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A number of environmental, social and economic problems are associated with waste disposal in landfill operations. The potential hazards associated with landfill operations are numerous and include fatal accidents, infrastructure damage, pollution of the local environment, harmful air emissions, to simple nuisance problems – such as dust, odour, vermin, and noise pollution. Further challenges include the availability of land and lack of municipal or other financing in the face of rising operation costs. Landfilling is, however, seen by many as an environmentally responsible and cost-effective solution to waste disposal. It is acknowledged however to lead to waste of resources by burying valuable materials that could have been reutilized. Careful engineering can resolve this shortcoming, yet the associated challenges and costs can become prohibitive. The regulatory environment also affects the prospects for adopting this approach to landfill site management in different contexts. The Mariannhill landfill site in eThekwini Municipality, South Africa, provides an opportunity to investigate both the range of challenges which these type of sites encounter, and the solutions which have been developed as a response. The central questions which this research seeks to answer are whether the practices adopted by the Mariannhill landfill site are replicable in other solid waste landfills around eThekwini and whether it can be viewed as an example of best practice in landfill site management more generally. The research finds that the main barrier to easy replication of systems followed at Mariannhill in other landfill sites is the difficulty in replicating the specific structures and character of management. Another key determining factor found is the prevailing attitudes to recycling and the environment in general in the society. Consumers choices are seen to be critical to the prospects for recycling of solid waste, including the size, degradability and recyclable potential of products purchased. In considering the potential for replication of the Mariannhill model as an example of best practice, it becomes clear that the technical aspects of operations at Mariannhill are the most easily replicable, yet other and equally important determinants of success are not easily replicable. These include the existing regulatory environment and prevailing societal attitudes towards recycling. / Thesis (M.T.R.P.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Waste management systems are created based on a careful balance of interrelated factors, a variety of players, and diverse political, social, and economic landscapes. The purpose of this study is to identify the impacts to waste management caused by limited supply or increased cost of energy. A case study was created based on the Alberta Capital Region using literature review, surveys and interviews to identify how energy is used throughout the various phases of waste management, from collection through to disposal and diversion, and what the factors are that affect the organization and infrastructure selected for the waste management system. The results of this study conclude that there are economic, social, environmental, political, and decision-making impacts related to an energy crisis. In particular, it was concluded that an energy crisis will cause social and economic stresses that will result in organizational and infrastructure changes to waste management.

Poverty in its many guises - poor housing, no employment, indifferent health and hunger is a driving force for scavenging. In most developing countries, the informal recovery of material from waste is a common survival strategy for the poor. In fact, up to 2% of populations in developing countries depend on recovering, re-using and selling waste materials from streets, dumpsite or landfills for their livelihood. The aim of this study was to develop an understanding of the socio-economic conditions affecting the scavengers and scavenging activities at the Hulene dumpsite in Maputo. This study set out to develop a conceptual framework depicting scavenging, its problems and opportunities. This was used to structure the research. The main issues addressed were: • The driving forces of scavenging where poverty is the major factor. • The organization of scavengers and scavenging activities showing that there is no formal organization of scavengers, which leads to exploitation of vulnerable groups. • The reaction from the national and local authorities, with the prevalence of a repressive policy and absence of support. • The gender dimension on scavenging activities; and • The perception of health risks. The findings are that scavenging constitutes a means of livelihood for poor people. These activities respond to the market demand and not to environmental considerations. However, in performing scavenging activities which results in informal recycling and resources recovery, people generate environmental benefits, economic benefits and social benefits. Other findings are that the informal organization of scavengers increases the exploitation and the health risk of scavengers. Thus, organization is a key to the success of scavengers and indirectly to the municipal economy. It is concluded that the framework set out in this thesis is useful in the sense that it illustrates the factors which influence scavenging activities. This framework can be used for further research in similar situations. It is also concluded that prohibition of scavenging activities would have undesirable consequences for the economy of Maputo in particular and of Mozambique in general. Thus, since this activity brings benefits to scavengers and to society, the government should support and stimulate this activity and not persecute those who provide this service. Consequently, as a recommendation, government, local communities and NGOs are called upon to support scavengers. The formation of scavenger co-operatives can promote sustainable grassroots development in this sector of the population. / Thesis (M.Env.Dev.)-Unversity of Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2001.

The temporal fate of selected parameters, including redox potential; pH; phenol; nitrates; sulphates; copper and zinc, of a young synthetic acetogenic phase landfill leachate was assessed by perfusing a series of sequential soil (Hutton) microcosms (arrays) at two hydraulic loading rates (HLR). We chose HLRs that were representative of areas in South Africa with typically elevated rainfall (Pietermaritzburg – HLRh) and one with relatively low rainfall (Kimberley – HLRl). Preliminary phenol, copper, and zinc adsorption investigations on gamma radiation sterilized soil and unsterilized soil revealed superior adsorption rates for each compound in the unsterilized soil. This revealed the importance of the biological component of soil in phenol, copper, and zinc attenuation in soil. The results presented in this thesis suggest that the HLR of leachate into soil arrays contributes to significant differences in the fate of the landfill leachate parameters mentioned earlier. In addition, we assessed the temporal and spatial succession of bacterial community diversity in each of the soil arrays by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE). Prior to this, we compared two soil DNA isolation techniques, the modified method of Duarte et al. (1998) (Bead Beat) and the commercial Mo-Bio UltraClean™ Soil DNA isolation kit (Kit). The DNA isolated by the Kit method was significantly superior regarding purity and absence of DNA fragmentation. However, the Bead Beat method produced a significantly higher yield per reaction before further purification with Wizard™ Clean-Up columns produced DNA extracts of similar purity at the cost of a significant reduction in DNA yield. The Kit method was chosen for future DNA isolation and PCR-DGGE based on the quality of the PCR amplicons generated from the Kit isolated DNA. PCR-DGGE was further optimized by comparing the efficiency and sensitivity of a silver stain against ethidium bromide. Silver stain generated DGGE gels with greater number of bands (species richness – S) and stronger band signal intensities. Captured DGGE fingerprints generated data that were subjected to the Shannon-Weaver Index (H’) and the associated Shannon-Weaver Evenness Index (EH) to measure the change in spatial and temporal bacterial diversity. There was a significant shift in S and H’ for both HLRs but a significant change in EH was only observed for HLRh. Furthermore, a temporal comparison of S and H’ between both HLRs revealed significant differences throughout the investigation. Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) revealed spatial distribution of bacterial community diversity with depth. Effects of phenol concentration, redox potential, and pH of the effluent leachate on bacterial community diversity was tentatively assessed by three-dimensional graphical representation on PlotIT 3.2 software. Bacterial community diversity showed a decrease with elevated pH and phenol concentration along with decreasing redox potentials for both HLRs. While this study reveals the spatial and temporal dynamics of bacterial community diversity in situ, it provides important evidence with respect to: (i) the effects of rainfall / leaching rates (HLR) on spatial and temporal bacterial community succession; (ii) the importance of the biological component in natural attenuation; (iii) the ability of soil, previously unexposed to landfill leachate, to initiate natural attenuation of phenol and other leachate constituents; (iv) the capacity of PCRDGGE to fingerprint successional changes in bacterial community diversity, (v) and the potential to clone and sequence selected members of bacterial associations for future reference in environmental remediation strategies. / Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2008.

This study focuses on determining the quality of soil and groundwater at the Onderstepoort Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) landfill site. The study area is situated in Pretoria North, a jurisdiction of City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality (CTMM). Samples were collected from three different spheres (i.e. leachate, soil and water) in the study area, to determine the concentration of metals accumulated in each sphere. The three spheres provided an overview of the contaminants found in leachate, soil and water. The laboratory analyses using Inductively Coupled Plasma-Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) indicated that soils in the site have been severely contaminated with heavy metals. Higher concentrations of heavy metals occurred in the soils compared to the groundwater surrounding the landfill site and this may be due to the ability of the soil strata to absorb the contaminants caused by the landfill leachate. In essence, the measurements indicated that leachate soil has very high pollutant levels (0.21 to 2505.61 mg/kg); soil was characterised by fairly-high pollutant levels (0.03 to 638.27 mg/kg); leachate solution has given rise to moderate pollutant levels (0.01 to 2.296 mg/L) and water resources have low-moderate pollutant levels (<0.0001 to 0.456 mg/L) depending on the location. Furthermore, the findings indicated that the soil was contaminated with lead, cadmium, copper, zinc and nickel, and the concentration increases particularly where the generation of leachate is taking place. Groundwater, particularly in Borehole 2 has been moderately contaminated with nitrite, calcium and manganese. The findings also indicated that the concentrations of contaminants become high in borehole located close to the waste dump and decrease further away from the waste dump. The chemical analysis of this groundwater indicated that the concentrations of chemical properties have increased since the year 2009. This was determined through the comparison of groundwater study undertaken in 2009 to the current study results obtained. The site geological formation, Rustenburg Layered Suite is known to contain the anomalies of nickel, chromium, vanadium, copper, arsenic, lead and zinc but these are less toxic and less distributed. Therefore, the primary source of pollution at the study area could be the landfill operation through the generation of leachate affecting both soil and water / College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Sciences)

The purpose of this study was to analyze the developing organizational and management paradigms in the aluminum packaging and container industry, where reverse channels of distribution offer an excellent vehicle for studying organizations which are "closing the distribution circle." Based on the analysis, several conclusions are offered. 1. The extent to which primary manufacturers have entered aluminum packaging and container recycling and subsequently developed effective reverse channels of distribution is contingent upon needs for resources. 2. The most successful recycling programs are those which have decentralized organizations. 3. Central to beverage producers' decisions to develop extensive reverse channels of distribution is the belief that recycling is (1) a deterrent to container legislation, (2) a source of favorable publicity, (3) a source of company profits, and (4) can improve supply relationships with primary aluminum suppliers. 4. Regional beverage companies in the environmentally conscious Far West have the most successful and comprehensive recycling operations. 5. Loose organizational federations such as those of the soft drink franchise do not seem amenable to the development of reverse channels of distribution. 6. Where i t serves the needs of the enterprise, firms are developing sophisticated and efficient reverse channels of distribution. The institution of reverse channel intermediary functions reflects a new management and organizational paradigm based on environmental considerations. 7. A major stumbling block to further reverse channel development is the uncertainty caused by proposed container legislation.

The study is about how the development of a teaching and learning programme may lead proper waste management in Limpopo. It is a case study and ten schools were identified. The questionnaire was handed out to learners and educators who participated as respondents. From the analysis of the views expressed on the questionnaire completed by the learners and educators, they indicated that there is no waste management programmes. Literature review in this study indicated how teaching and learning programmes have been developed globally and in South Africa with reference to industries, communities and schools. The questionnaire revealed that many schools did not have waste management programmes therefore it was confirmed that the development of a teaching and learning programme could lead to proper waste management. / Further Teaching Education / M. Ed. (Environmental Education)

Growing municipal waste mismanagement and associated environmental impacts is an enormous environmental concern in developing countries such as South Africa. Hence, this study explored current waste management and minimisation patterns and practices in the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality (EMM), located east of the Gauteng province. The study was undertaken using a mixed method design, particularly the concurrent triangulated design where the quantitative and qualitative data were collected at the same time. The methods employed were desktop surveys, interviews with the participants and use of questionnaires which were designed based on the objectives of the study. The questionnaires were designed for different types of participants (namely, households, informal reclaimers, municipal officials and landfill officials). All the data collected were stored in Microsoft Excel (2010) spread sheet for statistical analyses. The study has revealed some patterns, practices as well as trends regarding waste management and minimisation within the EMM municipality. At household level, there was some environmental awareness on waste management practices provided by the municipality as well as local recycling options although there are numerous challenges to be resolved before these functions can become effective. With informal recycling, a number of waste materials are being reclaimed at various landfill sites. However, current informal waste picking activities by the so-called scavengers are not sustainable as waste is not separated prior to disposal at various point sources. In addition, informal reclaimers have to travel long distances to reach waste sources. Another concerning constraint hampering the effectiveness of informal waste recovery, has to do with their daily exposure to several environmental and health risks. Furthermore, the study has found out that the EMM is predominantly focused on providing better waste management services rather than balancing this activity with waste minimisation through reclaiming and recycling operations. Thus, the municipality lacks adequate infrastructure to undertake waste minimisation effectively. Also, waste minimisation and awareness campaigns were found to be inadequate and at an infant stage, unlike those carried out by private companies. In view of these findings, a number of recommendations have been made. / Environmental Sciences / M. Sc. (Environmental Science)

CAPES; Fundação Araucária / A crescente urbanização das cidades, com a construção de habitações e locais de trabalho, tem gerado impactos ambientais negativos devido à inadequada disposição dos resíduos de construção civil (RCC), acarretando em riscos para o meio ambiente e para a população. Conforme a legislação, a destinação adequada dos resíduos de construção é dependente da classe em que se enquadram. Para os resíduos Classe A, aqueles com possibilidade de reutilização ou reciclagem na própria construção civil, o destino adequado são as usinas de reciclagem ou os aterros de inertes, onde são reservados para usos futuros. A instalação desses empreendimentos deve seguir leis e normas para minimizar os impactos negativos. Assim sendo, o presente estudo teve por objetivo identificar e caracterizar as áreas de disposição inadequada de RCC no município de Francisco Beltrão - PR além de mapear locais adequados para a instalação de um aterro associado a uma usina de reciclagem de resíduos de construção. As áreas de descarte inadequado foram caracterizadas quanto ao tamanho, à situação, ao tipo de resíduo, o uso e ocupação do solo, à declividade, à distância a corpos hídricos e a rodovias. Esses dados foram normalizados com lógica fuzzy e tiveram pesos de importância estabelecidos com o processo analítico hierárquico (AHP), com isso pode-se realizar a combinação linear ponderada de diferentes critérios e a geração de dois índices, de degradação ambiental e de aproveitamento dos materiais. Para o mapeamento das áreas adequadas a destinação de RCC, foram analisados o tipo de solo, a declividade e o uso e ocupação do solo, além das distâncias a núcleos populacionais, a instituições de ensino e de saúde, a vias e rodovias e a hidrografia. Os dados também foram normalizados e tiveram pesos de importância estabelecidos para que pudessem ser combinados linearmente para a obtenção do mapa de aptidão. O programa utilizado para a manipulação de dados foi o ArcGis 10.0. O índice de degradação ambiental das áreas de descarte, identificou 30,42% de médio, 26,09% alto e 26,09% de baixo potencial de degradação, o restante possui valores intermediários. Já o índice de aproveitamento identificou que 56,25% das áreas tem alto, 25% tem baixo e 18,75% tem médio potencial de aproveitamento. O mapa de aptidão identificou aproximadamente 5 km² de áreas aptas, variando de baixa, média e alta aptidão. / The growing urbanization of cities, with the construction of homes and workplaces, has generated negative environmental impacts due to the inadequate disposal of construction waste (CW), resulting in risks for the environment and the population. According to the legislation, the proper destination of construction waste is dependent on the class in which they fall. For Class A waste, those with the possibility of reuse or recycling in the building itself, the appropriate destination is the recycling plants or landfills where they are reserved for future uses. The installation of these developments must follow laws and regulations to minimize the negative impact. Therefore, the present study aimed to identify and characterize the areas of inadequate disposal of CW in the in the municipality of Francisco Beltrão - PR, as well as to map suitable sites for the installation of a landfill associated to a construction waste recycling plant. The areas of inadequate disposal were characterized in terms of size, situation, type of waste, land use and occupation, slope, distance to water bodies and highways. These data were normalized with fuzzy logic and had weights of importance established with the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), with which we can perform the weighted linear combination of different criteria and the generation of two indices, environmental degradation and material utilization. In order to map the appropriate areas to the CW, the soil type, slope and land use and occupation were analyzed, as well as distances to population centers, health and education institutions, roads and highways and hydrography. The data were also normalized and had weights of importance established so that they could be combined linearly to obtain the suitability map. The program used for data manipulation was ArcGis 10.0. The environmental degradation index of the disposal areas identified 30.42% of medium, 26.09% of high and 26.09% of low potential of degradation, the rest have intermediate values. On the other hand, the utilization index identified that 56.25% of the areas are high, 25% are low and 18.75% have a medium potential for use. The suitability map identified approximately 5 km² of apt areas, ranging from low, medium and high suitability.