SOLID WASTE DISPOSAL IN EAST MAMPRUSI MUNICIPALITY: ASSESSMENT OF REASONS FOR DISPOSAL METHODS

Purpose: The study determined the methods of solid waste disposal in the municipality, in relation with awareness and compliance with dumping on approved locations. Methodology: The study adopted simple and purposive sampling techniques to select households and respondents. The target respondents for the study were, planning and Environmental offices, chiefs and opinion leaders, and heads of households. Data were analyzed using a regression model to determine the influencing factors of the disposal options, whiles also evaluating compliance with the disposal on approved lands. Findings: The research found out that; open dumping in the neighborhood, (83.33%), was the main disposal option of the municipality, also, there was a significant relationship between; awareness of approved dumping sites and compliance with dumping on approved sites, distance to the waste disposal sites affected the disposal on approved sites, and lack of knowledge on by-laws on waste management also affected the choice of disposal option. The research concluded that open dumping of waste is mainly driven by low awareness of approved disposal sites and the absence of recycling alternatives. The unique contribution to theory, practice and policy: The study recommended the need for the provision of more communal containers and waste bins by government and sector players on waste management in the district; intensive education on bye-laws, emphasizing on the significance of dumping waste on approved sites is a welcoming intervention.

DATABASES TO SUPPORT ASSET MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL REUSE: THE CASE STUDY OF THE REPUBLIC OF NORTH MACEDONIA

Over the past decades, many EU and non EU countries have amended their legislative and institutional framework on proceeds of crime confiscation to deprive criminals of their assets more effectively and to better manage and dispose of them. There are still, however, some under-researched issues that could greatly enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of confiscation policies. A first topic is the contribution that databases can give to asset management and disposal; the second one deals with a particular asset disposal option which involves giving criminal proceeds back to the communities affected by crime and promoting their use in line with communal needs: social reuse. This article responds to this question: what is the current situation regarding these two key issues in the Republic of North Macedonia?

Current Practice of Managing the Waste of the Waste: Policy, Market, and Organisational Factors Influencing Shredder Fines Management in Sweden

The recycling-industry residue called shredder fines (fines) presents a disposal problem, incurs handling costs, and reduces resource efficiency in general. This study aims to identify the challenges of facilitating fines valorisation in the Swedish context. Hence, the shredding company perspective of the underlying factors that sustain the current practice of fines management is established by studying the case of a specific shredding company using semi-structured interviews. Utilisation in landfill covering offers the company a secure outlet and a legislatively-compliant low-cost disposal option for fines. Additionally, lack of specific regulatory standards, unfavourable regulation of waste reutilisation, and lack of market demand for secondary raw materials (SRMs) create disincentives to develop valorisation options. Also, the lack of corporate-level focus on the issue has resulted in a lack of organising for and capacities to improve the handling of the material. Initiating fines valorisation needs to challenge these prevailing circumstances and thus necessitates governmental interventions. Simultaneously, favourable conditions for SRM utilisation are needed; that is, established outlets for fines-derived SRMs and clear regulatory and market playing rules that reduce uncertainty and investment risk of developing tailored processes for upgrading and resource recovery need to be available.

Providing rationale for the possibility of decommissioning Bilibino nuclear cogeneration plant based on the onsite disposal option

The problem of the NPP decommissioning after the end of the specified or extended life has reached the practical solution stage for countries possessing a nuclear power industry. The major decommissioning options, both in Russia and abroad, include immediate dismantling and deferred dismantling. At the same time, there are NPP units for which, for a number of reasons, none of the two options are acceptable in terms of ensuring the safety of the personnel, the public and the environment. Disposal, the third and a more rare option, shall be used for decommissioning in this case. The purpose of the work is to provide rationale for the possibility of decommissioning Bilibino Nuclear Cogeneration Plant based on the Onsite Disposal option by covering the main building with an inert material with the formation of a mound. The option has been selected considering the results of an integrated analysis taking into account the geographical, operational, radiological, and socioeconomic factors, as well as based on a limited experience of decommissioning commercial uranium-graphite reactors both within and outside Russia. In accordance with Russian law, the decommissioning stage will start after spent nuclear fuel is withdrawn from the unit and removed. Emphasis is placed on the proposed option preparation and implementation issues. Dates and sequences for the performance of operations to dismantle the components and civil works of buildings and structures, as well as the onsite protective mound formation structure and composition are discussed. The geometrical dimensions, as well as the quantities and types of the mound-forming materials have been estimated. The key mound-forming materials will be fragments of the components, the biological shielding, and the civil works, as well as local materials.

Waste-to-Energy in the EU: The Effects of Plant Ownership, Waste Mobility, and Decentralization on Environmental Outcomes and Welfare

Waste-to-energy (WtE) could prevent the production of up to 50 million tons of CO2 emissions that would otherwise be generated by burning fossil fuels. Yet, support for a large deployment of WtE plants is not universal because there is a widespread concern that energy from waste discourages recycling practices. Moreover, incineration plants generate air pollution and chemical waste residuals and are expensive to build compared to modern landfills that have appropriate procedures for the prevention of leakage of harmful gasses. In the context of the EU, this paper aims to provide a picture of the actual role of WtE as a disposal option for municipal solid waste (MSW), enabling it to be utilized as a source of clean energy, and to address two important aspects of the debate surrounding the use of WtE; namely, (i) the relationship between WtE and recycling, and (ii) the effects of decentralization, waste mobility, and plant ownership. Finally, it reviews the role of the EU as a supranational regulator, which may allow the lower government levels (where consumer preferences are better represented) to take decisions, while taking spillovers into account.

Circular Economy in Home Textiles: Motivations of IKEA Consumers in Sweden

(1) If policy-makers and businesses are to encourage consumers to participate in circular consumption systems, knowledge is needed about what motivates consumers to choose different disposal options. This paper aims to shed light on what motivates consumers to engage in circular home textile disposal practices. (2) Quantitative data was collected through a survey of members of the IKEA Family programme (N = 238), and logistic regressions were carried out to complement the quantitative analysis. Qualitative data was collected in semi-structured interviews with a total of 24 Swedish consumers. (3) Our findings show that donating and discarding are the most common options for handling home textiles, followed by reusing/storing, repairing, and reselling. Regression results indicate that environmental concerns, convenience, and economic reasons are the dominant motivations in choosing a disposal option. Prosocial behaviour and normative issues play a lesser role. (4) We recommend that policy-makers and businesses work to increase convenience of consumers’ participation in circular product practices, and continually communicate environmental benefits of circular disposal options. Businesses and policy-makers aiming to make circular consumption more attractive also need to ensure economic benefits for consumers.

Manufacture of lightweight clay bricks with improved thermal insulation properties via the incorporation of spent shea waste

An effective environmentally correct disposal option for spent shea waste is remarkably constrained by many factors regardless of the disposal method adopted hitherto. Dumping of spent shea waste in farmlands or its landfilling have serious long-term ramifications to environment. Besides, it cannot be openly burned without violating international treaties on global warming issues. For this reason, we incorporated spent shea waste into brick making clay towards the manufacture of lightweight clay bricks with improved insulation properties. In this regard, bricks were prepared under various sintering conditions by replacing 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.% of the clay material with spent shea waste. The results show bricks fired at 1000 °C with 15 wt.% spent shea waste incorporation is most optimized manufacturing condition. These bricks demonstrated a 13.82 wt.% reduction in weight, compressive strength of 6 Mpa, water absorption of 15.95 % and a beneficial reduced thermal conductivity of 0.31 W/(mK), which translated to about 58.06 % increase in thermal insulation relative to the reference brick samples. This research has therefore provided convincing evidence on the possible widespread valorization of spent shea waste in manufacture of lightweight clay bricks with improved insulation properties. Hence, an ecofriendly disposal method of spent shea waste.

Alternative methods for Salt free / Less salt short term preservation of hides and skins in leather making for sustainable development – A review

During the leather processing, large quantities of the salt as sodium chloride, about 30-50 % (% w/w on raw weight) is applied for short term preservation of hides and skins, which subsequently leaches out from the skins/hides and end up in waste streams. This raises a serious environmental concern as well as total dissolved solids (TDS) problem in the wastewater, for which there is no viable treatment method available. Remediation measures such as Reverse Osmosis (RO) or Ultra Filtration (UF) could only separate salt from these waste streams and end up as salt sludge, which necessitates Secured Land Fill (SLF) for disposal option. There are some concerns for SLF as it requires Land area as well as possible leaching due to highly soluble nature of Sodium chloride. Therefore, there is a pressing need for developing an alternative methods for Salt free / Less salt short term preservation of hides and skins. In this regard, Research and Development work is being carried out worldwide and several reports are available. Therefore, it would be beneficial to review and analyze the salt free alternative preservation methods. Even though, some reviews on this topic has been reported earlier, they have not taken into account the patent literature available on this subject. The present paper reviews various alternative methods for Salt free / Less salt short term preservation of hides and skins, taking into account both patent and other publications on this subject.