published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

published_or_final_version / Urban Planning / Master / Master of Science in Urban Planning

abstract / Housing Management / Master / Master of Housing Management

published_or_final_version / Environmental Management / Master / Master of Science in Environmental Management

Accurate and detailed costs for individual municipal waste collection, treatment and landfill methods are not readily available. Neither is there a reliable means of comparing between two or more alternative options. However, before improvements to the management and planning of solid waste disposal can be achieved both are required. Currently, comparisons and planning in this field are highly ambiguous, often misleading, with individual operators using widely different accounting conventions and operating standards. The purpose of this work has been to establish accurate comparisons. Initially, detailed financial and technical information \'las collected from numerous operators, and then a standard basis for comparison (the "base case") was derived onto which the costs obtained were adjusted. Cost functions were also generated to interpret component costs fora range of sizes of operation. The economics of five collection methods, four transfer methods, seven bulk transport vehicle types and several landfill disposal variations are considered. For each a detailed appraisal of the component capital and operating costs has been made so as to identify the largest expenditures. The effect of uncertainty on cost estimates was also emphasised and explicitly considered by sensitivity analyses on selected economic and physical parameters. These analyses have indicated those component costs which exert the most significant influence on the total costs, and as such should be the most closely monitored by a waste manager. One notable example is the sensitivity of total landfill costs to leachate treatment. Six case studies are also presented. These are designed to demonstrate the versatility of the cost models derived and also the method developed for unambiguous economic comparison. This research provides a large financial data base on all of the collection, transfer and landfill methods in common use in Britain. Use of this information and the principles for comparison put forward would enable waste managers to incorporate sound financial appraisals into both their operational and forward planning decisions. This should subsequently improve not only the quality of their decisions but ultimately the standard of service they offer too.

The recovery and analysis of data from secondary refuse contexts is a crucial aspect of many archaeological investigations. Treatment of secondary refuse as a distinct analytical context is especially useful for the examination of socioeconomic and demographic variability in prehistoric and modem societies. This dissertation reviews ethnoarchaeological research on refuse disposal in non-industrialized societies, modern industrialized societies, and historic contexts. Based on this review, a framework is suggested for the analysis of secondary refuse at archaeological sites. Results of an ethnoarchaeological study of modern household refuse are presented. The study uses data collected by the University of Arizona's Garbage Project from Tucson, Arizona; Phoenix, Arizona; New Orleans, Louisiana; and Marin County, California. The depositional structure of modern household refuse is examined. Special focus is given to identifying and analyzing the relationships between refuse variability and socioeconomic and demographic variability. Furthermore, the effects of short-term, external economic changes on the patterning associated with ethnicity in Tucson are identified and examined. The implications of the study for historical and prehistoric archaeology are discussed.

Garden refuse has been seen to constitute a significant proportion of the total waste stream received at landfills in the eThekwini Municipal Area (EMA). With the growing demand for conserving “precious landfill airspace” as a result of limited availability of land for new landfill development, there is a shift in the mindsets of landfill operators to adopt alternative methods of treatment other than the traditional way of landfilling. As a result composting of green waste stream was seen as the most appropriate treatment solution as not only would there be a direct landfill airspace saving but the added environmental, economical and social sustainable benefits to the city. The first South African Waste Summit saw the signing of the Polokwane Declaration i.e. “Reduce waste generation and disposal by 50% and 25% respectively by 2012 and develop a plan for ZERO WASTE by 2022”. Hence, the push for composting to try and achieve waste reduction to landfills. The Dome Aeration Technology (DAT) is an advanced treatment option for aerobic biological degradation of garden refuse (Mollekopf et al, 2002, Trois and Polster, 2006). The originality of the DAT system is the use of passive aeration brought about by thermal driven advection through open windrows which is induced by thermal differences between the composting material and the ambient atmosphere (Polster, 2003). Previous work on organic waste composting using the DAT on a small scale showed that good quality compost was attainable within 6 weeks of composting (Moodley 2005). This study offers comparative performances between DAT system and Traditional Turned Windrows (TTW) in composting garden refuse and recommending the most appropriate system for integration into existing landfill operations. Full scale windrows were constructed for each system at the Bisasar Road Landfill Site in Durban, Kwa-Zulu Natal to evaluate the influence of climate, quality of compost, operational requirements and feasibility. The process monitoring for the DAT windrow showed that temperatures reached thermophilic ranges within a week of composting which confirms that of the German studies. Waste characterisation of both input and output materials are discussed for both systems with recommendations on the most practical and appropriate system applicable to that of an operational landfill are drawn. The study further concludes with potential uses of the composted garden refuse within landfill sites and its contribution to “closed loop” landfilling yet within an integrated waste management plan. / Thesis (M.Sc.Eng.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2010.

Forty-two commercially collected dumpsters from Denton’s Municipal Solid Waste Stream were emptied, sorted and weighed to characterize the material types and make preliminary recycling policy recommendations. The general composition of Denton’s solid waste stream was not significantly different from the composition of the nation’s solid waste stream. Fifty-eight percent of the observed waste stream was recyclable. Paper made up the largest portion of recyclable materials and the "grocery" source category had more paper than any of the other five categories. Based on these findings, an incrementally aggressive approach is recommended to reduce certain types of wastes observed in the waste stream. This would include a Pay-As-You-Throw Program followed by an Intermediate Processing Center that can be converted to a Materials Recovery Facility.

A final research report submitted in fulfilment of part of the requirements for the degree of MSc Project management in construction in the school of construction economics and management, University of Witwatersrand / Construction and Demolition (C&D) waste generation is a universal problem and available landfill space is reducing as landfills reach capacity. Despite the huge effect of construction and demolition waste on the environment, there has been very little research on legislation around waste, and it is therefore increasingly important that compliance with legislation pertaining to management and disposal of construction and demolition waste be assessed. This study explored departmental awareness of the Waste Act in the City of Johannesburg municipality and also in the utility Pikitup, and assessed how the Act has been able to reduce waste. Qualitative data collection techniques in the form of unstructured interviews were used to interview 4 persons in the City of Johannesburg legal department, and 3 persons in the Pikitup department. The challenges and barriers the municipality faces due to the ineffectiveness of the relevant legislation were assessed to gain insight into difficulties with compliance. In addition, the study evaluated the effectiveness of the enforcement strategies that have been used. The results revealed that there is little or no awareness of the legislation so it is difficult for construction site workers to apply it effectively in their waste management activities. In addition, the results exposed a need for a review of the Waste Act as it applies to smaller construction firms and also renovation works, since it was found that it is impracticable for smaller companies to comply effectively with the legislation. All in all, this research sheds more light on the legislation and its purpose, and also on the reasons why it has been quite difficult to achieve compliance with this legislation in the construction and demolition sector. The research will enable useful recommendations for the municipality and also potentially raise awareness of the importance of legislation within the construction community. Key words: Construction waste, Creation, Disposal, Legislation, Management, / GR2017