Ana Pires

Solid waste management in European countries: a review of systems analysis techniques.

In the past few decades, solid waste management systems in Europe have involved complex and multi-faceted trade-offs among a plethora of technological alternatives, economic instruments, and regulatory frameworks. These changes resulted in various environmental, economic, social, and regulatory impacts in waste management practices which not only complicate regional policy analysis, but also reshape the paradigm of global sustainable development. Systems analysis, a discipline that harmonizes these integrated solid waste management strategies, has been uniquely providing interdisciplinary support for decision making in this area. Systems engineering models and system assessment tools, both of which enrich the analytical framework of waste management, were designed specifically to handle particular types of problems. Though how to smooth out the barriers toward achieving appropriate systems synthesis and integration of these models and tools to aid in the solid waste management schemes prevalent in European countries still remains somewhat uncertain. This paper conducts a thorough literature review of models and tools illuminating possible overlapped boundaries in waste management practices in European countries and encompassing the pros and cons of waste management practices in each member state of the European Union. Whereas the Southern European Union (EU) countries need to develop further measures to implement more integrated solid waste management and reach EU directives, the Central EU countries need models and tools with which to rationalize their technological choices and management strategies. Nevertheless, considering systems analysis models and tools in a synergistic way would certainly provide opportunities to develop better solid waste management strategies leading to conformity with current standards and foster future perspectives for both the waste management industry and government agencies in European Union.

Composition of plastics from waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) by direct sampling.

This paper describes a direct analysis study carried out in a recycling unit for waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) in Portugal to characterize the plastic constituents of WEEE. Approximately 3400 items, including cooling appliances, small WEEE, printers, copying equipment, central processing units, cathode ray tube (CRT) monitors and CRT televisions were characterized, with the analysis finding around 6000 kg of plastics with several polymer types. The most common polymers are polystyrene, acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene, polycarbonate blends, high-impact polystyrene and polypropylene. Additives to darken color are common contaminants in these plastics when used in CRT televisions and small WEEE. These additives can make plastic identification difficult, along with missing polymer identification and flame retardant identification marks. These drawbacks contribute to the inefficiency of manual dismantling of WEEE, which is the typical recycling process in Portugal. The information found here can be used to set a baseline for the plastics recycling industry and provide information for ecodesign in electrical and electronic equipment production.

Empowering Systems Analysis for Solid Waste Management: Challenges, Trends, and Perspectives

Solid waste management is a significant issue for sustainable development that involves the technical, socioeconomic, legal, ecological, political, and even cultural components. For this reason, systems analysis has been uniquely providing interdisciplinary support for policy analysis and decision making in solid waste management for the last few decades. Considering these challenges and accomplishments retrospectively, this paper presents a thorough literature review and in-depth discussions of systems analysis models that are promising for providing forward-looking, cost-effective, risk-informed, and environmentally benign decisions for sustainable solid waste management. To simplify the discussion, the spectrum of these systems analysis models was divided into three broadly based domains associated with fourteen categories, although some of them may be intertwined with each other. The first domain comprises systems engineering models including cost-benefit analysis, forecasting analysis, simulation analysis, optimization analysis, and integrated modeling system; the second domain introduces systems analysis platforms, such as management information systems/decision support systems/expert systems; and the third domain introduces system assessment tools including scenario development, material flow analysis, life-cycle assessment, risk assessment, environmental impact assessment, strategic environmental assessment, socioeconomic assessment, and sustainable assessment. While some models or tools may be elucidated with respect to multiple managerial purposes, such as integrated modeling system and sustainable assessment, others may cover extended foci of market-based instruments and regulatory requirements, such as socioeconomic assessment and environmental impact assessment. The authors use the term systems analysis as a placeholder for the disparate strands of research and practice at this intersection between environmental systems engineering and sustainability science. Given that the sustainable management is necessary at all phases of impact from the interactions among several prescribed paradigms, current and future solid waste management strategies in relation to systems analysis were particularly discussed. Such a critical review paper may aid the prediction of the possible challenges and the preparation of the appropriate tactics in dealing with large-scale complex solid waste management systems under normal operation and special conditions. It should lead the authors to echo some of their real world observational evidence in terms of cost-benefit-risk trade-off in decision analysis for solid waste management.

Sustainable solid waste management : a systems engineering approach

IV INTEGRATED SYSTEMS PLANNING, DESIGN, AND MANAGEMENT 13 MULTIOBJECTIVE DECISION-MAKING FOR SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT IN A CARBON-REGULATED ENVIRONMENT 14 PLANNING REGIONAL MATERIAL RECOVERY FACILITIES IN A FAST-GROWING URBAN REGION 15 OPTIMAL PLANNING FOR SOLID WASTE COLLECTION, RECYCLING, AND VEHICLE ROUTING 16 MULTIATTRIBUTE DECISION-MAKING WITH SUSTAINABILITY CONSIDERATIONS 17 DECISION ANALYSIS FOR OPTIMAL BALANCE BETWEEN SOLID WASTE INCINERATION AND RECYCLING PROGRAMS 18 ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATICS FOR INTEGRATED SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT

The Portuguese plastic carrier bag tax: The effects on consumers’ behavior

Marine litter from lightweight plastic bags is a global problem that must be solved. A plastic bag tax was implemented in February 2015 to reduce the consumption of plastic grocery bags in Portugal and in turn reduce the potential contribution to marine litter. This study analyzes the effect of the plastic bag tax on consumer behavior to learn how it was received and determine the perceived effectiveness of the tax 4months after its implementation. In addition, the study assessed how proximity to coastal areas could influence behaviors and opinions. The results showed a 74% reduction of plastic bag consumption with a simultaneously 61% increase of reusable plastic bags after the tax was implemented. Because plastic bags were then reused for shopping instead of garbage bags, however, the consumption of garbage bags increased by 12%. Although reduction was achieved, the tax had no effect on the perception of marine litter or the impact of plastic bags on environment and health. The majority of respondents agree with the tax but view it as an extra revenue to the State. The distance to the coast had no meaningful influence on consumer behavior or on the perception of the tax. Although the tax was able to promote the reduction of plastics, the role of hypermarkets and supermarkets in providing alternatives through the distribution of reusable plastic bags was determinant to ensuring the reduction.

Life cycle assessment of a waste lubricant oil management system

PurposeThis paper compares 16 waste lubricant oil (WLO) systems (15 management alternatives and a system in use in Portugal) using a life cycle assessment (LCA). The alternatives tested use various mild processing techniques and recovery options: recycling during expanded clay production, recycling and electric energy production, re-refining, energy recovery during cement production, and energy recovery during expanded clay production.MethodsThe proposed 15 alternatives and the actual present day situation were analyzed using LCA software UMBERTO 5.5, applied to eight environmental impact categories. The LCA included an expansion system to accommodate co-products.ResultsThe results show that mild processing with low liquid gas fuel consumption and re-refining is the best option to manage WLO with regard to abiotic depletion, eutrophication, global warming, and human toxicity environmental impacts. A further environmental option is to treat the WLO using the same mild processing technique, but then send it to expanded clay recycling to be used as a fuel in expanded clay production, as this is the best option regarding freshwater sedimental ecotoxicity, freshwater aquatic ecotoxicity, and acidification.ConclusionsIt is recommended that there is a shift away from recycling and electric energy production. Although sensitivity analysis shows re-refining and energy recovery in expanded clay production are sensitive to unit location and substituted products emission factors, the LCA analysis as a whole shows that both options are good recovery options; re-refining is the preferable option because it is closer to the New Waste Framework Directive waste hierarchy principle.

A case study of packaging waste collection systems in Portugal – Part II: Environmental and economic analysis

An understanding of the environmental impacts and costs related to waste collection is needed to ensure that existing waste collection schemes are the most appropriate with regard to both environment and cost. This paper is Part II of a three-part study of a mixed packaging waste collection system (curbside plus bring collection). Here, the mixed collection system is compared to an exclusive curbside system and an exclusive bring system. The scenarios were assessed using life cycle assessment and an assessment of costs to the waste management company. The analysis focuses on the collection itself so as to be relevant to waste managers and decision-makers who are involved only in this step of the packaging life cycle. The results show that the bring system has lower environmental impacts and lower economic costs, and is capable of reducing the environmental impacts of the mixed system. However, a sensitivity analysis shows that these results could differ if the curbside collection were to be optimized. From economic and environmental perspectives, the mixed system has few advantages.

Carbon Footprint Analysis for the Waste Oil Management System in Portugal

Aims: The study analyzes the carbon footprint of the waste oil management system operating in Portugal to ensure the sustainable operation in the future. The analysis was carried out in 2011for the system that is composed of a treatment procedure collecting the treated oil for re-refining, followed by the production of expanded clay and recycling for electricity production. Methodology: Carbon footprint analysis was conducted by using the Umberto software 5.5 based on the concepts of life cycle assessment with respect to international standards (ISO). Within this context, the substances considered for such carbon footprint analysis are directly relevant to Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC, 2007). Results: The results showed that managing waste oils may contribute to the reduction of carbon footprint due to the avoided emissions of greenhouse gas through the reuse of treated waste oils. The carbon dioxide equivalent emissions from collection and treatment of waste oils would not outweigh such benefit earned from the substitution of virgin lubricant oil even though the use of treated waste oils for producing expanded clay may end up some more carbon dioxide emissions. Conclusion: The carbon footprint analysis in this study has shown the potential for improvements in the waste oil management system in Portugal. The most significant

Solid waste prevention and management at green festivals: A case study of the Andanças Festival, Portugal

Research on waste prevention and management at green festivals is scarce. The present study helps to fill this gap by analyzing waste prevention/reduction and management measures implemented at the Andanças festival, Portugal. Waste characterization campaigns and a questionnaire survey were conducted during the festival. The results show that the largest amount of waste generated was residual waste, followed by food and kitchen waste and packaging waste. The amount of waste generated per person per day at the festival was lower than that of other festivals for both the entire venue and the canteen. Concerning food and kitchen waste generated at the canteen, the amounts are in accordance with the findings of previous studies, but the amount of the edible fraction is comparatively low. Source separation rates are high, in line with other festivals that engage in food-waste source separation. Factors affecting the participation of attendees in waste prevention measures at the festival are the type of participant, their region of origin, the frequency of visits, and whether they are attending as a family. Efforts must be made to increase the awareness of attendees about waste prevention measures, to develop guidelines and methods to quantify the waste prevention measures, and to formulate policies aimed at increasing the application of the zero-waste principle at festivals.

Assessment and Improvement

Today’s environmental concerns are related to the population and its consumption of resources, which have led to significant ecological global changes, such as climate change and resources overexploitation. The solid waste management, in an integrated way, has been capable of influencing and contributing to the solution of such challenges. The purpose of this chapter is to discuss the assessment and improvement of the waste collection system by using life cycle thinking, with a sustainable perspective. Several methodologies such as life cycle assessment, carbon footprint, life cycle costing, and social life cycle assessment will be presented and discussed concerning its application to waste collection systems and contribution to the integrated waste management system.