Recycling Behaviour of Urban Households in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta

This chapter is aimed at providing new insights into the perception and determinants of municipal solid waste behaviour. A quantitative data set was obtained and analyzed by directly interviewing 579 urban households in in the Vietnamese Mekong Delta stratified by urban-type level. Binary Probit model and OLS regression indicate the significant influences of urbanization level, organization membership, the concern to environmental status, and education level of households. Finally, results reveal that the municipal solid waste recycling level can be significantly increased by motivating urban households' incentives; therefore, policymakers in Vietnam as well as in developing countries should also provide more incentive to households by subsidizing the recycled materials (i.e., paper and unusable metal) and well-managed informal recycling systems including itinerant waste buyers.

An Integrated Approach to Municipal Solid Waste Recycling Performance Evaluation by Incorporating Local Demographic Features

Recycling municipal solid waste has become a challenging task for municipalities. Appropriate recycling efficiency evaluations are, thus, essential to find practical benchmark learning targets for inefficient municipal solid waste authorities (MSWAs). This study developed a recycling performance evaluation procedure by subgrouping MSWAs with prominent local demographic features, such as population density, ratio of senior citizens, tourism index etc. Principal recycling relevant factors for MSWAs in each group were then collected, and data envelopment analysis (DEA) was applied for efficiency evaluation and benchmark learning targets. A case study of 181 MSWAs in Taiwan demonstrated the suitability of the proposed procedures. An assessment of the required efforts for efficiency improvements revealed that, in an unsegregated scenario, inefficient MSWAs representing a rural subgroup required maximum efforts to fulfill the efficiency targets, which was on average 61% higher than that determined in their respective subgroup. Furthermore, the unsegregated scenario revealed proximal efficiency results for the urban subgroup. The results indicated that consideration of local demographic features was essential for a fair assessment of recycling efficiency. Additionally, evaluating MSWAs with similar local demographic features was superior in obtaining appropriate benchmark learning targets for the inefficient MSWAs and, consequently, exhibited practicality for improving walkthroughs to achieve the efficiency goal.

The strategy for establishing and running ecotechnology parks as a component of the region’s innovative development

Subject. The article discusses the region’s innovative development based on the circular economy principles. Objectives. We analyze trends in the socio-economic development of the Sverdlovsk Oblast, which is based on the principles of the circular economy. We herein outline the strategy for establishing and running ecotechnology parks as a component of the region’s innovative development. Methods. The study relies upon methods of logic, statistical, retrospective analysis. We applied the systems approach to evaluating the innovative development of the analyzable region in the mid-term run. Results. The article showcases that the principles of the circular economy can be applied to unveil trends and factors of the region’s innovative development in terms of solid waste recycling. Implementing the ecotechnology park as a business model of the circular economy turns out to be a critical aspect of the region’s innovative development, which contributes to its competitiveness, since the business model is intended to address the depletion of national resources. Conclusions. The circular economy policy should pursue the program-based innovative approach. The development and successful operation of the region’s environmental management will help disseminate investment and information flows, the consolidation of financial and intellectual resources of the region.

Challenges confronting waste pickers in Indonesia: An on-field analysis

This article presents the informal recycling sector’s (IRS) social, economic driving factors in five cities in Indonesia and their contribution to waste management in the cities. An on-field analysis was conducted by random and incidental sampling method of questionnaire administration followed by observation. Among the respondents ( n = 178), 79% of individuals were waste pickers, 15% were small-scale waste collectors, and 6% were medium-scale waste collectors. The majority of the waste pickers sampled are male (79%). The amount of waste collected by individual waste pickers is 43.87 kg person−1 day−1, a corresponding recycling rate of approximately 12%, and an average monthly income of US$91.7. Gender differences are apparent as the male waste pickers generated higher incomes than those earned by their female counterparts (US$128.3 for men and US$69.7 for women) even as their average work hours are similar to that of the men (7.8 and 7.6 hours day−1, respectively). Economic motives are the respondents’ primary driving factors as moving to large cities accompanied by their family members. The study concluded that the IRS plays substantial contribution to waste management; further integrating them into the waste management system via IRS association, additional investment, formulation of law and policies and efforts by municipalities can give various benefits for involved stakeholders, the community and the environment. The results can serve as a significant reference for improving the solid waste recycling system and informal sector management in Indonesian cities and other developing countries.