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. | M. Sc. (Environmental Management) | Environmental Management

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)

As widely recognised by EU legislation, Life Cycle Thinking (LCT) is a viable approach to support sound waste management choices. In this context, the Institute for Environment and Sustainability (IES) of the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC) has lead the development of macro-level, life cycle based waste management indicators to quantify and monitor the potential environmental impacts, benefits, and improvements associated with the management of a number of selected waste streams generated and treated in Europe.The waste management indicators developed make use of a combination of macro statistical waste management data combined with emissions/resource life cycle data for the different elements of the waste treatment chain. Indicators were initially calculated for the entire European Union (EU-27) and for Germany, covering several waste streams and a broad range of environmental impact categories.An indicator developed for a given waste stream captures the potential environmental impact associated with the generation and management of that waste stream. The entire waste management chain is considered, i.e. from generation to final treatment/disposal. Therefore, system boundaries for the selected waste streams include also the treatment or recycling of secondary waste (e.g. bottom ash from the incineration of household waste), and secondary products (e.g. recovered paper), as well as energy recovery.The experiences from the development of these life cycle based waste management indicators suggest that more detailed and quality-assured waste statistics are needed, especially covering the many different treatment operations and options. Also, it would be beneficial if waste statistics had a higher disaggregation level of waste categories, as well as more detailed information about waste composition. A further development of the indicators should include an increased number of waste streams, as well as calculation of the results for all Member States.

BACKGROUND: Vermicomposting has recently been recognized as one of the most appropriate methods to stabilize organic waste. In terms of a system for waste management, vermicomposting is sustainable, economically viable, and without detrimental effects to human health or to the environment. The aim of this study was to evaluate the process of vermicomposting using an indigenous species of earthworms (Eisenia fetida) on a small domestic scale as a system for waste management. RESULTS: This study was carried out as an experiment using the following procedure: a plastic container was prepared for vermicomposting; then, a bed was prepared in a ready container with a layer of initial bedding, sieved garden soil, and compostable waste. It was inoculated with Eisenia fetida earthworms. Samples were taken after 30 and 90 days of vermicomposting, and measurements were taken for the following parameters: percentage of organic matter, phosphorus, total carbon, total nitrogen, moisture content, ash, electrical conductivity, and pH. Results for percentage of organic matter, phosphorous, ash, total carbon, total nitrogen, carbon/nitrogen ratio, electrical conductivity, moisture content, and pH of mature compost after 90 days were 42 ± 2.8, 53 ± 0.17, 22 ± 0.170, 1.12 ± 0.003, 20 ± 0.25, 2.8 ± 0.6, 1, 200 ± 200 cSu, 56 ± 5.5%, 8.3 ± 0.2, respectively, and all these parameters except moisture content were compared with the standards. CONCLUSION: According to these results, vermicomposting of municipal biodegradable waste by homeowners can be recommended as the best and most suitable method for solid waste disposal. This determines small-scale domestic vermicomposting as a suitable method for solid waste management. Reducing domestic waste at the source is an effective way to implement the main priorities of a waste management system in terms of its economy and its impact on the environment.

Mining waste reduction methods include all mining processes beginning from resource distribution until final products in the plant. For comparing and testing possibilities of mine waste reduction, a cooperation project has been set up aiming to create a transnational network with regional networks. The activities carried out on the regional and transnational level will secure better access to knowledge, state-of-the-art technologies and good practice. The study addresses all the waste management challenges and opportunities facing the Baltic Sea Region mining industry, which should be understood as extending to all forms of extraction of natural non-renewable resources. In addition to the main mineral resource, oil shale, there are sufficient reserves of limestone and dolostone, peat, sand, gravel and clay. Phosphorite and granite are considered as occurrences in today’s economic situation, in spite of the fact that phosphorite has been extracted for 70 years in the past. All previous mining activities have produced mining waste, e.g. the total volume of waste rock from Estonian oil shale mining is more than 76 million m3 and covers about 790 ha [31][32][33][34]. From an environmental point of view Estonia is in good position, not having acidic reactions and having neutralising alkaline limestone present in all mining areas. Thanks to this, reclamation is easily done with the help of the same mining equipment. Water is purified in settling ponds and does not require additional chemical treatment. For underground mining, the main concern is the stability of the room and pillar mining area [35][37]. Similar problems are found in Sweden and Finland. In Sweden, there are several old deposits from shale mining, the largest one (Kvarntorp) contains some 40 million m3 of crushed processed black shales and contains several metals of potential value.

[Notes_IRSTEA]Projet DIVA [Departement_IRSTEA]Ecotechnologies [TR1_IRSTEA]TED [Axe_IRSTEA]TED-SAFIR | International audience | In the actual context of French regulation, anaerobic digestion products are still considered as waste and cannot be valorised as product unless being composted. Nevertheless digestates specificities concerning composting treatment have to be thoroughly studied. Thus the present work compared the composting behaviour of digestates with their non-digested waste. Three origins were considered: agricultural waste, source sorted organic fraction of municipal solid waste and mechanically sorted organic fraction of municipal solid waste. Whatever the origin of the waste, biodegradation rate of digestates during composting was lower than the one of the non-digested waste. Temperatures reached during composting were also lower than for non-digested waste even if the produced heat permitted to dry the treated digestates anyway. Composting behaviour mainly differed from one digestate to the others considering biodegradation kinetics and trends of GES and ammonia emissions.

X Hospital started the liquid waste management by built the liquid waste management installation (IPAL) with system of aerobic - anaerobic biofilter in 2006. While for the solid waste management, X Hospital collaborated with cleanliness services of South Jakarta and PT WASTEC. This research was about waste management assessing of X Hospital which analyzed from characteristic of waste management, people preference, IPAL efficiency, determination of Unit Daily Cost (UDC) and cost effectiveness of waste water management. People preference showed that waste management has already been well. The liquid waste efficiency has scored more than 80 percent from all parameter and declared to be efficient. The efficiency examination with t-test showed that IPAL could reduce waste concentration significantly. UDC value received was Rp. 3.569,51. The most effective reducing cost was reducing cost from COD parameter. Meanwhile, the cost effectiveness ratio on waste treatment with activated sludge bioreactor system has more effective than cost effectiveness ratio on waste treatment with anaerob-aerob biofilter system.

[Notes_IRSTEA]Projet DIVA [Departement_IRSTEA]Ecotechnologies [TR1_IRSTEA]TED [Axe_IRSTEA]TED-SAFIR | International audience | Management of digestates could be a key issue for the future development of the anaerobic digestion market. Actually, a clear definition of their status and quality is necessary to secure valorization opportunities for all of the treated organic matter. In this study, three digestion plants have been followed for one year. Raw, solid and liquid digestate were sampled and characterized five times along the year in order to state on their quality and to compare it to the existing standards for soil improvers and fertilisers. In a French context, digestates do not fulfil the product specifications of soil improvers or fertilisers.

This article asks how effectively and to what extent contemporary urban solid waste management systems can effect sustainable materials use. To assess this we first trace the origins of waste management in the U.S., identify the existing federal regulatory framework, and examine trends in waste generation and composition. We then describe waste management in Los Angeles, California, including identifying the city's waste management objectives and current programs, a long-range “zero waste” planning process, and an overhaul of waste collection and processing infrastructure currently underway. We find that, although aggressive, Los Angeles’ efforts to achieve zero waste are insufficient for addressing resource conservation challenges. The main reasons for this are continued reliance on waste management approaches that have proven inadequate to address the increasing complexity of solid waste and limited data quantifying and characterizing waste generation patterns. The paper concludes by suggesting that addressing resource conservation in the U.S. will require renewed federal leadership as well as redoubled local efforts to improve waste flow accounting.