermal treatments), as well as the general situation of the market in the DCs of each region (local manufacturers, availability of the equipment locally information regarding equipment origin). As shown in this chapter, the technology most commercialized is biogas and biomethane (in some cases), in almost all DCs analyzed here. This is because thermal treatment technologies still face economic challenges, since investment costs are high, mainly in the case of incineration process. This is due to the gas cleaning process to fulfill environmental standards regarding heavy metals, dioxins, and furans emissions. Moreover, there is discussion on the most adequate thermal treatment process considering the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) available and the size of the plant. Regarding political issues, as discussed previously in Diaz-Chavez and Coelho (2017) , solid waste management is one of the most politically visible urban services but it does not receive much attention from governments in the DCs. The management of MSW is essentially view as an environmental problem that requires attention to protect public health and resolves the problem of collection an, treatment and deposit. In many DCs, it is also an important source for economy and jobs, particularly for the poor who live in large urban centers although it may also create major public health risks. Different studies have focused on the use of waste for energy production with different applications. Nevertheless, as Nuss et al. (2012) point out, in the future, the waste containing carbon should not only be used just for energy production, but also to recycle material considering a circular economy with larger benefits in terms of climate change because of landfill diversion. In addition, Diaz-Chavez and Coelho (2017) indicate “the circular economy for avoidance of waste to landfill may be probably one of the major contributors to make a better efficient use of resources and energy and reduce environmental impacts significantly.” This should be the focus in the DCs and emerging economies.

Annually, millions of tonnes of leftover edible foods are sent to landfill. Not only does this harm the environment by increasing the release of greenhouse gases which contribute to climate change, but it poses a question of ethics given that nearly 16 million households are food insecure in the US, and hundreds of millions of people around the globe. The purpose of this study was to document the amount of food diverted from landfill in the pilot year of a convention food rescue program and to determine the amount of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions avoided by the diversion of such food. In the pilot year of the convention food rescue program 24,703 kg of food were diverted. It is estimated that 108 metric tonnes of GHG emmisions were avoided as a result, while 45,383 meals for food insecure individuals were produced. These findings have significant implications for public and environmental health, as GHG emissions have a destructive effect on the earth&rsquo, s atmosphere and rescued food can be redistributed to food insecure individuals.

The selection of an appropriate technology for waste management in a way that enhances sustainability is a complex problem requiring information from multiple disciplines. This decision is made more complex for large, diverse organizations for which individual sites or components have different requirements and capacities for waste management. For U.S. Army installations, sustainable waste management is a major obstacle for resource constrained and overburdened installation personnel. The Army has prioritized landfill diversion at installations; there is a significant push for each installation to develop and implement waste management plans that follow high-level goals set by U.S. Army Installation Management Command (IMCOM). The main objective of this study is to demonstrate an excel-based dashboard tool incorporating Multi-Criteria Decision Analysis (MCDA) for site-specific waste management technology selection. The dashboard uses the preferences of an installation and a series of weighted metrics to evaluate technologies. With this information the dashboard can rank the technologies to identify those that simultaneously meet IMCOM's objectives and are appropriate for specific sites' capabilities and resources. Fourteen different technology makes and models were compared in this version of the decision model including dehydrators, pulpers, garbage disposals, containerized in-vessel composting, windrow composting, forced-air static composting, and containerized anaerobic digestion. MCDA provides for transparent comparison of technologies for all sites, and the dashboard visualizes the level of appropriateness of each technology for each site. The approach developed here adds value in that it utilizes the priorities of the organization and identifies the best performing waste management technology given the specific capacity and capabilities of an individual site.

The city of Makkah in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) hosts millions of Muslim worshippers every year. As a consequence, the municipal solid waste (MSW) quantities become enormous. City landfills receive about 2.4 thousand tons of MSW every day, whilst during the months of fasting (Ramadan) and Pilgrimage (Hajj), these quantities become 3.1 and 4.6 thousand tons per day respectively. Currently, there is no waste-based biorefinery or waste-to-energy (WTE) facility existing in KSA to treat different fractions of MSW as a source of renewable energy production and a solution to landfill waste problems. Therefore, the waste-based biorefinery, if developed in Makkah city, including WTE technologies such as anaerobic digestion (AD), transesterification, pyrolysis and refuse derived fuel (RDF) can be able to treat around 87.8% of the total MSW. The remaining 12.2% of MSW fraction can be recycled. The waste-based biorefinery, along with the recycling approach, can generate savings of about 87.6 million Saudi Arabian Riyal (SAR) from carbon credits. Similarly, a total net revenue of 758 million SAR can be generated from landfill diversion (530.4 million SAR) and electricity generation (288.5 million SAR). Moreover, 1.95 million barrels of oil and 11.2 million MCF of natural gas can be saved with a cost savings of 485.5 million SAR. Collectively, the waste-based biorefinery and recycling can reduce the global warming potential (GWP) of 1.15 million Mt.CO2 eq.

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to review and update Devens eco-industrial park sustainability indicators and benchmark progress made since 2000 in the seven key areas of its sustainability vision. Design/methodology/approach – The authors examined publicly available data for Devens, Massachusetts, and obtained additional data from Devens Enterprise Commission and a survey of 29 local organizations. Findings – Of the 43 indicators adopted by Devens eco-industrial park in 2012, 29 demonstrate progress, seven show lack of progress, six point to a potential progress, and for one no information was available in 2000 to evaluate progress. Most progress has been made in the areas of transportation, business and economic sustainability, governance and natural resources. Research limitations/implications – For some proposed indicators no data were available to evaluate progress (e.g. waste generation, recycling, compositing, and landfill diversion) yet these are among the key measures for an eco-industrial park. Practical implications – Proposed framework, indicators and lessons learned are of value for researchers and practitioners at other eco-industrial parks (EIPs) interested in benchmarking progress toward sustainable local development. Social implications – The case provides insights on integrating sustainability in local economic development. Originality/value – The study is paving the way toward development of a standardized set of sustainability indicators for EIPs in the USA.

This study presents a preliminary assessment of biodiesel production from waste sources available in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) for energy generation and solution for waste disposal issues. A case study was developed under three different scenarios: (S1) KSA population only in 2017, (S2) KSA population and pilgrims in 2017, and (S3) KSA population and pilgrims by 2030 using the fat fraction of the municipal solid waste. It was estimated that S1, S2, and S3 scenarios could produce around 1.08, 1.10 and 1.41 million tons of biodiesel with the energy potential of 43423, 43949 and 56493 TJ respectively. Furthermore, annual savings of US $55.89, 56.56 and 72.71 million can be generated from landfill diversion of food waste and added to the country's economy. However, there are challenges in commercialization of waste to biodiesel facilities in KSA, including waste collection and separation, impurities, reactor design and biodiesel quality.

Diverting organics from landfills to compost piles is generally recognized as a means to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. This article provides a detailed review of the Climate Action Reserve (CAR) and the U.S. EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) protocols on landfill diversion and composting for food scraps and yard waste. The primary benefits associated with diversion are methane avoidance. The equations used to quantify methane avoidance include first-order decay rate constants for different feedstocks to predict how quickly organics will decay. The total methane generation potential of the different feedstocks is also included. The equations include estimates of gas collection efficiencies in landfills. The decay rate constants have been determined from laboratory incubations and may not be representative of decomposition within a landfill. Estimates of gas capture efficiency have been improved and more closely reflect actual landfill conditions. Gas capture efficiency will vary based on landfill...

Maui, Hawaii, USA is an island with sensitive ecosystems and sharply circumscribed spatial resources for waste disposal. Despite the State of Hawaii's preferences to the contrary, Maui remains heavily dependent on landfilling and to a lesser extent, landfill diversion techniques to manage its solid waste. This article examines the history of solid waste management on Maui through the lens of Bulkeley, Watson, and Hudson's (2007) ‘modes of governing’ framework for the analysis of environmental and infrastructural policy issues. This approach asks users to consider equally and simultaneously the structures, processes, technologies, and ultimately, multiplicities of governance activities. Based on an analysis of approximately 200 government, private firm, and news media documents, it is demonstrated that private firms played a very significant role in shaping solid waste management on Maui, and were able to introduce their own desired modes for governing solid waste management that supplanted the preferences of State and County entities. In making this addition to the original modes of governing framework, it is argued that differences in both legal authority over and functional proximity to the practices and processes of solid waste management on Maui spurred the deployment of and competition between multiple modes of governing solid waste management there, as well as the eventual entry of private firms into the solid waste management process. Ultimately, the fragmentation of solid waste management practices on Maui has resulted in a somewhat ambivalent outcome for the natural environment. As such, this study adds to growing literatures examining both solid waste management and environmental policy issues.

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.

Business opportunities in the household waste sector in emerging economies still evolve around the activities of bulk collection and tipping with an open material balance. This research, conducted in Brazil, pursued the objective of shifting opportunities from tipping to reverse logistics in order to close the balance. To do this, it illustrated how specific knowledge of sorted waste composition and reverse logistics operations can be used to determine realistic temporal and quantitative landfill diversion targets in an emerging economy context. Experimentation constructed and confirmed the recycling trilogy that consists of source separation, collection infrastructure and reverse logistics. The study on source separation demonstrated the vital difference between raw and sorted waste compositions. Raw waste contained 70% biodegradable and 30% inert matter. Source separation produced 47% biodegradable, 20% inert and 33% mixed material. The study on collection infrastructure developed the necessary receiving facilities. The study on reverse logistics identified private operators capable of collecting and processing all separated inert items. Recycling activities for biodegradable material were scarce and erratic. Only farmers would take the material as animal feed. No composting initiatives existed. The management challenge was identified as stimulating these activities in order to complete the trilogy and divert the 47% source-separated biodegradable discards from the landfills.

In the United States of America (U.S.) almost all of the food waste generated is ends up in landfills. Centralized systems of composting have been effective at diverting large volumes of food waste. However, they require considerable capital investments and face operational challenges. As solid waste planning practices vary across national geographies, this study primarily focuses on the application of decentralized composting within the U.S. This study advocates decentralized composting for its anticipated benefits of outreach, landfill diversion, and cost savings. Using Chicago as a case study, the recovery potential and challenges of using a portion of public parks for community composting are explored. Community characteristics are incorporated in the numerical and spatial analysis of food waste generation and capture potential. This study also conducts a preliminary cost and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions impact analysis, comparing the proposed community composting to current food waste processing systems. The results demonstrate the viability of decentralized composting to divert substantial volumes of food waste, as a complementary strategy to other landfill diversion programs. Policy recommendations are provided to facilitate the implementation and increase the efficiency of decentralized composting programs.

The European Union Landfill Directive (1999/31 EC) promotes more environmental friendly waste management options, by reducing the amount of wastes and more specific of biodegradable wastes, disposed of in landfills. The EU member states are adopting the mechanical-biological treatment process for municipal solid waste and non-hazardous industrial wastes to comply with the abovementioned Directive's targets on landfill diversion, and produce waste derived fuels such as refuse derived fuel and solid recovered fuel. Waste derived fuels present high calorific values depending on their synthesis and are being used both in dedicated waste-to-energy plants and as fuel substitutes in industrial processes. In this paper the refuse derived fuel and solid recovered fuel production and utilisation options in European Union are presented, and the possibilities in Greece based on the waste production and National Plan for Waste Management of the Ministry of Environment is attempted. The existing and ongoing studies on co-combustion and co-gasification with brown coal support the use of refuse derived fuel and solid recovered fuel as fuel on Hellenic Power Sector, adopting in the existing lignite power plants adequate Air Pollution Control systems. If the co-combustion or co-gasification of these alternative fuels is adopted from the Hellenic Power Sector a reduction on emissions is expected that cannot be neglected.