Due to the general unawareness of the existence and significance of the informal recycling sector in the global north, leading to a great deal of exclusion and stigmatization, this thesis seeks to investigate waste governance in Vancouver and the level of participation of the informal recycling sector in municipal waste management. It also documents the critical role of grassroots innovations in promoting participatory governance and the challenges faced in the process. Results show that the informal recycling sector (binners) play a significant role in municipal waste management, and that there exists some level of participation in decision-making on waste management issues. Results also indicate that exclusion of binners in certain decision-making processes such as the City’s recycling bylaw led to challenges such as reduced access to recyclable materials, which threatens binners’ day-to-day activity and survival. Furthermore, the current level of participation of binners can be linked to the influence of a grassroots innovation called the Binners’ Project, which has at its core, empowerment and capacity building of its members. Challenges faced by this organization as well as binners, in general, are also documented. This thesis concludes with recommendations to promote transformative participatory waste governance and highlights strategies to ensure the sustenance of binners’ livelihoods. / Graduate

The concentration of populations in urban areas is unprecedented, and cities will continue to grow. This increases pressure on cities to provide services for their growing populations, such as waste management. The Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG11, focuses on urbanisation: Make cities & human settlements inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable. Target 11.6 proposes paying special attention to waste management. Waste generation is increasing due to changed patterns of consumption, and the planet is now facing a global waste crisis. Cities worldwide have to transition into waste smart entities by minimising and reducing waste for the sake of becoming sustainable, safe cities for their inhabitants.   For South Africa, the challenge is not only linked to urbanisation and population growth. The country is named the most inequitable country in the world and faces a multifaceted challenge as they also battle resilient structures of the past.   The purpose of this study is to identify obstacles and opportunities for transitioning to sustainable urban waste management in South Africa. To do so a methodology inspired by ethnography has been applied in order to uncover the everyday practices of people, as well as analysing the current plan for waste management. All data was interpreted through the lens of previous research on South African policy-making, and the theory of structuration was used to enable discussion on obstacles and opportunities for urban sustainability and waste management.   Conclusively, the biggest obstacle for sustainable waste management is the inequality and exclusion from opportunities. This lack of opportunity means that citizens are first and foremost preoccupied with their day-to-day needs, such as job- and food security, leaving waste management further down the list. To get residents to care about waste livelihoods must be improved, and a path to inclusion and opportunity has to be found. The dire unequal terms of life for many citizens must be addressed in order to achieve the urban sustainability it strives for.

Waste management is a global phenomenon and all nations need to ensure that waste is handled in an environmentally friendly and healthy manner. Municipalities in South Africa generate a lot of solid waste which is disposed of in the landfill site. The life span of these landfill sites is shortened by all waste that gets disposed on site. The only mechanism that can be used to minimize the amount of waste disposed of in the landfill site is waste recycling. At Greater Kokstad Municipality (GKM) there are very few companies that are involved in recycling activities. The rate of unemployment in the area is high and recycling activities would provide employment opportunities. This study is based in Kokstad and emanates from the fact that there are large volumes of waste discharged at the Kokstad landfill site. It seeks to explore the experiences and challenges faced by waste pickers and recycling SMMEs in the GKM. Also to identify reasons that causes waste pickers and SMMEs not to use the opportunity created by large volumes of unused waste to establish self-employment or employment of large numbers of unemployed people. This study used a qualitative research method and a phenomenological research design. The researcher used focus groups and semi-structured one-to-one interviews based on question themes or an interview guide. Data gathered was analyzed using Tesch’s method of data analysis and thematic content analysis. The main findings of the study revealed vital information that can assist in shaping and planning recycling activities within Greater Kokstad Municipality. Findings also highlight the need to create an environment conducive to the implementation of effective recycling initiatives.

Student Number : 0318613G - MSc research report - School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Studies - Faculty of Science / This report presents an analysis of health-care waste management in selected hospitals in the Central District Municipality of the North West Province, with a view of making recommendations that will ensure environmentally sound and sustainable health-care waste management in the study area. In contributing to the promotion of sustainable management of health-care waste (HCW), the study aimed to minimize waste generation and environmental impact of waste treatment and disposal, to enhance public health and safety, and to provide a safer working environment around hospitals. An assessment was carried out which involved a review of relevant literature, site visits, and interviews with key stakeholders in health-care waste management in the study area, to generate data and information on health-care waste management trends and issues. The major findings of the study include identified gaps in terms of the policy and legislative framework for the actual management of HCW, and issues relating to the mishandling of health-care waste, poor segregation, inappropriate storage rooms, and insufficient training on health-care waste management. Sustainable health-care waste management measures are proposed to improve the current situation at the health-care facilities in the Central District Municipality of the North West Province.

With increasing growing the number of batteries, namely accumulators, Consequently, their take-away and a need of recyclation is increasing too. It is thus necessary to find a suitable way to their optimalization that can lead to the establishment of new waste collection machineries. This study deals with the data analysis by ECOBAT s.r.o. company, data processing and a model construction (in five different versions). The output of the diploma thesis is a model of the batteries collection enabling closer look on take-away routes, The model is based on the distances of take-away routes based on a principle of the utility areas and a role of a transport. The data are obtained from program ArcGIS 10.5 and subsequently handled in program Microsoft Excel. The outputs are the map schemes issuing from five different versions. The first one is showing the current situation, The other one is showing the version of treating units in three largest towns of the Czechia, the third one treating units in all the towns with above 100 000 inhabitants. The forth on eis showing a possibility to have a collection point in each of the county seats. The last one has the same location, but the threating units have higher capacities. The model is general, there is therefore a possibility of using it in modeling for other...

Byggsektorn står idag för stora avfallsmängder, i Sverige år 2016 mättes ca 8,9 miljoner ton primärt bygg- och rivningsavfall upp. I Sverige så står byggsektorn för 31% av allt avfall som uppstått. Enligt Naturvårdsverket når inte Sverige upp till det nationella målet om minst 70% återvinning av bygg- och rivningsavfall som ska uppfyllas senast år 2020. Syftet är att ge en klar bild av hur avfallshanteringen utförs i byggproduktionen idag och var byggprojekt kan åstadkomma förbättringar inom produktion och projektering för att minska avfallet till deponi. Genom att minska avfallet till deponi ökar chansen att nå nationella målet om återvinning senast år 2020. En kvalitativ metod har använts i form av litteraturstudier samt ett platsbesök och tre intervjuer med tjänstemän från Skanska. Arbetet fokuserar på avfallshantering på arbetsplatsen men också på vad som kan förbättras under projekteringen. Endast nybyggen har studerats och arbetet omfattar endast vad som händer med materialet när det lämnar projektet för återanvändning, inte till deponi. I resultatet undersöks följande avfallsmetoder: hållbarhetskompetens, utbildning, avfallshanteringssystem, återtag av materialleverantör samt fraktionen blandat avfall. Lundprojektet använder samtliga. Kungsmässan-projektet använder sig av metoderna utbildning och ett bra avfallshanteringssystem. Utbildningen är av kortare variant som Skanska använder på samtliga byggprojekt. Avfallshanteringssystemet består av en anställd som har ansvar för avfallshanteringen. Regionens hus-projektet använder metoderna utbildning, återtag av materialleverantör samt har inte använt fraktionen blandat avfall. Utbildningen är den samma som nämndes för Kungsmässan-projektet. Projektet använde återtag av material med hjälp av leverantören men dock inte med så lyckat resultat. Byggarbetsplatsen har inte haft någon container för blandat avfall. För att lyckas med målet 0 kg avfall till deponi använder Lund-projektet en hållbarhetskompetens som finns tidigt i planeringen samt ett gediget avfallshanteringssystem med flera kontroller under produktionen. Projektet har upphandlat en sorteringsinriktad avfallsentreprenör och valt att utnyttja isoleringsleverantörens tjänst för återtag av oanvänd isolering. Resultatet visar att avfall till deponi kan minskas genom att: • Ha en hållbarhetskompetens i tidigt skede • Utbilda anställda • Använda ett bra avfallshanteringssystem • Försöka sortera i så stor utsträckning som möjligt och att undvika fraktionen blandat avfall • Utnyttja leverantörernas återtagstjänst. / The construction sector is currently responsible for a large amount of waste. In Sweden in 2016, approximately 8.9 million tons of primary construction and demolition waste were measured. In Sweden, the construction sector accounts for 31% of all waste generated. According to the Swedish Environmental Protection Agency, Sweden does not reach the national target of at least 70% recycling of construction and demolition waste to be met by 2020. The purpose is to give a clear picture of where construction projects can bring about improvements in production and design to reduce waste to landfill. By reducing waste to landfill, the chance of reaching the national recycling target can increase by 2020 at the latest. A qualitative method has been used in the form of literature studies and a site visit and three interviews with officials from Skanska. The work focuses on waste management at the workplace but also see what can be improved during the projection and planning phase in a project. Only new buildings have been studied and the work only covers what happens to the material when it leaves the project for reuse, not to landfill. The result examines the following waste methods: sustainability competence, education, waste management systems, withdrawal of material supplier and the fraction mixed waste. The Lund project uses all. The Kungsmässan project uses methods of education and a good waste management system. The education is of a shorter variant that Skanska uses on all construction projects. The waste management system consists of an employee who is responsible for waste management. The Regionens hus-project uses methods of education, recycling of material suppliers and has not used the fraction of mixed waste. The education is the same as mentioned for the Kungsmässan project. The project used retrieval of material with the help of the supplier, but not with so successful result. The construction site has not had any container for mixed waste. To succeed with the goal 0 kg of waste to landfill, the Lund project uses a sustainability competence that is early in the planning and a solid waste management system with several controls during production. The project has contracted a sorting waste disposal contractor and has chosen to utilize the insulation supplier's service for withdrawal of unused insulation. The result shows that waste to landfill can be reduced by: • Have a sustainability competence at an early stage • Educate employees • Use a good waste management system • Try to sort as much as possible and avoid fraction mixed waste • Take advantage of the suppliers' take-back service.

No início deste século são inúmeros os desafios que tangem à gestão dos resíduos sólidos urbanos nos municípios brasileiros. Os índices de geração aumentam a cada ano, os serviços de coleta e transporte não são universalizados, os índices de tratamento e valorização ainda são incipientes e muitos municípios utilizam formas ambientalmente inadequadas para a disposição final dos resíduos sólidos, mesmo depois do Decreto Federal nº 7.404/2010, que regulamentou a Política Nacional dos Resíduos Sólidos. As cidades, como principais polos atratores do consumo de insumos e geradores de resíduos sólidos urbanos, constituem, por sua vez, o ambiente principal onde se realiza grande parte das atividades inerentes ao gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos. Portanto, as condições de desenvolvimento urbano, estabelecidas pelas políticas urbanas e seus instrumentos, influenciam diretamente na qualidade, desempenho e eficiência do gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos, principalmente daqueles de origem domiciliar. O objetivo principal deste estudo foi desenvolver uma abordagem integrada entre o planejamento urbano e os serviços de gerenciamento de resíduos domiciliares, investigando e analisando elementos e aspectos comuns, para propor estratégias sistematizadas no âmbito dos instrumentos urbanísticos, com vistas à eficientização e qualificação desses serviços e dos espaços urbanos utilizados. Após realizar a caracterização das etapas do gerenciamento dos resíduos sólidos urbanos, identificou-se oito estratégias que poderiam ser introduzidas no âmbito do planejamento urbano. Em seguida, procedeu-se a um estudo de caso, uma área urbana sujeita à adensamento populacional e verticalização, localizada no bairro do Belenzinho, zona leste do município de São Paulo, onde, por meio da construção de cenários, simulou-se a aplicação das estratégias de planejamento urbano. Por fim, pode-se concluir que, em função das estratégias propostas, seria possível alcançar benefícios em relação à gestão dos resíduos domiciliares, justificando, portanto, a aplicabilidade dessas diretrizes em políticas de planejamento urbano aplicáveis a situações urbanas similares. / There are, today, numerous challenges regarding the management of solid waste in Brazilian cities. Regarding household waste, which is the subject of this study, generation rates increase each year, collection and transportation services are not universalized, treatment and valuation rates are still incipient, and many cities use environmentally inappropriate forms for final disposal of the waste, even after Federal Decree No. 7,404 / 2010, which regulated the National Policy on Solid Waste, established by Federal Law No. 12,305 of August 2, 2010. Cities, as the main poles attracting consumption of inputs and generators of solid waste of household origin, constitute the main environment where great parts of the solid waste management activities are carried out. Therefore, urban development conditions, established by urban policies and their instruments, directly influence the quality, performance and efficiency of waste management. The main objective of this study was to develop an integrated approach between urban planning and solid waste management services, investigating and analyzing common elements and aspects, proposing systematized strategies within urban planning instruments, with a view to the efficiency and qualification of these services and urban spaces used. After characterizing the stages of urban solid waste management, eight (8) strategies were identified that could be introduced in urban planning. The next step refers to a case study that took place in an urban area with population densification and verticalization, located in the neighborhood of \"Belenzinho\", in the eastern zone of the city of São Paulo, where urban planning strategies were simulated through the construction of specific scenarios. Finally, we can conclude that, according to the proposed strategies, it would be possible to achieve benefits regarding the management of household waste to justify the applicability of these strategies in urban planning policies applicable to similar urban situations.

Objetivo. Estudar experiências de gerenciamento de resíduos sólidos domésticos envolvendo parcerias, identificando pontos positivos e negativos nas relações inter-institucionais, e verificando a relação entre os dados da bibliografia e o constatado nos programas estudados. Métodos. Foram realizados estudos de caso de programas de coleta seletiva em Goiânia (GO), Campinas (SP), Embu (SP), Santos (SP) e Botucatu (SP). Foram feitas entrevistas e visitas técnicas em entidades envolvidas, incluindo órgãos do governo, empresas e ONGs. Os programas foram analisados nos aspectos sócio-ambiental, operacional, econômica e político-institucional. Resultados. As taxas de desvio observadas variaram entre 0,1 e 2,39 por cento e as taxas de recuperação entre 1,67 e 7,82 por cento . Os custos totais dos programas estiveram entre US$ 150 e US$ 650 por tonelada recuperada. Os custos de coleta representam entre 19 e 82 por cento e os custos de triagem entre 14 e 52 por cento . As dificuldades mais freqüentes relatadas pelos entrevistados são relacionadas aos aspectos humanos: comportamentais, políticos e educacionais. Conclusões. As parcerias podem disponibilizar recursos financeiros, equipamentos, materiais diversos e mão-de-obra para a implementação de programas de coleta seletiva. As parcerias são uma forma eficiente de redução de custos dos programas. Diversos programas municipais têm desenvolvido parcerias para a operação de triagem. As iniciativas espontâneas desempenham um papel importante e devem ser incentivadas. Os investimentos em recursos humanos e os incentivos às indústrias locais de reciclagem são fatores-chave do sucesso dos programas. A reciclagem de lixo constitui-se uma alternativa importante de atividade econômica, com geração de emprego e renda. A pesquisa foi apoiada pela FAPESP / Objective. To study domestic solid waste management experiences through partnerships, identifying strengths and weaknesses in inter-institutional relationships and verifying the concordance between bibliography recommendations and the studied programs characteristics. Methods. Segregative collection and recycling programs cases were studied in the following cities: Goiânia (GO), Campinas (SP), Embu (SP), Santos (SP) e Botucatu (SP). Technical visits and interviews were accomplished in institutions involved, including government offices, companies and NGOs. Programs were analysed in social-environmental, operations, economics and political-institutional features. Results. Decipe rates varied between 0,1 e 2,39 per cent and recovery rates between 1,67 and 7,82 per cent . Programs´ total costs ranged from US$ 150 to R$ 650 per recovered metric ton . Collection costs were between 19 and 82 per cent and sorting costs between 14 to 52 per cent . The most frequent difficulties described in interviews were those related human features: behavior, policy and education. Conclusions. Os investimentos em recursos humanos e os incentivos às indústrias locais de reciclagem são fatores-chave do sucesso dos programas. A reciclagem de lixo constitui-se uma alternativa importante de atividade econômica, com geração de emprego e renda. Partnerships can contribute to obtain financial and human resources, equipment and several materials to the implementation of segregative collection programs. They are an efficient way to reduce costs of programs. Several municipal programs develop partnerships in the operation of sorting. Equipment and buildings continue being financed by municipality. The spontaneous initiatives play an important role and should be encouraged. Investiments in human resources and incentives to local industries are key factors to the success of programs. Garbage recycling is an important alternative economic activity to bring employment and income. Research supported by FAPESP

A presente pesquisa tem por foco a intervenção da técnica e da ciência na transformação de determinado ambiente. Para tanto foi escolhida para objeto de análise a atuação da Comissão Federal de Saneamento da Baixada Fluminense. Formada exclusivamente por engenheiros, a Comissão, possibilitou o estudo desta categoria profissional num campo ainda pouco abordado pela literatura: a relação entre os engenheiros e o saneamento em regiões rurais. A trajetória profissional do Engenheiro Fábio Hostílio de Moraes Rego, engenheiro responsável pela Comissão, é apresentada no propósito de evidenciar o contexto técnico e científico que justificou as escolhas de intervenção realizadas durante o período de atuação da CFSBF. Além de destacar características peculiares à carreira de um politécnico, são buscados na história profissional de Moraes Rego, elementos que fundamentassem sua nomeação para o cargo de chefia da Comissão. Assim, procedeu-se a um estudo acerca da atuação dos engenheiros no saneamento de áreas rurais durante o período da Primeira República, com os seguintes objetivos: analisar o processo de formação e instauração da CFSBF, bem como seus trabalhos realizados (1910-1916); contribuir para a historiografia da região da Baixada Fluminense, considerando a história ambiental da região; e finalmente, contribuir para a historiografia da engenharia no Brasil. / The focus of this research is the intervention of technology and science in the transformation of a given environment. For this purpose, the actions of the Federal Commission on Waste Management of the Baixada Fluminese were chosen. Made up exclusively of engineers, the Commission made possible the study of this professional field in a sector as yet little covered in the literature: the relationship between engineers and waste management in rural areas. The professional history of the engineer Fábio Hostílio de Moraes Rego, the head engineering expert on the Commission, is presented for the purpose of showcasing the technical and scientific context that justified the choices of types of intervention carried out during the period of activity of the CFSBF. In addition to highlighting characteristics particular to the career of a polytechnic, elements of Moraes de Rego\'s career that were the basis for his nomination as head of the Commission are brought out. There thus results a study of the activities of the engineers in waste management in rural areas during the time of the First Republic, with the following objectives: to analyze the process of constituting and setting up the CFSBF, along with the projects it carried out (1910-1916); to contribute to the historic records of the region of the Baixada Fluminense, from the point of view of it\'s environmental history; and lastly, to contribute to the recorded history of engineering in Brazil.

Toda mudança em um setor especifico tem início ou é acompanhada, necessariamente, por mudanças de pensamento e comportamento do indivíduo ou do ambiente em que está inserido. Na sociedade contemporânea, quanto maior o desenvolvimento tecnológico e industrial, maior é a relação entre consumo de recursos naturais e descarte, o que acarreta em uma demanda crescente de resíduos gerados em todo processo produtivo. Este estudo foi baseado na realidade de resíduos sólidos gerados em empresas do segmento de medicina diagnóstica e do modo como a minimização da geração destes resíduos, ou o seu melhor aproveitamento tem reflexos diretos na geração de valor, para os diversos stakeholders. Por meio da técnica de estudo multicaso, esta dissertação contou com a participação de duas empresas que se destacam do mercado brasileiro de medicina diagnóstica, e que reconhecidamente utilizam princípios de sustentabilidade corporativa, como fator de crescimento e diferencial competitivo. O estudo buscou identificar e classificar os tipos de resíduos sólidos gerados na cadeia de operações de medicina diagnóstica, as possíveis práticas de logística reversa e reciclagem, e as dificuldades operacionais encontradas na gestão de resíduos nas empresas estudadas. Foi possível identificar a existência de práticas que permitem a redução e minimização da geração de resíduos, de que forma estas empresas interagem sob o olhar do tripé da sustentabilidade, e como a gestão de resíduos promove resultados positivos, sejam financeiros, no respeito ao meio ambiente, à sociedade em que estas empresas estão inseridas e aos riscos de exposição da marca. A pesquisa conclui que é possível a geração de valor compartilhado por meio de ações na gestão de resíduos de serviços de saúde - Grupo \"D\", em empresas do segmento de medicina diagnóstica / Each and every change in a specific sector begins or is necessarily accompanied by changes in the thinking and behavior of the individual or the environment in which he or she is inserted. In contemporary society, the greater the technological and industrial development, the greater the relationship between consumption of natural resources and waste, which leads to a growing demand for waste generated in any production process. This study was based on the reality of solid waste generated in companies in the diagnostic medicine segment and how the minimization of the generation of this waste, or its better use, has direct effects on the generation of value for the various stakeholders. By means of the multistudy technique, this dissertation was attended by two companies that stand out from the Brazilian market of diagnostic medicine, and that recognize the principles of corporate sustainability as a growth fator and competitive differential. The study sought to identify and classify the types of solid waste generated in the chain of diagnostic medicine operations, possible reverse logistics and recycling practices, and the operational difficulties encountered in waste management in the companies studied. It was possible to identify the existence of practices that allow the reduction and minimization of waste generation, in which way these companies interact under the watchful eye of sustainability, and how waste management promotes positive results, be they financial, with respect to the environment , the society in which they are incorporated and the risks of exposure of the mark. The research concludes that it is possible to generate shared value through actions in waste management of health services - Group \"D\", in companies of the segment of diagnostic medicine.