Thesis (M. Sc.(Urb. Plan.))--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes bibliographical references (leaf 296-326).

Thesis (M.A.)--Ohio University, August, 2005. / Title from PDF t.p. Includes bibliographical references (p. 51-53)

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

Thesis (M. Phil.)--University of Hong Kong, 1992.

The growing municipal solid waste generation rates have necessitated more efficient, optimized waste collection facilities. The majority of the US collection fleet is composed of diesel-fueled vehicles which contribute significant atmospheric emissions including greenhouse gases. In order to reduce emissions to the atmosphere, more collection agencies are investigating alternative fuel technologies such as natural gas, biofuels (bio-gas and bio-diesel), and hybrid electric technology. This research is an in-depth environmental analysis of potential alternative fuel technologies for waste collection vehicles. This study will evaluate the use of alternative fuels by waste collection vehicles. Lifecycle emissions, cost, fuel and energy consumption were evaluated for a wide range of fossil and bio-fuel technologies. Moreover, the energy consumption and the tail-pipe emissions of dieselfueled waste collection vehicles were estimated using MOVES 2010a software. Emission factors were calculated for a typical waste collection driving cycle as well as constant speed. Finally, the selection of fuel type by the waste collection industry requires consideration of environmental, security, financial, operational, and safety issues. In this study, a qualitative comparison between alternative fuels was performed; a multifactorial assessment of these factors was conducted taking into account the opinion of the waste collection industry of the importance of each factor. Liquid-petroleum fuels have higher life-cycle emissions compared to natural gas; however landfill natural gas has the lowest life-cycle emissions compared to all other fuel categories. Compressed natural gas waste collection vehicles have the lowest fuel cost per collection vehicle mile travel compared to other fuel categories. Moreover, the actual driving cycle of waste collection vehicles consists of repetitive stops and starts during waste collection; iv this generates more emissions than constant speed driving. Finally, the multifactorial assessment indicates that natural gas and landfill gas have better environmental, economical, and energy security performance than current liquid-petroleum fuels.

In Cameroon, and most other developing countries, the problem of inefficient municipal solid waste management ( MSWM ) is endemic. This is easily identified by persistent heaps of uncollected waste found on street sides or ubiquitous illegal dumps. This thesis examines the sustainability of MSWM in Cameroon using two contrasting city cases of Yaoundé ( 1.5m people ) and Bamenda ( 300 000 people ). As major contributions the thesis generates the much - needed basic original data, critically examines and compares the sustainability of MSWM in both cities ' systems, evaluates the environmental impacts and uses these findings to suggest valuable research, policy and strategic - planning recommendations needed to make both systems, and others in similar situations, sustainable. To achieve these goals multiple triangulated methods were used. In Bamenda, where reliable basic data are non - existent, solid waste from sampled households was collected and analysed for generation rates, quantities and characteristics. In both cities questionnaire were administered to sampled household units selected from four stratified quarters. The survey questions addressed waste management issues and sustainability indicators that were needed to study, compare and evaluate the systems within the wider concept of the waste management hierarchy. The statistical programme for social sciences ( SPSS ) computer software was used to analyse the survey results. Field observations, interviews and a review of secondary sources complemented the data. New findings show that Bamenda city generates 120 - 160 tonnes of municipal solid waste daily ( 0.40-0.54 kg per capita ), 76 % of which is biodegradable and 24 % non - biodegradable. About 90 % of all solid waste comes from households. Bamenda Urban Council ( BUC ) regularly covers only 1 / 20th of the city area and collects and transports 20 - 30 tonnes of waste from its skips, accounting for only 17 - 25 % of the total daily waste generation. The waste is disposed of at an uncontrolled dump on the Mezam River flood plain. The citizens illegally dump the rest. Skips are crucial to the system but their total capacity and access are grossly inadequate ( 37m ³ over 28 sites ), with a further 465m ³ needed. Citizens move an average of 105 m to waste disposal sites. This suggests a sustainable inter - skip distance of 210 m for Bamenda city, far from the present 700 m. Yaoundé ' s daily per capita MSW generation rate is estimated at 0.79 kgs or 1200 tonnes for the entire city, three - quarters of which is biodegradable. Only one - third of the city area is regularly served with about 40 - 50 % ( ~ 540 tonnes ) of the waste collected and disposed of at the sanitary landfill on the Nfoulou River valley. Total available skip capacity is 1440m ³ with 3048m ³ lacking. The primary waste disposal average distance is 87 m. Yaoundé and Bamenda cities are unique in physical conditions and status but neither is able to deal adequately with the increasing waste generation rates, quantities and varieties that are driven by rapid urban population growth, spatial expansion and improved affluence and consumption among selected groups. Yaoundé ' s management has an edge over Bamenda ' s in terms of performance rates but leaves behind five times more uncollected and illegally dumped waste than Bamenda. Though Yaoundé ' s system is private and Bamenda ' s is public, both systems apply the same conventional approach that concentrates on imported technologies while neglecting waste prevention, recycling, safe disposal, involvement and integration of citizens and other stakeholders. This limited and monopolistic approach makes the system unworkable and equally creates huge environmental and health - related problems present at all the stages of the waste management cycle. Government devolves the waste function to urban councils but centralises funds and power. Its waste policies are limited, fragmented and confusing. The garbage tax law yields only 5 % in Bamenda and 7 % in Yaoundé, making both cities rely heavily on extra financial support from Cameroon and abroad. In all, neither city in the study demonstrates sustainability in any aspects of its MSWM system. The existing systems are not sustainable. A new system based on an integrated sustainable model operated within the context of good urban governance is proposed. This model accommodates the uniqueness of cities and is recommended for other cities in the country, Africa and the developing world. / Thesis (Ph.D.)--School of Social Sciences, 2004.

Thesis (M.P.H.)--University of Wisconsin -- La Crosse, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references (leaves 75-77)

The ineffective and inefficient management and collection of municipal solid waste is a significant problem in cities of many developing countries. South Africa as a developing country is also faced with the same problem. Buffalo City Municipality with its fast growing urban population is not immune from the problem. Due to continuing population growth, urbanisation, industrialisation and higher consumption levels which started after the demise of the previous legislations which stifled the advancement of black communities, the generation and management of municipal solid waste in developing countries is likely to worsen. The uncollected waste and rampant littering generates pollution and poses risks to human health and the environment. Regulations guiding the treatment and the disposal of waste are not followed to the letter by authorities. There are no measures in place to ensure that the environment is sustained, and even if there are they are not fully implemented. This affects municipalities negatively in various aspects. Tourism that is known to boost ailing and weak local economies is affected. Properties are devaluated and potential developers turn their backs on municipalities that are not well managed. It is the low-income communities that suffer the brunt of the inefficiency and poor service delivery. This status quo is not acceptable eighteen years after the attainment of democracy and the adoption of the Constitution in South Africa. This study analyses the challenges and factors that cause Buffalo City Municipality (BCM) not to deliver services efficiently and successfully in respect of waste management. It also attempts to check alternatives and solutions as gathered from other cities in a similar predicament. Municipalities are encouraged to adopt Local Economic Development (LED) principles and establish public- public partnerships and private- public partnerships thereby utilizing communities in refuse collection and waste management.

The population growth in many urban cities and its activities in developing countries have resulted in an increased solid waste generation rate and waste management has become a global environmental issue. Routing of solid waste collection vehicles in developing countries like Pakistan poses a challenging task. In the process of solid waste management, collection and transportation play a leading role in waste collection and disposal, in which collection activities contributed the most to total cost for solid waste collection activities. Therefore, this study describes an attempt to design and develop an appropriate collection, transportation and disposal plan for the twin cities of Pakistan by using Geographic Information System (GIS) and Remote Sensing (RS) techniques to determine the minimum cost/distance/time efficient collection paths for the transportation of the solid wastes to the landfill sites. In addition to this, identification of solid waste disposal sites and appropriately managing them is a challenging task to many developing countries and Pakistan is no exception to that. The existing landfill sites for the twin cities are not technically viable and environmentally acceptable and are thus damaging to the environment due to their location and the type of waste dumped. Therefore, the second aim of our study was to find out the suitable landfill sites for the twin cities and the study employed Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) methods to combine necessary factors considered for landfill site selection for the twin cities. Hence, our present study has proved that GIS is a tool that can be used in integration with other techniques such as MCE for a identifying new landfill sites and it can help decision makers deal with real-world developmental and management issues. Finally, the study has developed a Wed-Based Decision Support System (DSS) via Application Programming Interface (API) which will help decision-makers to search for cost-effective alternatives and it can be operated by people who don’t have knowledge of GIS. The proposed study can be used as a decision support tool by the municipalities of the twin cities for efficient management and transportation of solid wastes to landfill sites, managing work schedules for workers, etc.