Current Status of the Management of Plant Protection Product Containers in Cho Moi District, An Giang Province, Vietnam

Every year, thousands of tons of plant protection product (PPP) containers are indiscriminately discharged into the environment as toxic waste that has a negative impact on the land, water, and air environment as well as public health. This study surveyed the use of PPPs in rice cultivation, and the generation of hazardous waste (HW) when using pesticides, specifically pesticide packaging and containers in Long Kien and Long Dien B communes, Cho Moi district, An Giang province, Vietnam. Data collection was conducted through direct interviews, mainly collecting personal information of farmers in the surveyed area, the current situation with regard to pesticide use, container management, environmental awareness, and proposals for hazardous waste management from the farmers’ perspectives. The results show that local farmers are aware of the harmful effects of pesticide containers, but they are not able to make use of effective methods of collecting and treating the waste containers properly. Based on the survey results, several solutions are proposed for managing HW in order to reduce environmental pollution from the use of pesticides, minimize the impacts of HW on people's health, and contribute to local sustainable development.

Factors Affecting the Hazardous Waste Management Practices in Heavy Industries

Among the different types of waste, hazardous waste poses a serious challenge to humans and the environment if not properly managed. Although many industries generate hazardous waste in various degrees, heavy industries generate the largest volume of hazardous waste. While hazardous waste management (HWM) has been studied well in many industry sectors and countries, it is not so with heavy industries in developing countries. The purpose of this paper was therefore to identify the factors affecting the HWM practices in heavy industries in Sri Lanka. The data was collected from 40 companies in ten different industrial categories of heavy industry. The respondent was the environmental officer of each company. The analysis reveals that technological facilities, public resistance, company policy, and economic factors affect the HWM practices in heavy industries in Sri Lanka. This study has several policy level and managerial implications for HWM in heavy industries to contribute towards the achievement of sustainable development.

Households’ Waste Scenario during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Outlook from Bangladesh

With pandemic progression and the stay-at-home situation, household are producing more dangerous medical waste. Households became the most vulnerable and unprotected sector of coronavirus transmission due to the unconsciousness and lack of guidance of hazardous waste management. Therefore, waste management is a critical concern to public health. This study examines household waste generation and waste management issues in Bangladesh during COVID-19 from March 2020 to August 2021. The study showed that adequate identification, collection, transportation, processing, separation, and disposal are the challenges of safe waste management. Each activity bears a high risk of getting infected because of lack of proper guidance and protection. Moreover, the improper disposal of hazardous waste causes immense soil, water and air pollution that might have negative effects to the human body. Some suggested guidelines to a better COVID-19 household’s waste management are discussed in the context of Bangladesh.