Household solid waste management practices and perceptions among residents in the East Coast of Malaysia

Background Poor waste disposal practices hamper the progress towards an integrated solid waste management in households. Knowledge of current practices and perception of household solid waste management is necessary for accurate decision making in the move towards a more sustainable approach. This study investigates the household waste practices and perceptions about waste management in Panji, one of the sub-districts in Kota Bharu, Kelantan, Malaysia. Methods A stratified random sampling technique using a cross-sectional survey questionnaire was used to collect data. A total of 338 households were interviewed in the survey and data were analyzed using SPSS. Chi-square goodness of fit test was used to determine the relationships between categorical variables, whereas Chi-square bivariate correlation test was performed to observe the correlation between the perceptions of waste segregation with socio-demographic background of the respondents. The correlation between perception of respondents with the locality, house type and waste type were also conducted. Principal component analysis was used to identify grouping of variables and to establish which factors were interrelated in any given construct. Results The results of the study revealed that 74.3 % of households disposed of food debris as waste and 18.3% disposed of plastic materials as waste. The study also showed that 50.3% of the households segregate their waste while 49.7% did not. About 95.9% of the respondents were aware that improper waste management leads to disease; such as diarrhea and malaria. There were associations between locality, age and house type with waste segregation practices among respondents (Chi-square test, p<0.05). Associations were also found between locality with the perception of improper waste management which lead to disease (Chi-square test, p<0.05). Principal Component Analysis showed that 17.94% of the variance has high positive loading (positive relationship) with age, marital status and, type of house. Conclusion This study highlights the importance to design waste separation programs that suit the needs of targeted population as a boost towards sustainable solid waste management practices.

R3 Practices by the Restaurants and Hotel Industry for Sustainable Waste Management in Pune

R3(Reduce, reuse and recycle) plays an essential role in maintaining the Environment and eventually gives the Hotel Industry sustainable benefits. The research shows that hotels and restaurants must implement better waste management practices to benefit them and indi-rectly make the guests and consumers aware. This medium is qualitative research done by random sampling of consumers and specified restaurants and hotels with the questionnaire as a sampling tool. A chef must develop better R3 practices and bring existing R3 methods to others' notice to promote sustainable waste management. The finding further indicates that hotels and restaurants are happy with following R3, and they need to showcase to the world that they are following the practices and how they benefit the Environment in the way of sustainable waste management. This research article encourages hoteliers to become envi-ronmentally friendly increasingly to support the cause, and The research also includes the findings of other authors on the parallel lines to the objectives. 75% of the organizers ob-served the impact of R3 implementation in the different costs and positive rise in controlling food cost which reflects in particular percentage hike of profit, all the expenditure towards the system changes of R3 needed to be considered as Asset cost to have it reflected in the savings and incomes. 42% of owners of environmentally friendly restaurants observe that food cost is reducing up to 5% savings. Restaurants should prioritize convenient, eco-friendly practices and implement them one by one once they achieve success in the previous eco-friendly practice Scope of this study is limited to Pune city.

Waste Management Practices of Beach Resorts in Biliran Province

A beach resort is a tourist spot, which is excellent for family outings and friends. It is a great place to relax and enjoy. Biliran has known for several different tourist spots, especially the beaches. Beach is one of the famous tourist spots, and those beaches are a haven for scuba divers because of the abundance of marine life. The study’s goal was to find out how beach resorts in Almeria, Biliran, dealt with waste. A descriptive research design was adopted in this study. It's descriptive in the sense that it describes beach resort trash management procedures. Leaves and seaweeds are the most general rubbish found at resorts, according to the findings of the study. According to the results, management should provide more training to employees to improve their knowledge of work and how to become more effective workers in their respective fields.

Medical waste management in healthcare institutions

Studies over the past decade have shown that medical waste generated has increased significantly and will continue to increase with the pandemic. To identify solutions to solve this global issue, the assignment focuses on defining the existing waste management practices followed in developing countries and highlights specific challenges faced. The purpose of this assignment is to identify ways where healthcare organizations can improve the overall medical waste management (MWM) process and create awareness among co-workers. The assignment is divided into three main components where critical analysis of primary research, policy for waste management and use of IT/IS tools were analyzed. Three articles analyzed in this assignment were published in high impact journals/international reports between 2014-2018. Findings from the primary research were obtained using a Likert-scale questionnaire from 156 healthcare institutions, the results indicated that MWM practices followed in healthcare institutions are impacted by three factors, awareness of staff, technological availability and attitudes of top-board management. The three factors had a p-value of 0.00 in the correlation analysis carried out indicating a highly significant relationship between them. Integrated sustainable waste management model following the GWMO (Global Waste Management Outlook) framework was identified to be most adaptable method. The advantage of this model is such that it can be remodeled based on the country’s requirement with the help of digital tools and country-level indicators. The use of IT/IS tools were critically analyzed in the last article with use of GIS integrated real-time waste management system being identified as the most feasible option, where using online tracking systems and smart bins the type of waste and quantities produced can be measured and provide real time updates to local authorities to ensure safe waste management practices are followed. Recommendations from the assignment identifies that countries needs to conduct a preliminary analysis of types of medical waste being generated in healthcare institutions to provide a better understanding of types of hazardous waste exposed to the environment. Additionally, frequent training workshops needs to be conducted to ensure the management and staff understand the importance of MWM.

Assessment of Solid Waste Management at Source in Compliance With Guidelines Among Residents of Kawempe Division, Kampala, Uganda

Background: Solid waste management poses a big challenge for many urban households, municipalities and cities, especially in developing countries, partly due to increasing urbanization. Overcrowding and informal settlements have emerged with illegal and indiscriminate waste disposal. Guidelines for proper management of solid waste are least observed at house hold level in such settings. The purpose of the study was to assess solid waste management at source in compliance with guidelines among residents of Kawempe municipality Kampala district. Methods: It was descriptive and analytical cross-sectional study design, with both quantitative and qualitative methods. 385 households heads and four local leaders were interviewed using researcher administered questionnaires and interview guide. Results: The study found that only 37.9% of households complied with guidelines for solid waste management at source. Factors of waste management practices were waste reduction (p=0.005), separation (p=0.001), reuse (p=0.001) and composting (p=0.027). Determinants such as gender (p=0.007), marital status (p=0.016), level of education (p<0.0001), occupation (p=0.007), household size (p=0.025), medium of community sensitization (p<0.0001), enforcement of bi-laws (p=0.005), type of waste generated (p<0.0001) and waste storage method (p=0.009) were implicated. Conclusion: Compliance with guidelines in the management of household solid waste at source was still very low within the city. Authorities ought to intensify household solid waste management awareness campaigns.

A review on waste management and compost production in the Middle East–North Africa region

Over the last two decades, solid waste management in the Middle East–North Africa (MENA) region has been one of the major challenges due to increasing solid waste quantities and poor waste management practices. With the tremendously increasing amounts of organic waste, MENA countries are under great pressure and are facing the threats of acute air pollution, contamination of water bodies and climate change. As a result, these countries are adopting different methods to cope with this rising challenge of waste management, including composting. This review reports on the different MENA countries’ organic waste quantities, disposal methods, organic waste management practices and challenges, along with the potential use and demand of compost, where information is available. The reported data are from 2009 to 2021, with the bulk of the papers being from 2014 and onwards. The total amount of municipal waste collected in the 21 countries ranged from 0.56 million tons in Mauritania to 90 million tons in Egypt, with an average of 16.42 million tons, equivalent to 1.08 kg per capita waste generation per day. Around 55% of this material is biogenous. Many treatments and repurposing methods of this material are adopted in the MENA region, mainly through composting, as it presents one of the most sustainable solutions that lead to immediate climate change mitigation. This article also presents the biotic and abiotic stressors faced by this region, which in turn affect the successful implementation of composting solutions, and proposes some solutions based on different studies conducted.

MICROPLASTICS IN LANDFILL LEACHATES IN THREE NORDIC COUNTRIES

We investigated the occurrence of microplastics (size range 5,000-50 µm) in leachates at 11 landfills of different age and operational status in Finland, Iceland and Norway. Collective sampling was carried out by pumping leachate with a stainless-steel submergible pump through a custom-made, stainless-steel filter unit containing filter plates with decreasing pore sizes (5,000, 417 and 47 µm, respectively). Samples were pre-treated and split into particles size classes above 500 μm and above 50 μm, and screened for occurrence of microplastics made of PE, PP, PVC, PS, PET, PA, PU, PC, PMMA, POM, SBR (rubber) or PMB (polymer modified bitumen). Samples were analysed by FT-IR spectroscopy, both to identify and to count microplastic particles (SBR and PMB were merely identified). Most samples tested positive for multiple microplastics. Three leachates, including drinking water (blank), tested positive for SBR particles and/or PMB only. Treated leachate samples exhibited lower total microplastic’s counts than untreated, up to several orders of magnitude. National waste management practices over time, landfill age or operational status do not seem to explain differences in microplastic abundance or counts between leachates. Particle count and calculated loads of microplastic emissions through leachates differed several orders of magnitude between landfills. Results indicate that landfill leachates might be a relatively small source of microplastics (&gt;50 µm) to surface waters compared to untreated and treated sewage or road runoff. Continued data acquisition, improved sample preparation and understanding of variability of microplastics in landfill leachate are necessary, including particles smaller than 50 µm.