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Master of Landscape Architecture / Landscape Architecture/Regional and Community Planning / Jason S. Brody / Recycling programs and public art have the capacity to improve the urban environment and quality of life to enhance downtown neighborhoods for residents, employees, and visitors (Miles 1989; Kansas City Design Center 2015). Kansas City, Missouri, currently does not have a strategic recycling program in place for multi-family housing or commercial businesses. Additionally, Downtown lacks appropriate recycling infrastructure in the public realm. This lack of private and public recycling infrastructure has created a general lack of awareness within the Downtown community. Using public art as a catalyst, Downtown Kansas City has the opportunity to increase recycling participation and awareness in the public realm through an engaging recycling and public art system. This project will utilize the work from Kansas City Design Center (KCDC) spanning the Art in the Loop Vision Plan and the Recycling Vision Study. Through research and design development strategies, a cohesive system can build a network of connected sites that have strong relationships to both recycling and art narratives. These overlapping stories of recycling and art will activate the public realm driving increased awareness of the recycling issues. Collaboration with the KCDC studio and local artists has lead to the design implementation of the Showcase Node at the Main Street and Truman Road site which was established in the RE[CONSIDERED] vision proposal. This site will be activated through local artists each year and they will be challenged to utilize locally sourced recycled material to create artful and interactive installations. A temporary light frame structure will allow artist to house these rotating art installations to show the city what their recycled materials can transform into. Together, the coordination of public art and recycled materials can inspire and create a meaningful impact in Downtown Kansas City.

This thesis examines the regional electronic and electrical waste (e-waste) recycling network in Malaysia and Singapore, with a secondary focus on the articulations of informal labour within the network. I argue that there is a need to theorise production networks post-consumption; i.e. to focus on the activities and processes that occur after a commodity is consumed and subsequently discarded. I argue that discarded e-waste are not ‘value-less’ waste, but instead embody value (specifically latent use value), and have the potential to be re-inserted as ‘raw materials’ into production networks through the processes of recycling. Also, key to the processes of value (re)creation, enhancement and capture is the labour process. I examine informal labour by focusing on karung guni (a local term for the rag-and-bone man) – analysing their critical role in value (re)creation in this regional e-waste recycling production network through the lens of petty commodity production. I argue that karung guni are constitutive of this production network through their collection and primary processing of e-waste, which forms the basis for subsequent value creation, enhancement and capture by downstream actors. Conceptualising karung guni as petty commodity producers – who own both the means of production and their own labour power – is significant in problematising as not so straightforward the separation of capital and labour into discreet categories as normally presented in global value chains (GVC)/global production networks (GPN) approaches. This thesis makes four significant contributions to the GVC/GPN literature. First, it recognises activities beyond the point of consumption (which has been the focus of present GVC/GPN research). Second, it conceptualises the constitutive role of informal labour in the development and structure of production networks. Third, it emphasises the continued relevance of the state. Fourth, by adopting a multi-sited case study method, it contributes to debates on how to carry out GVC/GPN research.

Composite materials are widely used in various sectors such as aerospace, automotive and wind energy. Global increase of demand, particularly for fibre reinforced plastic (FRP) composites, unavoidably lead to high volumes of manufacturing and end of life waste. Currently, the most common disposal route for composite waste is through landfill. However, current and impending legislations such as Directive on Landfill of Waste (1999/31/EC) and End of Life Vehicle (ELV) Directive (2000/53/EC), have limited the amount of composite waste permitted for landfilling. In addition, production of virgin composite materials requires higher energy input in comparison to other counterpart materials such as steel and aluminium. This calls for an urgent need for composite waste to be recycled and reused in close loop and cross sector applications. The composite materials have a heterogeneous nature. Thermoset matrixes, which are used in most high grade applications, have three dimensional cross-linked structures which make melting and remoulding impossible. Such complex nature requires appropriate composite recycling technologies, a number of which are currently under research and development. At this early stage it is important to select and develop sustainable solutions in terms of economic performance and reduced environmental impact. Unfortunately at present, there is limited high integrity environmental related data in literature to help assess the life cycle benefits of composite recycling. This information is vital in exploring environmental credentials of composite recycling processes, and to ensure resource efficient use of manufacturing and end of life composite waste. The work reported in this PhD thesis deals with the investigation of energy demand of composite recycling processes. Composite waste and demand in the UK market was captured through Sankey diagrams. The diagrams, combined with environmental footprints of virgin material and recycling processes, were used to identify resource benefits of composite recycling initiatives. Furthermore, environmental data for mechanical recycling of glass fibre composites was derived through new and novel bottom up process science inspired mathematical energy modelling approaches. It was found that the process specific energy demand is dependent on the processing rate. The effects of key process variables in mechanical recycling on process energy demand and recyclate quality were also investigated. This study highlights the importance of selecting the right conditions for running recycling processes and generating recyclate with a high market value. Potential of new recycling techniques, namely high voltage fragmentation, was also assessed. Performance of the method, which was originally developed for fracturing rocks, was compared to the mature mechanical recycling process. The final part of this study used a life cycle assessment method to evaluate end of life options for an automotive composite product with the highlights on positive environmental impacts of recycling scenarios. Collectively, the findings from this study have brought together considerations on environmental and maturity status of composite recycling processes, into a comprehensive and updated analysis. The vision is that the knowledge integration between environmental and performance aspects will promote the concept of sustainable use of composite materials and a circular economy. The new datasets developed will enable end of life options for composite waste to be evaluated in life cycle assessment. In the absence of such information, the life cycle impact of composite material use in products cannot be fully or correctly evaluated.

The purpose of this thesis was to determine which contaminants were present in washed and dried shredded poly(ethylene terephthalate) (PET, flake) obtained from curbside collection and to determine whether their concentrations were above the US FDA threshold of 215 ppb. Over thirty semi-volatile contaminants were extracted from the treated flake by Soxhlet extraction using dichloromethane as a PET swelling solvent and gas chromatography-mass spectroscopy for identification and quantification. Soxhlet extraction of flake ground to 0-300 �m was effectively completed by 24 h, whereas sonication reduced the extraction time to 3 h. In contrast Soxhlet extractions on flake ground to a larger particle size range (>300-425 �m and >425-700 �m) were completed within four hours, possibly due to less aggregation in the extraction thimble. In the finely ground flake (0-300 �m) the levels of most contaminants were below 215 ppb, but six were not. Dodecanoic acid was present at about 1200 ppb, 2-butoxyethanol was approximately 1000 ppb, limonene, benzophenone and methylsalicylate were above 800 ppb and 2-methylnaphthalene near 215 ppb. After analogous method development the levels of all diffusible compounds in extruded PET pellets were below the threshold of 215 ppb. The Soxhlet extraction technique was validated by comparison with total dissolution by TFA for two of the three particle size ranges obtained by grinding the PET flake (>300-425 �m and >425-700 �m) and for the unground flake. Further validation was achieved by the comparison of contaminant levels determined by total dissolution with TFA and sonication with DCM using flake ground to the 0-300 �m size range. The levels of contaminants were found to increase with decreasing particle size range, but XRD measurements of degrees of crystallinity were similar for each PET particle size range, thus showing that the differences in contaminant levels were not due to variable percentages of the amorphous material from the tops and bottoms of shredded bottles, relative to the amounts of crystalline PET from the mid-sections of the bottles. Hence it was postulated that the variations in contaminant levels were due to selective grinding of the more highly contaminated surfaces, whilst the larger particles incorporated the less contaminated interior material. The analysis of the more homogenous annealed (extruded) pellets indicated that contaminant levels between the analogous particle size ranges were equivalent. This observation validated our interpretation of the high levels of contaminants found in finely ground flake being due to selective surface grinding where high levels are expected. When analysing volatiles, static headspace analysis was performed on flake and extruded pellets due to the limitations surrounding SPME. External standardisation was used as the method of quantification and the levels of toluene, undecane and p-xylene in extruded pellets were found to be below 38 ppb and therefore within the 215 ppb FDA-set threshold for flake and pellets.

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Swedish people today are generally interested in environmental issues. One can assume that this would affect the way people act in their daily lives. However, research has shown that when it comes to attitudes and behavior, there is what has been described as “a gap”. Concern for the environment does not automatically mean that people act in an environmentally friendly way. The fact is that there are many barriers that prevent a so-called pro environmental behavior. This study deals with some of the factors that can influence a specific behavior, namely the sorting of food waste in the City of Lidingö – a municipality in Sweden that works to increase the number of subscribers of food waste collection. The waste is a valuable substrate when producing biogas, which is considered a renewable fuel. By replacing fossil fuels with biogas, the amounts of greenhouse gases that reach the atmosphere can be reduced. A questionnaire was sent out to more than 800 local citizens (of which half of them are subscribers of food waste collection) with questions about values, beliefs, motivation factors and opinions about efforts linked to the sorting of food waste. The results show that sustainability reasons are strong when it comes to why people decide to sort out food waste, and that a number of the subscribers of food waste collection consider it a moral obligation to take action in this matter. Several barriers, especially in the form of economic issues, preclude others from sorting. A need for more information, when it comes to the significance of this behavior, is also evident. As the thesis has its focus on pro-environmental behavior, factors in Stern’s Value-belief-norm theory, are used as the basis for the analysis. Blake’s model of barriers between environmental concern and action is used when studying what it is that prevents people from sorting out their food waste.

The current manner of constructing roads with virgin aggregates is unsustainable for many urban centers as natural sources for quality aggregates are being or have been depleted. As well, there is little understanding or scientific data published as to the impacts on roadway design and life cycle performance with poorer quality aggregate material. To improve future sustainability of roadway utility, there is a need for better understanding of the mechanistic behavior of road aggregates and their respective role in road structural performance in the field. As well, there is a need to find more sustainable sources of quality aggregates to construct roadways. The goal of this research is to improve road utility sustainability through a better understanding of life cycle performance and incorporating field state mechanistic principles in the initial design of the roadway structure. The primary objective of this research was to investigate the application of recycle rubble materials using a mechanistic materials characterization and structural design process for urban roadways within typical City of Saskatoon roads and field state conditions. Specific technical objectives of this research were to characterize various recycled aggregate materials with regards to their road structural behavior as a high quality base coarse, quantify the cost comparison between various design cross sections, and evaluate the structural behavior of these alternate aggregate sources in typical structural designs and Saskatoon field state conditions. To validate the field behavior of recycled aggregates, various test sections were constructed with different recycled and virgin aggregate structural systems. These test sections were evaluated using non-destructive structural assessment to determine their structural quality in the field. This research studied the use of recycled portland cement concrete aggregates and recycled asphalt cement aggregates as structural granular layers of typical City of Saskatoon roadways. These materials were characterized using conventional and mechanistic lab characterization protocols. Field test sections were constructed to validate that recycled materials could be employed as quality replacements for virgin aggregates. Research was also conducted on how to incorporate mechanistic based materials testing and structural design into City of Saskatoon Design and Materials Selection Specifications and Processes. The resilient modulus of the various road materials was also compared to relate to other mechanistic-empirical design methodologies. The laboratory testing conducted in this research indicated that although conventional empirical testing shows recycled asphalt materials to be of lesser quality, when evaluated using mechanistic characterization protocols, recycled asphalt concrete material yielded superior structural behavior. To illustrate, the dynamic modulus of recycled asphalt concrete was 697 MPa under a fully reversed stress state and a frequency of 0.5 Hz compared to 264 MPa for a high quality conventional high fracture granular base under the same stress state and frequency. As well, the recycled asphalt material showed less moisture susceptibility than conventional granular aggregate. This research showed recycled portland cement concrete aggregate materials showed good drainage and capillary break qualities when tested against the standard granular base materials. Although the well graded recycled asphalt cement and well graded recycled portland cement concrete were shown to have slightly higher moisture intake values, the increased moisture did not increase the swell and therefore indicates adequate frost resistance due to moisture. This research showed conventional roadway design utilized by the City of Saskatoon does not have the means to evaluate recycled asphalt and portland cement aggregates from a materials selection and structural design perspective. Roadway designs using a mechanistic approach were able to accurately represent the field structural primary responses of test roadway structures considered in this study and were able to incorporated recycled aggregate in the design process. Designing roads using a mechanistic design process showed a significant improvement in roadway structural responses in designs using recycled aggregate material. From an economic perspective, this research showed road cross sections utilizing recycle aggregate materials proved to be the least expensive option when evaluated by the initial capital cost and the projected life cycle costing. When comparing primary structural responses to construction cost, up to 20 percent of costs to construct a road can be saved, and a properly designed road structure using recycled aggregates will reduce the strains in the structures by up to 90 percent. As well, using recycled aggregates to construct roadways will reduce the fuel consumption during construction by up to 20 percent due to a reduction in aggregate hauling distances. In summary, when evaluated with a mechanistic road structural design method that accounts for the material characteristics of various aggregates, recycled asphalt rubble processed as a black base and recycled portland cement concrete as a stress dissipating drainage layer within the construction of new roadways is a more sustainable approach to designing and constructing structurally sound roads than the conventional methods. Based on the findings of this research, proper stockpiling and recycling of asphalt and concrete rubble materials is recommended in the City of Saskatoon. In order to optimize and incorporate various recycled aggregate materials into road design it is recommended the City of Saskatoon employ mechanistic based road material characterization and structural design.

Since the onset of the Industrial Revolution, the increase in population, urbanization, cheap energies, and new technologies have bankrupted the environment into destruction. This chaos has created a society that transformed itself into one of continual wasting, where energy and resources are constantly dissipating. The myriad of new materials, the decline of the skilled craftsman, and cheap construction are part of the lexicon that defines the 21st century built landscape and ultimately contribute to current plight. Architecture will become an increasingly significant factor in determining the sustainability of the built environment, as defined in terms of life span, carbon footprint, and in our ability to confine this dissipated and inert energy into near infinite circulation. This thesis investigates methods to maximize the value of existing resources such as waste in the context of a much larger framework of systems—societal, socioeconomic, geopolitical, and environmental factors that concern the current discourse. An analysis of design methods and strategies into the ecology of waste, such as: cradle to cradle, secondary re-use of post consumer materials, embodied energy, life-cycle analysis tools, and design for deconstruction—aid in a series of themed hypotheses and experimental projects. These projects use waste and wasted landscape to seek answers to a series of questions that deal with the future predicament of our cities in order to shift perceptions and form contemporary methodologies that assist in calibrating potentials for future waste and waste-scapes.