The concept of ‘zero waste’ management has emerged as an innovative way to tackle waste problems. A number of researchers have already defined the concept in different ways. Zero waste management is a holistic waste management concept that recognises waste as a resource which is produced at the intermediate phase of the resource consumption process. To measure the performance and progress in zero waste management, it is important to have certain indicators that sketch different waste management systems and predict effective development scenarios. A number of indicators on waste management systems have already been developed by many researchers in many cities and countries. The currently available indicators are not yet sufficiently integrated and identified as key indicators for assessing waste management systems. Therefore, in a significant number of waste management researches, dissimilar reporting, data representation and assessment indicators have been used without a proper comparative benchmark.This study is aimed to identify the core zero waste indicators which could be used to assess the performance of the zero waste management systems. A set of indicators have been identified by waste experts as the key indicators for the zero waste management systems. After an intensive literature review, the zero waste indicators were broadly categorised in seven different domains such as geo-administrative, socio-cultural, management, economic, environmental, organisational and policy. A total of 238 indicators were identified as preliminary zero waste indicators and sent to the number of 650 highly experienced waste professionals around the globe for their feedback. About 31 (n=31) professionals participated (response rate 4.8%) in the online survey and rated the indicators from not needed to very high priority. About 165 indicators were rated as potential indicators for the assessment of zero waste management. As 165 indicators are still very comprehensive, for practical application, 56 indicators were identified as the most important indicators for zero waste management systems and were rated as nearly very high priority indicators by the waste experts.

Adelaide is one of the high-consuming cities of the world that has developed and implemented a zero waste strategy to achieve optimum resource recovery from waste. Many similar cities are adopting a zero waste strategy with a key goal of 100% diversion rate of waste from landfill. This study argues that achieving a 100% diversion rate will be inadequate and does not reflect the core concept of the zero waste philosophy. In a previous study, the Zero Waste Index (ZWI) was presented as an alternative waste management performance assessment tool for zero waste management systems. The ZWI is a new indicator to measure and compare virgin material replacement by urban zero waste management systems. In addition, the ZWI quantifies energy, material and water conservation through recycling efforts rather than simply measuring waste diverted from landfills. In the current study, waste management performance in Adelaide during the years 2003–2010 is analysed using the proposed Zero Waste Index tool and thereby Adelaide's performance in waste management in 2015 and 2020 is predicted. The study indicates that waste composting is increasing significantly in Adelaide and by 2015 the amount of waste composted should be higher than that going to landfill. For this reason, the biological waste treatment infrastructure, particularly in waste composting facilities, should be stimulated in Adelaide. In addition, the study identifies that despite the zero waste strategy being in place, overall waste management performance in Adelaide may not reach the targeted zero waste goals, particularly in optimum resource recovery from waste. The projected results indicate that by 2020, if similar waste diversion rates continue, Adelaide should have reached a diversion rate of over 82% of municipal solid waste from landfill and the Zero Waste Index would then be 0.45 (around 45% material substitution from its current ZWI = 0.41 with a 72% diversion rate). The study also involved an online survey on the views of local waste experts in metropolitan Adelaide. By combining the waste performance and survey findings, the study identifies the most important priority areas for future waste management strategies in Adelaide.

Solid waste management is a key aspect of the environmental management of establishments belonging to the hospitality sector. In this study, we reviewed literature in this area, examining the current status of waste management for the hospitality sector, in general, with a focus on food waste management in particular. We specifically examined the for-profit subdivision of the hospitality sector, comprising primarily of hotels and restaurants. An account is given of the causes of the different types of waste encountered in this sector and what strategies may be used to reduce them. These strategies are further highlighted in terms of initiatives and practices which are already being implemented around the world to facilitate sustainable waste management. We also recommended a general waste management procedure to be followed by properties of the hospitality sector and described how waste mapping, an innovative yet simple strategy, can significantly reduce the waste generation of a hotel. Generally, we found that not many scholarly publications are available in this area of research. More studies need to be carried out on the implementation of sustainable waste management for the hospitality industry in different parts of the world and the challenges and opportunities involved.

In this paper, the implementation of effective waste management practices in construction projects and sites is analyzed, using data from a survey answered by 74 Spanish construction companies based in Catalonia. Most commonly implemented practices were found to be on-site cleanliness and order, correct storage of raw materials, and prioritization of the nearest authorized waste managers. The least widespread practices were the use of a mobile crusher on site, the creation of individualized drawings for each construction site, and the dissemination of the contents of the waste management plan to all workers, to help them to meet its requirements. Waste regulations for construction and demolition, and the corresponding construction waste management facilities, were designed before the recession in the Spanish construction sector. Current waste generation rates are still below predicted levels, and the infrastructure was designed for five times more waste generation. Even so, the percentage of reused and recycled waste currently amounts to 43%. Survey respondents highlighted various instruments and measures that would make the management of construction and demolition waste more sustainable. Most of the opportunities identified by construction firms are within the scope of government and related to a combined system of bonus and penalties and the establishment of environmental awareness and training programmes for all the stakeholders. Within the scope of authorized waste managers, firms suggested improvements such as the standardization of fees, a reduction of the time until the issue of waste management certificates, a higher number of inspections, and a change in the current model of a few large construction waste management facilities. This research is useful to better understand the current status of construction and demolition waste management in construction projects and sites. Thus, the results of this research will guide policy makers and relevant stakeholders such as contractors, clients, architects and engineers to achieve the EU target of recovering 70% of construction and demolition waste in 2020. In this sense, reliable information can help governments and professional associations to set future C&D waste management regulations, training programmes and dissemination tools, inspections, etc.

Simulating Sanitation and Waste Flows and their Environmental Impacts in East African Urban Centres Abstract If improperly managed, urban waste flows can pose a significant threat to the quality of both the natural environment and public health. Just as many urban authorities in other developing countries, most cities in the vicinity of Lake Victoria (East Africa) have been unsuccessful in providing adequate solid waste and sanitation services to their residents. To effectively manage urban waste flows, the current and future trends for the solid waste and sanitation flows and their environmental impact need to be assessed. A model was developed that represents waste flows management through the social and natural systems of East African cities. This simulation tool was designed to enable the projection of future waste flow trends and their environmental impacts under different management regimes. The results for the model simulations indicate that the annual organic load to the inshore of Lake Victoria increased twofold between 2001 and 2011. The model projections also show that a lack of optimal measures to mitigate various waste flows would further deepen the current environmental crisis in the near future. The executed multi-criteria analysis reveals that mixtures of diverse waste technologies and management regimes matching with local socio-economic and environmental conditions have a positive impact on East African cities’ environmental quality. The integration of resource recovery into the formal waste management sector is found to improve the environmental performance of waste sector in East African cities. These results contribute to the development of an integrated policy support approach, which aims at strengthening the sustainable management of urban waste flows in East African cities. This could then form the basis for improving the urban environmental quality in these cities. Also, in agreement with the modernised mixture approach, this study can conclude that applying a mix of diverse waste technologies and management regimes, and matching these with the local conditions in each city will have positive impacts on East African cities’ environmental quality. This diversity in waste technologies and management strategies for waste flows should be driven by modernised mixture principles. This would safeguard the water quality for Lake Victoria from pollution by waste, and improve the well-being of humans depending on the lake.

Current economic crisis brought to light the structural deficiencies of European economy. This paper aims to improve the performances of a policy on sustainable municipal solid waste management strategies. Specifically, the attention is focused on Italian country that reports a high rate of landfilling. Waste to Energy plant is an attractive technological option in municipal solid waste, but it is a subject of intense debate. Incinerators require effective and efficient controls to avoid emissions of harmful pollutants into the air, land and water, which may influence human health and environment.To address waste management situation, this study uses a multi-objective mathematical programming. A new plan is presented to evaluate and quantify the effects of initiatives for diversion of current waste from landfill. In an attempt to better simulate realistic waste management scenarios, the amount of waste generated is not annually constant and changes are accounted in waste diversion rates. Moreover, due to the geographical characteristics of Italy, the realization of new facilities is replicated with a regional detail. In this paper economic and financial indicators are used to define the profitability of waste facilities. Moreover, a sensitivity analysis is used to test some of the initial assumptions. Once identified the efficient Waste to Energy plant, regional strategies of waste management are proposed to optimize financial and environmental benefits of the sector. The proposed waste management framework provides a concrete scheme for future research in assessing quantitatively the effectiveness of waste management.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) collection and disposal is a major urban environment issue in the world today. MSW management solutions have to be technologically feasible, legally and socially acceptable and environmentally and financially sustainable. European policy is pushing for a rational management of natural resources; a promising technological perspective today is waste valorisation, a process that involves sorting at the source, combined with material recycling and waste-to-energy conversion. In this paper, we analyze the evolution of the Portuguese MSW management system, criticize the environmental policy issues for MSW management in Portugal and identify weak points in the criteria used for the technologies selection. Portugal is facing multiple problems with MSW management and is attempting to tackle them by passing legislation in order to improve the performance of waste management systems. At the technological level, gasification increasingly presents as an efficient and viable alternative to incineration. Gasification is a waste-to-energy conversion scheme that offers an attractive solution to both waste disposal and energy problems. Waste gasification by plasma has been validated but the economic viability of this technology must be proven before to be accepted by the industry.

Solid waste management has been a topical issue in the urban centres of most developing countries including Zimbabwe. This has posed serious environmental challenges in the cities of Zimbabwe. However, this issue has concentrated on solid waste management in the urban areas leaving out the rural areas. Solid waste generation in the rural areas has since increased both in quantity and quality due to modernization. Solid waste composition in the rural areas has been known to be dominated by organic materials with only a small proportion making up the inorganic waste. This is no longer the case in present day as more inorganic wastes are being produced in rural areas than organic wastes. Previous research has concentrated on solid waste management in the large cities of Zimbabwe like Harare and Gweru, very little has been done on rural solid waste management. To address this knowledge gap, a research study was conducted in Mubaira growth point under Chegutu District. The goal of this study was to investigate the solid waste management system in place in Mubaira so as to assess its effectiveness. It meant to analyse the whole process from waste generation, storage, collection, transportation to disposal. The people’s perceptions and attitudes towards waste practices such as reuse, recycling and waste separation were also investigated. A total of 100 questionnaires were administered to the two main target populations in Mubaira which were the residential/ households and the business premises target populations. Stratified-systematic sampling was used in selecting the respondents for the households target population, whilst purposive sampling was used for selecting respondents in the business premises target population. Interviews, focus group discussions as well as field observations were also used in this study. The study revealed that the solid waste management system in Mubaira is inefficient as shown by the erratic waste collection system, emergence of illegal and environmentally unfriendly waste management practices which include burning and open dumping. It was gathered that solid waste management practices like recycling, reuse and waste separation are not being practiced effectively in Mubaira which exacerbated the problem of solid waste management. In light of this research, it was recommended that Chegutu Rural District Council come up with an Integrated Solid Waste Management system best suited to Mubaira growth point. It was also recommended that Environmental education and campaigns be conducted on a regular basis so as to educate the public on the importance of proper solid waste management and also to consult members of the public when making decisions that affect them. This would reduce the level of resistance in the implementation stage.

An evaluation of electronic waste (e-waste) management in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality was undertaken in this study. The aim of the study was to evaluate the electronic waste management practices such as generation, storage, collection, transportation and disposal in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. This was achieved through questionnaires distributed to residents in Namakgale and Phalaborwa residential areas, structured interviews with municipal workers under the Environmental Health Division and observation in the landfill site and collection points were also used in gathering information on the electronic waste management. In the study it was found that a wide range of electronic waste is generated and lighting equipment, small household equipment and ICT equipment are disposed of in large numbers in the study area. The municipality is responsible for waste management in the study area. Electronic waste generated is stored, collected and disposed together with all other domestic waste in the area. No segregation or recycling at household level was evident. It was also found that the municipality does not have a formal relationship with electronic waste recycling companies to eliminate the flow of electronic waste from households to the landfill site. A lack of own regulatory and by-laws on electronic waste was noted and seemed to be one of the challenges the municipality is facing. The findings highlighted the low level of community awareness regarding electronic waste. The study concluded that there is a lack or absence of good management of electronic waste storage, collection, transportation in the Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. From the study, it is recommended that there is a need for meaningful community awareness, environmental education, formulation of by-laws and formal recycling projects for effective electronic waste in Ba-Phalaborwa Local Municipality. | M. Sc. (Environmental Management) | Environmental Sciences