This study examined the medical waste management practices of a hospital in Southern Africa. The results revealed that the hospital does not quantify medical waste. Segregation of medical wastes into infectious medical waste and non-infectious medical waste is not conducted according to definite rules and standards. Separation of medical waste and municipal waste is however practiced to a satisfactory extent. Wheeled trolleys are used for on-site transportation of waste from the points of production to the temporary storage area. Staff responsible for collecting medical waste use almost completes personal protective equipment. Offsite transportation of the hospital waste is undertaken by a private waste management company. Small pickups are mainly used to transport waste daily to an off-site area for treatment and disposal. The main treatment method used in the final disposal of infectious waste is incineration. Noninfectious waste is disposed off using land disposal method. The study showed that the hospital does not have a policy and plan in place for managing medical waste. There are a number of problems the hospital faces in terms of medical waste management, including; lack of necessary rules, regulations and instructions on the different aspects of collections and disposal of waste, failure to quantify the waste generated in reliable records, lack of use of coloured bags by limiting the bags to only one colour for all waste, the absence of a dedicated waste manager, and no committee responsible for monitoring the management of medical waste. Recommendations are given with the aim of improving medical waste management in hospitals.

This study looks into the existing policy gap in the management of E-waste in the Philippines, by identifying the different barriers to – and drivers for – the adoption of E-waste management measures, through the perceptions of the different stakeholders involved in E-waste issues. Existing waste management policies in the country lack a specific framework for dealing with E-waste. This research examines socio-economic, political and cultural dimensions in identifying the drivers and barriers that hinder the adoption of E-waste management measures. Based on the perceptions of the different stakeholders, the following drivers are seen to promote the adoption of E-waste management measures: importing countries’ regulations, internal and external pressures in the electronics industry, local E-waste initiatives and market conditions, geographical conditions, urban mining and prices of metals, abundant cheap labor supply and the demand for the electronics industry to improve competitiveness. On the other hand, the different barriers that hinder the adoption of E-waste management measures are: the absence of E-waste laws, non-adoption of the Basel Ban amendment, existing multilateral and bilateral agreements adopted by key trading countries, low environmental consciousness, perceived lack of enforcement of environmental laws, inadequate supply of domestic E-waste, and the competition between the formal and informal sector in the electronics market. The fundamental characteristic of the Philippine electronics industry, as being dominated by the semiconductor sector, is seen both as a driver and as a barrier to the adoption of E-waste management policies. The suggested policy direction is to develop the policy framework for E-waste management and weaken the different barriers identified. EPR has serious potential to be adopted in the country, especially in the context of a take-back scheme. The study suggests that existing socio-economic conditions – especially the existing structural set-up – be taken into account in designing an EPR scheme.

Master of Science. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg 2009. | The Msunduzi Municipality is confronted with a waste management crisis. It struggles to provide existing refuse collection services and is unable to extend refuse collection services to more than 40% of households in the municipality, illegal dumping and littering continue unabated, waste volumes continue to grow in the absence of waste minimisation programmes and the only landfill site within the municipality is poorly managed and has less than seven years of airspace remaining. In the midst of this crisis, the new National Waste Act has been approved for implementation requiring all municipalities in South Africa to provide universal access to refuse collection services, to comply with national norms and standards for waste disposal and to implement new services that provide opportunities for recycling and the treatment of waste. The Waste Act requires the Msunduzi Municipality to transform its waste management system from a poorly run collection and disposal operation to an ecologically sustainable system where waste generation is prevented, materials are recycled and organic waste is treated in order to prevent the release of greenhouse gases. This research project sought to develop a deeper understanding of the implementation obligations confronting the Msunduzi Municipality as a result of the Waste Act and explored the prospects for implementation success and failure. The conceptual framework of the Theory U was used to provide insights into how transformational change of the Msunduzi waste management system can be undertaken. A qualitative research methodology was used in order to understand implementation issues from the perspectives of all the stakeholders within the Msunduzi waste management system. The main research tool used was a semi - structured interview conducted with individual stakeholders from government, NGO's, technical experts, labour and the organised business sector. A documentary analysis of relevant literature and direct observation of the research participants complemented the interview data. The research results indicate that leaders of the administrative, political and labour components of the waste management sector within the Msunduzi Municipality and the organised business sector within the city of Pietermaritzburg are collectively attending to waste management issues from an absencing cycle. Given that these key institutions are unable to think and act to improve the entire waste management system, the quality and quantity of waste management services being delivered will steadily decline whilst pollution levels will increase; and the system is at risk of eventual collapse. Key stakeholders from within the Msunduzi Municipality are unlikely, in the current context, to either initiate or participate in the activities of a diverse group of core players who could be brought together through common intention to transform the waste management system. The NGO sector, the regulatory authorities, the technical experts and the organised waste management business sector on the other hand are willing to come together to transform the Msunduzi waste management system. Given that the waste management sector within the Msunduzi Municipality operates within an absencing cycle and some of the other core players in the system are operating from a presencing cycle, the need for transformational change is both urgent and possible. The process is likely to be protracted, conflict ridden and complex. If the core players within the system who share a common transformational intention are able to collectively sense the system, learn from the future to develop a common vision and create prototypes to embody new practices, they can, however, gradually create forces within the system that can unlock opportunities for profound change to occur. Key Words: Waste Management, Policy Implementation, Theory U, Local Government.

Magister Artium - MA | Solid waste management is a phenomenon that has been researched for many years. With the development of industries and commerce, waste inputs into waste management programs are crucial, since these are the sectors responsible for the generation of waste and thus the inputs are invaluable when programs are formulated. In order to develop effective waste management strategies, it is important to identify the source of waste generation and the processes that must be followed to minimize waste. The objective of this research was to follow waste from generation to ultimate disposal and to case study why and how differences in waste disposal practices occur in the Breede River District (BRD) and the Cape Metropolitan Area (CMA). | South Africa

The main purpose of this research is to contribute to sustainable waste management in remote areas of the European Union (EU) by specifically employing the concept of ‘waste hierarchy’ as a mean to reach this goal. The last three decades see the EU waste management approach evolve from pollution control (disposal/end-of-pipe) toward more strategic approach focusing on waste prevention and recycling. This evolution has been instrumental for many Member States’ waste policy transformation notwithstanding; many remote areas of the EU are still lag behind in their waste management situation. Lesvos Island of Greece is one such areas still dealing with numerous dumpsites scattering around the island, anticipating a single central landfill, and having no formal recycling system - therefore chosen as a case study. To learn how to improve this situation, relationship between the EU policy implications and factors which condition waste management in the remote/rural Island was investigated. The factors were explored through in-depth interviews with stakeholders, chosen by triangulation method, representing local government authorities, academics, and civil society. The research has confirmed that transposition of the EU waste Directives into the Greek national policy does not imply effective implementation; its implications on the local waste policy and implementation in Lesvos are very limited. Factors influencing the current local waste policy agenda have been identified. This includes: keep to conventional perception of waste management, low pressures from citizens and from regulation obligations, lack of willingness to change, and limited resources and funding. However, the current situation of uncontrolled dumpsites, growing amount of waste, opposition to construct more landfill, and high cost of waste transport (characteristic of remote areas and islands) suggest that Lesvos needs more sustainable alternatives for waste management. The research has concluded that the Island should pursue a more holistic approach to waste management, considering socioeconomic and environmental benefits that waste management can contribute to its sustainable development. Correspondingly, community source-separation, recycling, and composting are proposed as they may contribute to the Island’s energy and resources independency. Moreover, some voluntary recycling initiatives/systems run by private companies and local NGO exist in Lesvos. It is therefore wise to maximize these systems in order to increase the resource-use efficiency. Furthermore, recycling of some specific waste streams (e.g. packaging waste) which have low material prices can not be economically viable for the remote Island where costs of energy and transportation are high. Since these waste streams are regulated by relevant EU Directives and having established national (collective or individual producers responsibility) systems for their alternative management; involvement (e.g. financial support) from the national systems will be instrumental in their recycling in Lesvos as well as other remote areas of the EU. Key

"The book deals with the full range of waste management issues, including recycling and recovery of materials and design considerations for waste minimisation. In addition, the book also contains a wide variety of illustrative case studies. With detailed and comprehensive coverage of the subject matter, an extensive bibliography is provided with each chapter." "Electronic Waste Management is essential reading for all involved with electrical and electronic waste management through its comprehensive review of recent EU legislation and the subsequent impact on manufacturers and users of electronic equipment."--Jacket.

A Decision Support System (DSS) was developed to analyze and simulate the solid waste management system of Tuguegarao City using Geographic Information Systems and Stella modeling software. It was parameterized using data and information on population, per capita waste generation, average annual growth rates of population and solid waste composition in order to predict the volume of waste generated, compostable, recyclable, collected, uncollected, uncollected waste and compost under five waste management system scenarios. Tuguegarao City with a population of 67,297 for urban barangay [village] and 58,326 for rural barangays generated a total of 1,012 cu m of household solid waste weekly in 2007, equivalent to a rate of 0.5 kg/cap/day and 0.42 kg/cap/day for urban and rural barangays, respectively. The commercial establishments, institutions and market generated at a rate of 384 cu m, 209 cu m and 122 cum of solid waste weekly or an equivalent total waste generation at a rate of 1,745 cum/week. The weekly solid waste consumption was: 279 cu m (16%) paper, 105 cu m (6%) plastic container, 70 cu m (4%) metal, 70 cu m (4%) and 279 cu m (16%) as recyclable waste; yard waste, 506 cu m (29%) food waste, 122 cu m (7%) other organics as compostable waste; 209 cu m (12%) other plastics, 70 cu m (4%) inert, 17 cu m (1%) hazardous waste and 17 cu m (1%) special waste as residual waste. The DSS was used to search for best waste management options among five scenarios. A decision to continue the existing practice of solid waste management over time (Scenario A) could result to high volume of uncollected waste from 333 cum/wk to 401 cum/wk by 2015 and low recovery of compostable and recyclable waste from 92 cum/wk and 171 cu m/wk, respectively. The collective system can be improved through re-assigning garbage trucks collection zones (Scenario B) reducing uncollected waste from 333 cu m/wk to 82 cu m/wk by 2015. The low recovery can be addressed by composting market waste (Scenario C) resulting to waste conversion from 92 cu m/wk to 237 cu m/wk by year 2015 and by recycling institutional waste (Scenario D) resulting to waste recovery from 171 cu m/wk to 225 cu m/wk by year 2015. Processing all generated waste (Scenario E) can recover waste from 92 cu m/wk to 1002 cu m/wk of compostable and 171 cum/wk to 617 cu m/wk of recyclables by year 2015, and zero uncollected waste by year 2011. To address the environmentally unacceptable burning and disposal of voluminous waste, solid waste management option for the city, Scenario E is recommended, provided that generators in all sectors will cooperate, there will be re-assignment of garbage truck collection zones, and adequate composting facilities will be made available.

Towards a recycling society – National Waste Plan for 2016 is a Government-approved strategy covering the principles, aims and objectives of waste management and prevention of waste generation for 2016, and the measures required for achieving the aims. The main aim of the waste policy is to prevent the generation of waste and to reduce its harmful health and environmental impacts. The Plan incorporates the Finland’s national waste prevention programme and seven other overlapping objectives for waste management sectors. The aims of the Waste Plan and the main steering methods for achieving them are grouped under the objectives. The aim of the Plan is to achieve a decline in the amount of municipal waste by the year 2016. Furthermore, the aim is to achieve a situation in which 50% of all municipal waste is recycled as material and 30% used as energy. A maximum of 20% of the waste would end up at landfills. The Plan also proposes that industrial sectors would in their sector-specific material-efficiency agreements set targets for reducing specific waste volumes and increasing recycling rates.

Various types of waste effluents produced by two industries were studied to verify their environmental effects and to prepare a suggestion for management of those wastes. Two types of wastes were considered- wastewater and solid wastes. Analysis on three samples of wastewater was performed to determine the physical, chemical, organic and biological pollution. The pH values were 6.58, 6.75 & 6.64; amount of TDS were 235, 241 & 270 ppm; total hardness were 126, 123 & 144 ppm; calcium hardness were 105, 99 & 122 ppm, all the values of P-alkalinity were zero and values of M-alkalinity were 40, 40 & 45 mg/l. Iron concentrations were 0.21, 0.18 & 0.19 mg/l. Their Cl2 test proved absence of Cl2 Molecule. Only one sample was analyzed for bacterial viable count (44x105 cfu/ml), fungal test (fungi were absent), DO (6.8 mg/l), BOD (156 mg/1) and COD (267 mg/1). Results suggested that iron concentrations, pH values, TDS and DO were within the standard range. Level of total hardness, alkalinity, BOD, COD and total bacterial count exceeded level of standards. Their effects were evaluated from secondary data sources. Solid waste quality and the current onsite waste management facilities were studied through questionnaire survey and direct observations. Most of the cases, current waste management systems were old fashioned and indigenous. After studying literature on waste management procedures, a waste management plan for these industries has been prepared. Study results show that, these selected industries do produce few waste linked problems which can be minimized following some strict management measures.

ABSTRACT: Colombian environmental authorities are exploring new alternatives for improving the disposal of hospital waste generated in the Department of Boyacá (Colombia). To design this hospital waste management network we propose a biobjective obnoxious facility location problem (BOOFLP) that deals with the existing tradeoff between a low-cost operating network and the negative effect on the population living near the waste management facilities. To solve the BOOFLP we propose a hybrid approach that combines a multiobjective evolutionary algorithm (NSGA II) with a mixed-integer program. The algorithms are compared against the Noninferior Set Estimation (NISE) method and tested on data from Boyacá’s hospital waste management network and publicly available instances.