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This thesis investigates the impact of the provisions contained within a specific piece of legislation - the Environmental Protection Act 1990 [EPA] - upon the management of municipal solid waste. The legislation and its impact are considered within the broader context of the Conservative government's privatisation policy during its eighteen year period of office between 1979 and 1997 - and in particular the requirement for local authorities to subject services to compulsory competitive tender. Two sets of data covering the thirty-nine English shire county waste disposal authorities [WDA] are analysed. The first provides a snapshot of local authorities' expectations of the impact of the legislation as it began to be implemented whilst the second, more detailed and comprehensive set, provides cost and other information on an annual basis - covering a seven year period prior to the implementation of the EPA legislation plus five years post-EPA. Annual VEDA unit cost data is derived and trends and patterns identified, together with potential cost drivers. As the analysis progresses the approach focuses more upon using multiple regression techniques in an attempt to derive a predictive model for changes in waste disposal costs. This is then supplemented by the consideration of data envelopment analysis as a tool to be used to search for additional insights into the picture painted by the multiple regression work. The research concludes with a summary of the work done and draws conclusions, together with outlining options for developing and extending the work further.

The electricity supply industry (ESI) in England and Wales does not operate efficiently, in terms of optimising the balance between benefits of electricity and costs associated with environmental impacts. The optimal situation would be one where such impacts are minimised per unit of electricity service used, notwithstanding cost considerations. However, the present regulatory regime fails to account sufficiently for environmental impacts. Indeed, it cannot do so at present, due to lack of objective, complete and sufficiently accurate information. The main methods currently advocated for valuing environmental impacts are based on the theory of neo-classical environmental economics. These aim to place monetary values on impacts, which can then, in theory, be used to internalise environmental externalities, by applying market mechanisms to correct for the market inefficiency. However, numerous objections have been raised and weaknesses identified, including, principally, the lack of a systematic approach and the inability of the technique to accurately value impacts which are not usually considered in monetary terms. Better regulation starts with better understanding of the issue(s) to be regulated. In this case, it requires appropriate data about values of environmental impacts. While environmental economics is not rejected outright, further improvements are required and, in any event, it must be supplemented by a systematic approach, which encompasses a means of valuing non-economic elements of value. The Environmental Analysis, Valuation and Application (EAVA) Framework proposed here has been designed and developed in order to address these requirements. It also satisfies the need for objectivity, rigour, transparency, versatility, practicality and a step-by-step, sequential procedure for dealing appropriately with environmental impacts. The EAVA Framework encompasses four separate methods which have been developed simultaneously to work together in order to address different areas of the problem. The output analysis method allows the production of a complete inventory of released incidental outputs (RIOs) which arise from the process being studied. The pathway analysis method provides a means of tracing these RIOs through the environment and generating objective data about the resulting environmental changes. The valuation method is where the only necessary subjectivity of valuation is concentrated by accommodating the views of those whose quality of life is damaged by the impacts. The unit of valuation is the "natural" unit of quality of life outcome state (QLOS), and quantification is achieved through use of the QLOS Index. The final method is the application method, where valuation data and information about unknowns or other "gaps" in knowledge or data are utilised in mechanisms to ensure decision making and operation of the process concerned correctly reflects the environmental impacts caused. It should be noted here that procedures exist throughout the EAVA Framework for identifying and quantifying "gaps". The overall result is the EAVA Framework - a single integrated process for regulating environmental impacts, from the point of origin, to the point of applying regulation.

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Urban waste management poses problems in all cities of the world, but it also provides opportunities for innovative resource use. The Thesis begins by defining the waste management problem of Nairobi in context and then analytically reviews the international status of waste management, contrasting the circumstances in developed economies with those in Tropical Africa. An investigation of household refuse in Nairobi, exploring its embodied energy and its value for composting follows as the focus of the Thesis. Typical households were surveyed in relation to their waste management behaviour and agricultural activities. An attempt was made to analyse the physical and chemical composition of household refuse as well as its energy value. In addition to household surveys, a senior local government official and waste disposal crews were interviewed in order to ascertain current policies and management practices in the handling of waste. Particular attention was paid to the Eastlands area of the City. Ways in which refuse is incorporated into the food and energy cycles were identified. Among the important factors discerned are the role of family structure and the economic position of households. The validity of the research is discussed and recommendations are made for the future of waste management in relation to energy and food production in Nairobi. The findings of the research should have wide application in other African countries.

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The Institute of REsource Ecology (IRE) is one of the eight institutes of the Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf (HZDR). The research activities are mainly integrated into the program “Nuclear Waste Management, Safety and Radiation Research (NUSAFE)” of the Helmholtz Association (HGF) and focused on the topics “Safety of Nuclear Waste Disposal” and “Safety Research for Nuclear Reactors”. Additionally, various activities have been started investigating chemical and environmental aspects of processing and recycling of strategic metals, namely rare earth elements. These activities are located in the HGF program “Energy Efficiency, Materials and Resources (EMR)”. Thus, all scientific work of the IRE belongs to the research field “Energy” of the HGF. The research objective is the protection of humans and the environment from hazards caused by pollutants resulting from technical processes that produce energy and raw materials. Treating technology and ecology as a unity is the major scientific challenge in assuring the safety of technical processes and gaining their public acceptance. We investigate the ecological risks ensued by radioactive and non-radioactive metals in the context of nuclear waste disposal, the production of energy in nuclear power plants and in processes along the value chain of metalliferous raw materials. A common goal is to generate better understanding about the dominating processes essential for metal mobilization and immobilization on the molecular level by using advanced spectroscopic methods. This in turn enables us to assess the macroscopic phenomena, including models, codes and data for predictive calculations, which determine the transport and distribution of contaminants in the environment.

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A safe treatment and disposal of spent Tri-Structural Isotropic (TRISO) coated fuel particles is one of the most important issues for developing the next generation of nuclear reactors, such as a Very High Temperature Reactor (VHTR). The project investigates the encapsulation of surrogated TRISO particles in Glass-Graphite Composite (GGC) and in Alumina Borosilicate Glass (ALBG) and compares their geological performance in the repository. The study deals with the assessment and performance of both matrices in a geological repository's conditions, measuring their chemical durability for 28 days at temperatures ranging 25-90°C and using American Standard for Testing Material (ASTM-C1220-98). The leach test revealed that only sintered ALBG with TRISO particles doped in cesium oxide could provide a safe Engineering Barrier System (EBS). The thermal property of the matrices was examined by measuring their thermal diffusivities. The thermal diffusivity of ALBG bearing various proportions of TRISO particles was measured experimentally using Laser Flash Analysis (LFA). The experimental results validated through a numerical method using Image Based Modelling (IBM). The effect of the porosity in decreasing the thermal diffusivity of TRISO particles was also discussed. In addition, the study deals with the immobilisation of ion exchange resins (doped with radioactive and non-radioactive cesium and cobalt) in borosilicate glass. The thermal analysis revealed that a successful immobilisation could be achieved once the sulfur functional group in the resin was decomposed and evaporated in a form of SO2/SO. The minimum required temperature of the heat treatment was 500°C under air environment as a pre-conditioning stage before immobilisation.