In this research three waste scenario’s for polystyrene plastic are analysed and compared from an environmental perspective. Incineration, recycling and biodegradation by mealworms (Tenebrio Monitor Linnaeus) of polystyrene are to be compared through a gate to grave Life Cycle Analysis. This LCA is conducted through the International Standard Organisation, 14040 Standard. The biodegradation facility is non existing and based on assumption backed up by peer reviewed literature. Incineration and recycling are based on facts and figures from national authorities and supplemented and peer reviewed literature. All three processes are analysed using IPCC Global Warming Potential (GWP) 2013 GWP 100a &amp; 1.03 ReCipe 2016 Midpoint (H) 1.02 within SimaPro 9. Results show that the biodegradation of polystyrene by mealworms is inferior to the two already existing methods of recycling and incineration from an environmental perspective. The environmental preference of recycling or incineration cannot be clearly defined. From an energy perspective (GWP) recycling is highly preferred over incineration. From ReCiPe 2016 methods incineration is highly favourable compared to most impact categories. However results are not likely to represent realistic values valid today due to lack of (accurate) data within this LCA. It is unlikely that without supplemented data results from this research can be used in any form. Nevertheless this lack of information shows the need for further investigation on biodegradation by mealworms. / <p>2020-06-05</p>

Electronic waste is the fastest growing waste stream today and information and communications technology (ICT) equipment make up a significant portion of all the electronics put on market. Due to the valuable, rare, and toxic material content of ICT equipment, their disposal requires proper treatment to ensure materials are recovered and harm to the surrounding environment and nearby residents is avoided. As a tool used to identify the impacts resulting from a product, life cycle assessment (LCA) requires details around the processes performed during each stage of a product’s life. LCA studies on ICT waste often assume that discarded equipment is fully recycled under formal conditions. This study investigates current ICT waste treatment practices and proposes a more reasonable end-of-life treatment scenario for use in future LCA work. The volume of ICT waste generated in each country is estimated according to reported mobile phone subscription counts, and treatment flows are investigated for the countries identified as generating the most waste in each region. National results are then aggregated to estimate regional and global end-of-life treatment scenarios. The research indicates that developed countries properly recycle the majority of the ICT waste that is collected and treated domestically; the United States is an exception as a majority of ICT waste generated there is discarded to landfills. Developing countries tend to recycle a majority of electronic waste in informal sectors where a lack of technology and limited enforcement of regulations result in harmful waste processing activities. Waste is also exported from developed countries for treatment in developing countries. The proposed global end-of-life treatment scenario is 19% of ICT waste is recycled under formal conditions, 64% is recycled using informal methods, and the remaining 17% is discarded in landfills. Due to a lack of uncertainty, there is a clear need for more research regarding the treatment of ICT waste, especially in regards to B2B waste and export flows. A sensitivity analysis to determine the overall impact these results may have when applied to an LCA study is recommended.

This study was conducted as a bachelor thesis at KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm in the spring of 2016. The study was carried out as a Minor Field Study (MFS) funded by the Swedish public authority Sida - Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency. The aim of the study is to provide an overview of the elements of the Municipal Solid Waste Management (MSWM) system in the city of Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, India. The main current challenges were identified and discussed with focus on social and political aspects such as waste management planning, strategies and legislations. The data for this research were gathered from literature studies and in-depth interviews with officer level stakeholders responsible for MSWM in Mumbai. The results show that the MSWM in Mumbai is facing many challenges and that there is a lack of coordination and a system approach on all levels. Further, a deeply rooted negative attitude towards the field of MSW could be observed. The main problems were shown to be related to politics and lack of awareness. The overall conclusion is that it is not enough that a small fraction of the society, with partially contradictory interests, is taking initiatives to improve the MSWM in Mumbai. In order to achieve a sustainable long-term solution, coordination and a more holistic system approach is necessary.

The handling of wastes is an eternal problem, all societies are confronted to this issue. Their origins are very diverse, they could come from industrial activities, power production, shops, retail or household for instance. While in developed countries the collection is generally efficient and the disposal safe, the situation in developing countries is different. The municipal budget does not allow the construction of advanced and expensive methods of disposal and the collection suffer from the age of vehicles. This generalisation is nevertheless not totally truth as the situation is extremely depend on the country but also of the city considered. Each city will need to adapt its waste management according to its size, climate, wealth, culture, etc... This report will focus on a Namibian medium town, Tsumeb. The aim is to be able to draw a clear picture of the waste management currently achieved. When the situation is well known, new directions to make Tsumeb refuse management more sustainable can be decided. Implementing progressively an integrated waste management (IWM) is a solution to the waste problem as it is considering economic, social and environmental impacts. A waste characterization was done in order to know the exact amount and composition of the waste generated in Tsumeb to implement afterwards the most suitable solution. The refuse of Tsumeb are surprisingly very similar to high income country. Moreover the stakeholders involved in recycling were investigated. A small informal sector is already making a living by recycling a few materials as glass bottle and cans. There is also a possibility to include extra stakeholder in the recycling process in Tsumeb. Recycling companies, recycling organization or investors are also important stakeholder who can be include in Tsumeb recycling plan. Developing recycling in Tsumeb is facing some challenges but it is also full of opportunities. The main issue when it comes to recycling in Namibia is the long transportation distances what makes it expensive. Furthermore, most of the recovered materials have to be sent in South Africa because Namibia does not possess the necessary industries to recycle paper and glass for instance. On another hand the presence in Tsumeb of a small informal sector already working with waste is promising. The workers could be more organized and the municipality can also helping them with logistic and storage to improve the recycling done. The dump site will also be close within the next years and a new sanitary landfill will be open. It will be a great opportunity to implement a recycling facility on site. Informal workers working on the landfill will be more controlled, to avoid for instance children labour. Some stricter health and safety measure can be decided, to give better working condition to the informal manpower. The development of recycling activities in Tsumeb will be highly beneficial to the community. It will create jobs for the poorest part of the population, decrease the cost of the waste management, reduce the pollution and stimulate the local economy.

The purpose of this study was to investigate how successful the goal and follow-up measures of the municipal waste plans are, but also how the follow-up measures can contribute to achieving environmentally sustainable development in accordance with the national environmental diversity goals. Methods used were a literature study and a questionnaire, which was sent to people responsible for the follow-up of the waste plans. The results of this study showed that a large part of the follow-ups worked well. The national environmental diversity goals were integrated through various activities in the waste plans, for example information efforts regarding minimizing plastic use. It was not possible to see any statistical differences between follow-up frequency and municipality size. However, the common aspect was that an improved structure would improve the goal and measures fulfilment. A part of the survey was to investigate the need for a structured digital system for monitoring the waste plan. In order to function and be adequate, it was important that the digital system was integrated into the company's own operations. A structured digital system for monitoring the waste plan can increase recycling rates. It can contribute to increase the chances of achieving the national environmental diversity goals and reach circular economy.

The intelligent handling of waste is a pressing issue today. Up until the 19th century it had been however an integral part of societies especially when it comes to the waste generated by construction and demolition (Bahamon and Sanjines, 2010). After industrial revolution (1750-1850) which opened the gates of mass production and mass consumption followed and supported by two major forces of capitalism and the dramatic increase in world population, the generation of waste accelerated correspondingly and in a global scale. The mass extraction of natural resources on one hand (limited amount of natural resources), and the problems caused by waste landfilling and incineration such as pollution and diseases on the other hand, made us stop this linear extraction-to-waste trend and recognize recycling as a solution. Recycling chiefly addresses a sustainable approach to reduce the negative effects of waste and at the same time involves processing used materials (waste) into new products to prevent waste of potentially useful materials (Eco Cloud), however through recycling not only some energy has to be consumed to make this process run but also some portion of pollution would be generated as a side effect. What is more is that up until today recycling has been neither in many cases economically profitable nor has it been possible to recycle all the amount of waste. For instance In US- as the most consuming society on the planet Earth- only 34% of the municipal solid waste can be recycled and the rest ends up in either landfills or incinerators (EPA,2010). This project is to mainly focus on the definition of a rather comprehensive network (Network of Reuse) which sits right before recycling through which as much as possible of the total amount of waste could be directly absorbed back into the society (with minor changes in some cases) in different scales, the resultants of which would be claimed not to be only less energy consumption and less pollution caused through processing waste (as in recycling) but also avoiding a considerable amount of unrecycled materials from ending up in landfills and incineration. In fact the assumed network-which is simulated by the smart grid model- could be said to be a complementary section added to the existing trend today and is on no account against recycling. Like any other network, the network of reuse is based upon strategies, tools, and policies. The rhizomic growing structure of this network-that is in contrast to the tree structure of recycling- suggests a bottom up movement in handling waste and empowering people while the proposed time-line strategy is assumed to be moving from entertainment towards a coherent business network. In fact the project itself suggests the necessity of more bottom up structures to happen in our future planning. The entire project is highly founded upon research and could be applied in a variety of actual designs and concrete cases. Therefore, in this project no specific site is being addressed directly but the actual need for adding the supposed network is explored.

Municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is a global problem as most local authorities fail to dispose MSW safely. In view of this, the study was aimed at evaluating environmental and health risks associated with municipal solid waste (MSW) illegal disposal as well as constraints faced by Masvingo City in MSWM, with a view to developing an alternative sustainable management model. The study, informed by the philosophy of pragmatism, employed a mixed methods design in which quantitative and qualitative data werecollected concurrently. Questionnaires comprising both close and open-ended questions, semi-structured interviews and site visits were used to collect data. The study population comprised participants from Masvingo City’s residential areas, Masvingo City Council employees, Environmental Management Agency (EMA) officials and informal waste pickers. A sample of 406 participants, comprising 354 residents from high-density, 16 residents from medium-density, 24 residents from low-density suburbs, six council employees, two EMA officials and four informal waste collectors participated in the survey. Concurrent triangulation was employed to analyse data. Basic numerical analysis was used for quantitative data while thematic data analysis was employed for qualitative data. Three main findings which emerged from the study were (a) Land pollution, air pollution, surface water pollution and loss of urban beauty, were the main environmental risks as at least 59 % of the respondents noted the four as environmental risks associated with illegal municipal solid waste disposal (b) Cholera, skin problems and malaria were the main health risks; and, (c) The main constraints related to MSW management were inadequate environmental education, lack of cooperation and participation from waste generatorsand lack of resources by Masvingo City . From the findings, 66 %, 52 % and 49 % of participants noted inadequate environmental education, lack of cooperation and participation, and lack of resources respectively as constraints faced by Masvingo City in MSWM. Basing on the findings of the study, it can be concluded that MSW disposal in Masvingo was a threat to the environment and human health and, as a result, a sustainable MSWM model was developed for Masvingo City. / Environmental Sciences

The generation of solid waste is a natural consequence of human life. Its rate has increase rapidly along the years, mostly due to the population growth, urbanization process coupled to industrialization and economic development. The uncontrolled disposal of solid waste in unsuitable sites, dump sites, has poses a threat to public health and the environment. In this regard Global efforts has been made to rethink municipal solid waste management toward sustainability. Middle- and low-income countries, such as Brazil, should seize the opportunity and centre efforts in the development and strengthen of an inclusive municipal solid waste management, supported by an innovative public policy where all government levels are integrated and focused on resource recovery and recycling through the organization and strengthening of waste pickers, in order to act directly in the income improvement of a marginalized portion of society as a result of the revenue generated by recovered and recycled materials sales, as well as reduce the CO2eq emissions consequent from the disposal of solid waste, among others, hence moving these countries towards the achievement of the SDG goals. In this regard, a well managed inclusive municipal solid waste system requires a reliable data source to support decision makers in the design of public policies with effective actions in the field, otherwise innovative and modern public policies will be filled with fruitless actions, thus, wasting the aptitude of the municipal solid waste management system in help middle- and low-income countries to successfully carry out the SDGs goals. Nevertheless, the estimation methods are a valuable tool for decision makers in middle- and low income countries to outrun the lack of solid waste information and doing so, increase the effectiveness of public polices towards a sustainable and inclusive municipal solid waste system, focused on mitigate negative impacts in the environmental sphere and potentiate the positive outcomes in the public health and human development sphere in these countries. This research proposed an estimate method based on the nominal income which is able to provide a reliable estimate of the residential solid waste generation, as well as its spatial distribution in the municipal level and within the municipal boundaries. The proposed approach has the ability to differentiate spatial distribution of the residential solid waste generation, weighting not just the number of people living in a determined space, but also the purchase power of those people, providing a more accurate view of the issue, which benefits decision makers to design and plan their polices and actions. / Graduate

En los últimos años los países prestan atención con el cuidado y protección del medio ambiente, por ello se dictaminan normas y leyes que incentiven el buen manejo de los residuos sólidos. En el Perú existe el Decreto Legislativo 1278 Ley de Gestión Integral de Residuos Sólidos, pero la inadecuada disposición de los neumáticos en desuso genera problemas ambientales y de salud. Más aún, no se aprovechan las materias primas de estos bienes para convertirlos en otros productos aplicando la Economía Circular, es decir priorizando la recuperación y valorización de estos productos; lo que conlleva a una reducción en la generación de residuos sólidos. La presente tesis consiste en conocer los beneficios de la implementación del principio de la responsabilidad extendida del productor (REP) en los neumáticos “fuera de carretera”. (OTR por sus siglas en inglés [off the road]). En ese sentido, en el capítulo I se presenta el contexto del problema de investigación, así como la formulación del problema y sus respectivos objetivos. El capítulo II busca contextualizar la situación global, regional y nacional sobre el principio REP en los neumáticos. En el capítulo III se aborda la metodología, los segmentos y categorías referente al tema de investigación. En el capítulo IV se desarrolla los resultados obtenidos y finalmente, en el capítulo V se recaban, interpretan y analizan las conclusiones y recomendaciones de estudio. Asimismo, se detallan las barreras y brechas de investigación. / In recent years, countries pay attention to the care and protection of the environment, so regulations and laws are enacted that encourage the good management of solid waste. In Perú there is the Law 1278, but the inadequate disposal of tires out of use generates environmental and health problems. Furthermore, the raw materials of these goods are not used to convert them into other products by applying the Circular Economy, that is, prioritizing the recovery and valuation of these products; which leads to a reduction in the generation of solid waste. This thesis consists of knowing the benefits of implementing the principle of extended producer responsibility (REP) in “off-road” tires in (off the road]). In this sense, Chapter I presents the context of the research problem, as well as the formulation of the problem and its respective objectives. Chapter II seeks to contextualize the global, regional and national situation regarding the REP principle in tires. Chapter III deals with the methodology, segments and categories related to the research topic. Chapter IV develops the results obtained and finally, Chapter V collects, interprets and analyzes the conclusions and study recommendations. Likewise, the barriers and research gaps are listed. / Tesis

The aim of this study is to examine the main reasons for and obstacles to single family households sorting household waste. Focusing on a population between ages 35 and 45 and 65+, it also examines motivating factors, reasons, and obstacles to reduce total household waste. Worldwide, the problem of greenhouse gases and dioxins because of waste is still unresolved. The national environmental legislation state that everyone is responsible to handle their waste in a way that does not harm people or the environment. Previous investigations regarding waste, conducted by waste company Miva, situated in municipality of Örnsköldsvik, show that improvements can be done by the citizens. The current project involves a survey sent to 789 households and answered by 302. Results from the survey combined with eight telephone interviews showed the following: people sort their waste mainly for environmental reasons but sometimes they find it easier not to sort at all, often because of very dirty packaging or simply convenience. Both age groups have the will but do not experience the possibility to reduce their overall waste. Higher waste management cost does not motivate people to improve their recycling habits, but personal feedback seems to be an effective way to reach higher motivation. To reach further improvements and reduce waste the citizens of Örnsköldsvik might need to change their consumption habits and producers take their responsibility regarding packaging. Further research to what impacts consumer behaviour is needed.