The current study aims towards a holistic utilization of agro-waste rice straw (RS) to synthesize nanosilica (SiNPs) employing the sol–gel method. The effect of ashing temperature was evaluated for the synthesis process. X-ray diffraction demonstrated a broad spectrum at 21.22° for SiNPs obtained using RSA-600, signifying its amorphous nature, whereas crystalline SiNPs were synthesized using RSA-900. The EDX and FTIR spectra confirmed the significant peaks of Si and O for amorphous SiNPs, confirming their purity over crystalline SiNPs. FE-SEM and TEM micrographs indicated the spheroid morphology of the SiNPs with an average size of 27.47 nm (amorphous SiNPs) and 52.79 nm (crystalline SiNPs). Amorphous SiNPs possessed a high surface area of 226.11 m2/g over crystalline SiNPs (84.45 m2/g). The results obtained attest that the amorphous SiNPs possessed better attributes than crystalline SiNPs, omitting the need to incorporate high temperature. Photocatalytic degradation of methylene blue using SiNPs reflected that 66.26% of the dye was degraded in the first 10 min. The degradation study showed first-order kinetics with a half-life of 6.79 min. The cost-effective and environmentally friendly process offers a sustainable route to meet the increasing demand for SiNPs in industrial sectors. The study proposes a sustainable solution to stubble burning, intending towards zero waste generation, bioeconomy, and achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), namely SDG 13(Climate Action), SDG 3(Good health and well-being), SDG 7(use of crop residues in industrial sectors) and SDG 8 (employment generation).

Thesis (MScEng)--Stellenbosch University, 2012. / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Sustainability is difficult to achieve in a world where population and economic growth leads to increased production of greenhouse gases, resource depletion and waste generation. Today, the environmental dimension of sustainability, which is more commonly known as the natural environment, and the construction industry are two terms often mentioned together. In Europe, 12.4 % of greenhouse gas emissions are induced by the construction and manufacturing industry (Maydl, 2004). Also, 50 % of the resources extracted are used in the construction industry and more than 25 % of waste generated is construction and demolition waste. In South Africa, the building sector accounts for approximately 23 % of the total greenhouse gas emissions (Milford, 2009). Furthermore, 60 % of investment is made in the residential sector where 33 % of the building stock is the focus of the government’s Housing Programme. It is seen that the construction industry significantly impacts the natural environment and the aim should be to reduce this negative impact. Within the local residential sector, the low-cost housing sector presents potential when it comes to sustainable improvements. Each of the three spheres of sustainability, namely economy, natural environment and society, plays a crucial role in this sector. Various studies have been done on the economical and social fields, but little information exists on the impact low-cost houses have on the environment. A need arises to scientifically quantify the environmental impact hereof, therefore it is chosen as the focus of this study. Various methods in order to determine the environmental impact of the built environment exist globally, but they tend to be complex, are used in conjunction with difficult to understand databases and require expensive software. A need for a local quantification method with which to determine the environmental impact of the built environment, more specifically low-cost housing, has been identified. A simple and easy-to-use analysis-orientated quantification method is proposed in this study. The quantification method is compiled with indicators related to the local conditions; these include Emissions, Resource Depletion and Waste Generation. The end objective is to provide the user with an aggregated total value called the Environmental Impact Index to ease comparison of possible alternatives. The quantification method is developed as a mathematical tool in the form of a partial Life Cycle Assessment which can aid in objective decision making during the conception and design phase of a specific project. Note that only the Pre-Use Phase of the building life cycle is considered during the assessment, but can be extended to include the Use Phase and End-of-Life Phase. The proposed method has the capability of calculating and optimising the environmental impact of a building. Regarding low-cost housing, different housing unit designs can be compared in order to select the best alternative. The quantification method is implemented for two low-cost house design types in this study. Firstly, the conventional brick and mortar design is considered whereafter a Light Steel Frame Building is viewed as an alternative. The model implementation demonstrates that the model operates in its supposed manner. Also, Light Steel Frame Building housing units are shown to be worth investigating as an alternative to the conventional brick and mortar design but should be confirmed with a more accurate Life Cycle Assessment. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: In ’n wêreld waar toenemende ekonomiese en bevolkingsgroei veroorsaak dat al hoe meer kweekhuisgasse voortgebring word, hulpbronne uitgeput word en groter hoeveelhede rommel geproduseer word, is dit ’n bykans onbegonne taak om volhoubaarheid te probeer bereik. Volhoubaarheid rakende die natuurlike omgewing en konstruksie is twee terme wat vandag dikwels saam genoem word. Ongeveer 12.4 % van die kweekhuisgasse wat in Europa vrygestel word kom uit die konstruksie- en vervaardigingbedrywe (Maydl, 2004). Die konstruksiebedryf gebruik ook bykans die helfte van hulpbronne wat ontgin word en meer as 25 % van rommel word deur konstruksie of sloping produseer. Die Suid-Afrikaaanse boubedryf is verantwoordelik vir 23 % van die totale hoeveelheid kweekhuisgasse wat die land vrystel. Die behuisingsektor, waar die regering aan die hoof van 33 % van eenhede staan, ontvang 60 % van bestaande beleggings (Milford, 2009). Dit is dus duidelik dat die boubedryf ’n negatiewe impak op die natuurlike omgewing het en dat dit van groot belang is om dié situasie te verbeter. In die behuisingsektor het lae-koste-behuising groot potensiaal as dit kom by volhoubaarheid. Volhoubaarheid bestaan uit drie sfere: ekonomie, natuurlike omgewing en sosiaal, en al drie speel ’n betekenisvolle rol in lae-koste-behuising. Daar is reeds verskeie studies aangepak om die ekonomiese en sosiale sfere te beskryf, maar daar is steeds min inligting beskikbaar oor die omgewingsimpak van ’n lae-koste-huis. Dit laat die behoefte ontstaan om hierdie impak te kwantifiseer. Bestaande metodes wat wêreldwyd gebruik word om ʼn omgewingsimpak te bepaal is dikwels besonder kompleks en benodig duur sagteware tesame met ingewikkelde databasisse om dit te implementeer. ’n Behoefte aan ’n plaaslike kwantifiseringsmetode is geïdentifiseer. Hierdie studie stel ’n eenvoudige, gebruikersvriendelike kwantifiseringsmetode bekend. Dit word saamgestel uit faktore wat verband hou met die plaaslike omgewing: Uitlaatgasse, Hulpbronuitputting en Rommelvervaardiging. Uiteindelik word ’n saamgestelde waarde, wat die Omgewingsimpak-indeks genoem word, bereken om vergelyking te vergemaklik. Hierdie kwantifiseringsmetode word aan die hand van ’n gedeeltelike lewenssiklus-analise as ’n wiskundige hulpmiddel ontwikkel. Slegs die eerste fase van ’n gebou se lewenssiklus word beskou tydens hierdie studie, maar dit is moontlik om die ander twee fases in te sluit. Die voorgestelde metode het die vermoë om die omgewingsimpak te bereken en ook te optimeer. Tydens die ontwerpsfase, wanneer belangrike besluite geneem moet word, kan so ’n hulpmiddel van enorme waarde wees om die beste opsie uit verskillende alternatiewe te help identifiseer. Die studie beskou twee tipes behuisingseenhede vir die doel van implementering van die kwantifiseringsmetode: die konvensionele baksteen en mortel metode en alternatiewelik ’n ligte staalraamwerk-gebou. Tydens implementering van die voorgestelde metode, demonstreer die model dat dit werk soos dit veronderstel is om te funksioneer. Verder is getoon dat ’n ligte staalraamwerk-gebou ’n waardevolle alternatief is om te ondersoek, maar dit moet liefs met ’n meer akkurate lewenssiklus-analise bevestig word.

During the spring 2004 a pilot school recycling program was implemented within Robert E. Lee Elementary. The primary goal of the program was to determine how recycling education in the school would affect curbside recycling rates within the surrounding community. The program was a cooperative effort between the University of North Texas, City of Denton Solid Waste Department and Keep Denton Beautiful. Throughout the first months of the study during the spring 2004, an increase in curbside recycling within the Robert E. Lee Elementary attendance zone was observed, with a dramatic decrease in participation over the summer and a rapid increase once again during the second full semester of the study. In a survey conducted with 3rd and 5th grade students at the pilot project school, most students expressed positive attitudes about recycling. Students whose survey responses indicated a high level of knowledge about what could be recycled were 37% more likely to claim to recycle regularly, than those students that scored low on the knowledge portion of the survey. Although the total amount of waste generation (recyclable and non-recyclable) at Robert E. Lee Elementary did not decrease during the study, the campus was able to divert recyclable material from their trash at a much higher rate than two other local elementary campuses with paper-only recycling and no associated recycling education program. Based upon the success of the recycling program at Robert E. Lee Elementary, the City of Denton Recycling Division has agreed to move forward with offering recycling to more schools within the Denton Independent School District during the 2005-2006 school year.

Buildings contribute to various environmental impacts. Office fit out, as a type of refurbishment in the building life cycle, tends to recur often and is resource-intensive. Still few studies have researched the topic. Through four fit out case studies in offices in Sweden, this study investigates the impacts of office fit out by calculating the waste generation and embodied carbon of fit out. The results show that the waste generation and embodied carbon for each case study projects was 31-38 kg/m2 refurbished GFA and 93-96 kg CO2e/m2 refurbished GFA. Over time, the accumulated recurring embodied carbon of fit out can surpass the initial embodied carbon of the building when no improvement for embodied carbon reductions is made. Scenarios modelling explores how prolonging fit out recurrency and incorporating circular methods to the practice could reduce the accumulation of embodied carbon of fit out. According to the results, recommendations for the actors involved are proposed and methodological reflections are presented. This study provides an overview and initial understanding of the impacts of fit out from real-life cases to help identify what can be done to reduce environmental impacts. / Byggnader bidrar till olika typer av miljöpåverkan. Hyresgästanpassning i kontorsbyggnader är en typ av renovering under en byggnads livscykel som tenderar att upprepas många gånger och är resurskrävande. Trots det är det få studier som än så länge har undersökt ämnet. Genom fyra fallstudier av hyresgästanpassningsprojekt i kontorsbyggnader i Sverige studeras effekterna av hyresgästanpassning genom att beräkna generering av avfall och inbyggd klimatpåverkan (eng. embodied carbon). Resultaten visar att för de fyra fallstudierna genereras avfall i omfattningen 31-38 kg/m2 renoverad BTA och inbyggd klimatpåverkan i omfattningen 93-96 kg CO2e/m2 renoverad BTA. Över tid kan den ackumulerade inbyggda klimatpåverkan av återkommande hyresgästanpassningsprojekt överskrida byggnadens initiala inbyggda klimatpåverkan när inga strategier för att minska inbyggd klimatpåverkan tillämpas i projekten. Modellering av ett antal scenarier undersökte hur en lägre frekvens av återkommande hyresgästanpassningsprojekt och införlivning av cirkulära strategier kan minska ackumuleringen av inbyggd klimatpåverkan över byggnadens livscykel. Baserat på studiens resultat föreslås rekommendationer till berörda aktörer och reflektioner som rör beräkningsmetoden presenteras. Den här studien ger en översiktlig förståelse av klimatpåverkan av hyresgästanpassning i kontorsbyggnader från verkliga fallstudier, vilket kan bidra med att identifiera vad som kan göras för att minska miljöpåverkan.

The management of clinical waste is of great importance due to its infectious and hazardous nature that can cause risks on environment and public health. The study was conducted to evaluate clinical waste management practices and to determine the amount of waste generated in five purposively selected healthcare facilities in Gaborone City Council. The surveyed healthcare facilities were of different size, specialization and category and included a referral hospital, two clinics and two health posts. To examine clinical waste management practices the study employed a range of methods including questionnaire survey which targeted 105 stratified randomly selected healthcare workers and ancillary staff, formal interviews with facility managers, field observations and literature reviews. Compliance with the Botswana Clinical Waste Management Code of Practice, 1996 and Waste Management Act, 1998 and other related documents were used as standards to assess clinical waste management practices. The waste management practices were analysed for a week in each healthcare facility to capture the daily management practices. The generated clinical waste was weighed to compute the generation rates and was followed through the various management practices to the final disposal. Findings of the study revealed that clinical waste generation rates were: 0.75kg/patient/day for Princess Marina Hospital and 0.1 - 0.3kg/patient/day for clinics and health posts. Numerous aspects of clinical waste management were found to comply with the expected rules and standards at Princess Marina Hospital, but the clinics and health posts had less appropriate practices. Clinical waste generated at Princess Marina Hospital is quantified in reliable records and dedicated Infectious Control Officers are responsible for monitoring the management of clinical waste. The study revealed that clinics and health posts do not quantify clinical waste and there are no officers responsible for monitoring clinical waste and there are no documents for monitoring the management of clinical waste. The main treatment method of clinical waste for the surveyed healthcare facilities is incineration and it is being done properly. The study established that at least 80% of healthcare workers and ancillary staff have been vaccinated against hepatitis B and have received training in clinical waste management. Recommendations are given with the aim of improving clinical waste management practices in Gaborone City Council healthcare facilities. / Environmental Management / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

The maintenance or replacement of deteriorated pipes and culverts is a constant and significant concern for municipalities and transportation agencies in the United States (Donaldson and Wallingford, 2010). Trenchless technologies and especially the Cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) method have become increasingly common ways to preserve infrastructures owing to their feasibility, cost-effectiveness, and fewer social impacts (Jung and Sinha, 2007). Therefore, there is a growing need to understand the direct and indirect effects of pipeline rehabilitation activities on the environment. Nearly all past CIPP studies have focused on its mechanical properties, and its environmental impacts are poorly investigated and documented (Allouche et al. 2012). Sewer pipelines and storm-water culverts are administered by municipalities and transportation agencies who bear the responsibility for rehabilitation and renewal of these infrastructures. In consequence, they rarely allow sampling and research projects in the field due to liability issues. This is a main obstacle to conducting comprehensive, precise, and unbiased research on CIPP environmental impacts and to date, the degree of relevant health effects and related environmental impacts have remained unknown. Numerous building indoor air contamination incidents indicate that work is needed to understand the magnitude of styrene emission from CIPP sanitary sewer repairs. The main goal of this study was to better comprehend Volatile Organic Compounds emission at three CIPP sanitary sewer installation sites in one U.S. city. Results showed that CIPP chemical emissions may be a health risk to workers and nearby building inhabitants. Additional testing and investigations regarding chemical emissions from CIPP should be commissioned to fill in the environmental and public health knowledge gaps. The acute and chronic chemical exposure risks of CIPP chemical steam constituents and styrene to sensitive populations should be further examined. Other goals of this study were to estimate the magnitude of solid waste generated as well as the amount of certain criteria air pollutants and greenhouse gases emitted from onsite heavy equipment for both CIPP and open-cut sites in a U.S city. The results indicated that the amount of open-cut related solid waste, criteria air pollutants, and greenhouse gases were greater than those during CIPP activities. Additional work is needed to quantify pollutant emissions from CIPP and open-cut activities and consider emissions from a cradle-to-grave standpoint.

This thesis is a comprehensive study describing and quantifying material flows of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the Czech Republic; specifically the material flow of small waste electric and electronic equipment (s-WEEE) as well as representative substances. The studied material flows were estimated regarding aspects of the environmental impact. The End-of-Life mobile phone is seen as a typical representative of s-WEEE ; therefore material flows of mobile phones are described in this thesis as well. To put it in concrete figures, approximately 124 thousand tons of WEEE from households originated in the Czech Republic in 2010, where each inhabitant got rid off 4 pieces of WEEE in average. Further, total production calculating also consumer-like WEEE from companies and institutions was around 141 thousand tons in 2010. S-WEEE present around 15% from the total amount of WEEE originating in 2010; however it is more than 80% as regards the number of pieces. Despite of that fact the recycling potential of Au for instance is slightly higher by s-WEEE than by large WEEE (63kg/year compared to the 59kg/year respectively). As regards estimation of the total production of EoL mobile phones, around 45 thousand pieces originated in the Czech Republic between the years 1990-2000 and 6,5...

The management of clinical waste is of great importance due to its infectious and hazardous nature that can cause risks on environment and public health. The study was conducted to evaluate clinical waste management practices and to determine the amount of waste generated in five purposively selected healthcare facilities in Gaborone City Council. The surveyed healthcare facilities were of different size, specialization and category and included a referral hospital, two clinics and two health posts. To examine clinical waste management practices the study employed a range of methods including questionnaire survey which targeted 105 stratified randomly selected healthcare workers and ancillary staff, formal interviews with facility managers, field observations and literature reviews. Compliance with the Botswana Clinical Waste Management Code of Practice, 1996 and Waste Management Act, 1998 and other related documents were used as standards to assess clinical waste management practices. The waste management practices were analysed for a week in each healthcare facility to capture the daily management practices. The generated clinical waste was weighed to compute the generation rates and was followed through the various management practices to the final disposal. Findings of the study revealed that clinical waste generation rates were: 0.75kg/patient/day for Princess Marina Hospital and 0.1 - 0.3kg/patient/day for clinics and health posts. Numerous aspects of clinical waste management were found to comply with the expected rules and standards at Princess Marina Hospital, but the clinics and health posts had less appropriate practices. Clinical waste generated at Princess Marina Hospital is quantified in reliable records and dedicated Infectious Control Officers are responsible for monitoring the management of clinical waste. The study revealed that clinics and health posts do not quantify clinical waste and there are no officers responsible for monitoring clinical waste and there are no documents for monitoring the management of clinical waste. The main treatment method of clinical waste for the surveyed healthcare facilities is incineration and it is being done properly. The study established that at least 80% of healthcare workers and ancillary staff have been vaccinated against hepatitis B and have received training in clinical waste management. Recommendations are given with the aim of improving clinical waste management practices in Gaborone City Council healthcare facilities. / Environmental Management / M. Sc. (Environmental Management)

This thesis is a comprehensive study describing and quantifying material flows of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE) in the Czech Republic; specifically the material flow of small waste electric and electronic equipment (s-WEEE) as well as representative substances. The studied material flows were estimated regarding aspects of the environmental impact. The End-of-Life mobile phone is seen as a typical representative of s-WEEE ; therefore material flows of mobile phones are described in this thesis as well. To put it in concrete figures, approximately 124 thousand tons of WEEE from households originated in the Czech Republic in 2010, where each inhabitant got rid off 4 pieces of WEEE in average. Further, total production calculating also consumer-like WEEE from companies and institutions was around 141 thousand tons in 2010. S-WEEE present around 15% from the total amount of WEEE originating in 2010; however it is more than 80% as regards the number of pieces. Despite of that fact the recycling potential of Au for instance is slightly higher by s-WEEE than by large WEEE (63kg/year compared to the 59kg/year respectively). As regards estimation of the total production of EoL mobile phones, around 45 thousand pieces originated in the Czech Republic between the years 1990-2000 and 6,5...

Das Recycling von post-consumer-Leichtverpackungs(LVP)-Abfällen ist ein in Deutschland flächendeckendes und komplexes System, welches die Abfallwirtschaft vor eine Vielzahl von Herausforderungen stellt. Beispiele sind zum einen das deutsche Verpackungsgesetz und die damit verbundene Erhöhung der Recyclingquoten für Kunststoffverpackungen von zuvor 58,5 Gew.-% auf aktuell 63,0 Gew.-%. Zum anderen die Änderung der Berechnungsregeln der Recyclingquoten für Kunststoffverpackungen, welche in Deutschland zu einem Rückgang der Recyclingquote von Kunststoffverpackungsabfällen von derzeit 60,4 Gew.-% (alte Berechnungsmethode) auf 48,1 Gew-% (neue Berechnungsmethode) führt. Diese gilt es zu über-kommen, um das übergeordnete Ziel einer Kreislaufwirtschaft zu erreichen. Technologische Innovationen stellen eine vielversprechende Option bei der Erreichung dieser Ziele dar. Grundsätzlich sind diese jedoch auf große und präzise Datenmengen des LVP-Abfallstroms angewiesen. Öffentliche Daten zum Entsorgungsverhalten der Verbraucher und Analysen von LVP-Abfällen aus deutschen Haushalten, die über reine Masseanteile z. B. der Polymer-arten (z. B. PE, PP, PET) im LVP-Strom hinausgehen, sind nur begrenzt vorhanden. Relevante Daten zu Verpackungs- und Verschlussart, Verpackungsgeometrien oder -farben bis hin zu Füllgütern spielen jedoch eine wesentliche Rolle, um die Leistungsfähigkeit der Kreislaufwirtschaft zu verbessern. Diese Dissertation zielt daher darauf ab, eine Tiefencharakterisierung von LVP-Abfällen aus deutschen Haushalten durchzuführen. Zur Erfassung einer möglichst repräsentativen LVP-Probe wurde im Zeitraum von Juni bis November 2019 in insgesamt 249 ausgewählten deutschen Haushalten eine zweiwöchige Sammlung aller in diesen Haushalten anfallenden LVP durchgeführt. Zudem beantworteten die Studienteilnehmer Fragen zu sozio-demografischen Daten (z. B. Alter, Geschlecht, Haushaltsgröße), deren Reduktions- und Vermeidungsverhalten von Verkaufsverpackungen und dem lokal vorliegenden Sammelsystem (z. B. gelbe Tonne, gelber Sack). Insgesamt wurde eine Gesamtmasse von 254 kg gesammelt. Aus diesem Ausgangsmaterial wurden 207 kg bzw. 21.380 LVP einer eingehenden Charakterisierung z. B. hinsichtlich der Kategorien Ver-packungstyp (z. B. Schale, Flasche), Etikettentyp (z. B. direktbedruckt, Banderole), Ver-schlusstyp (z. B. Hotmelt, Schraubverschluss), Transluzenz (z. B. Transparent, Opak), Masse und Maße mit einer Identifikationsquote von 100 % unterzogen. Der Füllguttyp (z. B. Lebensmittel, Hygieneprodukte) konnte von 87 % der Verpackungen identifiziert werden. Die verwendeten Werkstoffe (z. B. PP, PET) der Verpackungen konnten unter Berücksichtigung der auf den Verpackungen befindlichen Recyclingcodes und der Durchführung von FTIR-ATR-Messungen der Außen- und Innenseite von ca. 97 % der Verpackungen identifiziert werden. Aus abfallwirtschaftlicher Perspektive wurde mit der hier vorgelegten Arbeit eine 'Inputanalyse' im Sinne des in die abfallwirtschaftlichen Prozesse eintretenden LVP-Stromes aus Privathaushaltungen durchgeführt. Ein Vergleich der Werkstoff-Massenanteile dieser Sortierstudie (Inputanalyse) mit Studien zur Kunststoffproduktion und zum Sortieranlagen-Output zeigt eine gute Übereinstimmung. Im Rahmen der hier vorgelegten Arbeit konnte ein Anteil an Multilayer-Verpackungen von 33 Gew.-% im LVP-Strom, mithilfe von FTIR-ATR-Messungen der Außen- und Innenseite der Verpackungen und des Recyclingcodes auf den Verpackungen, identifiziert werden. Der Multilayer-Anteil stellt durch seine Materialmischung aus Sicht der Kreislaufwirtschaft eine besondere Herausforderung dar. Infolgedessen wurden 296 ausgewählte Multilayer-Verpackungen hinsichtlich Werkstoffanteil (Kunststoffe, Metalle, Papier/Kartonagen), Ver-packungstyp, Lagerbedingungen (z. B. Kühlschrank, Raumtemperatur) und Verpackungsinhalt analysiert. Zusätzlich führten mikroskopische Analysen des Aufbaus der Multilayer-Verpackungen zur Ermittlung der Schichtdicke und -anzahl. Innerhalb der 296 Multilayer-Verpackungen konnten 13 polymere Verbundtypen festgestellt werden. Teils wurde für die Erfüllung gleicher Verpackungsaufgaben unterschiedliche Verpackungslösung verwendet, da die Verpackungshersteller bei der Verpackungsgestaltung und Materialauswahl frei entscheiden können. Innerhalb der 296 untersuchten Multilayer-Verpackungen wurde mit einem Anteil von 36 % am häufigsten die Materialkombination PET (Außenschicht)-LDPE (Innenschicht) verwendet, gefolgt von PA-LDPE mit 18 % und PP-PP mit 14 %. Zudem wurde in 19 % der Multilayer-Verpackungen ein Aluminiumanteil festgestellt. Weiter wurden die tiefencharakterisierten LVP-Abfälle auf Haushaltsebene (gesammelte LVP-Abfälle je Haushalt) mit den von den Haushalten beantworteten Fragen zusammengeführt. Dies ermöglichte die Quantifizierung der Einflüsse der Verbraucher auf das Pro-Kopf-Abfallaufkommen, welches mit der Haushaltsgröße, der Siedlungsstruktur, dem Sammelsystem und dem Reduktions- und Vermeidungsverhalten der Teilnehmer signifikant korreliert. Darüber hinaus konnte ein signifikanter Zusammenhang zwischen den Fehlwurfanteilen und dem verwendeten Sammelsystem festgestellt werden. Zusätzlich wurde in den LVP-Abfällen (207 kg) der verbliebene Restfüllgehalt in den Verpackungen (7,7 %) und Fehlwurfanteile in der Sammelmenge (8,8 %) ermittelt. Die Restfüllgehalte und Fehlwurfanteile sowie die ermittelten Verpackungswerkstoffe der vorliegenden Sortierstudie wurden für die Ermittlung des in Deutschland theoretisch zur Verfügung stehenden LVP-Wertstoffpotentials herangezogen. Als Referenzwert diente die in Deutschland im Jahr 2019 angefallene Menge von 2,6 Mio. Mg an LVP-Abfällen aus Kunststoffen, Metallen und Verbundmaterialien. Bezogen auf die Verwertbarkeit mittels mechanischem Recycling ergibt sich für Deutschland ein Anteil an 1.285.847 Mg (49,5 %) an gut verwertbaren Fraktionen (Verpackungen aus Monomaterialien), ein Anteil von 419.813 Mg (16,2 %) an bedingt verwertbaren Fraktionen (Flüssigkeitskartons) und ein Anteil von 355.333 Mg (13,7 %) an schlecht verwertbaren Fraktionen (z. B. Multilayer-Verpackungen). Ebenfalls wurde die Erweiterungen der Bepfandung auf LVP, die durch das Verpackungsgesetz im Jahr 2022 und 2024 in Kraft treten, berücksichtigt. Hieraus ergibt sich für das Jahr 2022 ein Anteil von 79.779 Mg (3,1 %) und für das Jahr 2024 ein Anteil von 29.968 Mg (1,2 %) an Verpackungsabfällen, die den LVP-Abfallstrom in die Pfandroute „verlassen“. Die Ergebnisse dieser Dissertation zeigen den Nutzen der tiefencharakterisierten LVP, welcher deutlich über denen üblicherweise abfallwirtschaftlicher Datenerfassung liegt und verbindet abfallwirtschaftliche und verpackungstechnische Informationen, auf deren Basis eine wertstoff- und designgerechte Verpackungsabfallwirtschaft begründet werden kann. Dar-über hinaus motivieren insbesondere die Anteile an mittels mechanischen Recyclings bedingt und schlecht zu verwertenden Verpackungen eine erneute Durchführung der Sortierstudie. Hierdurch können Änderungen beim Verpackungsdesign, z. B. durch das im Verpackungsgesetz verankerte recyclinggerechte Design von Verpackungen und weitere Änderungen den LVP-Abfallstrom betreffend berücksichtigt werden.