Examining country development indicators and e-waste under the moderating effect of country development levels and e-waste policy

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to investigate if country development indicators, i.e. gross domestic product per capita (GDPPC), literacy rate, internet penetration and urban population, influence the generation of e-waste on a global level. The moderation effect due to differences between countries in terms of absence or presence of e-waste policy and level of development is also checked.Design/methodology/approachThis is an archival study that builds upon data from United Nations (UN), World Bank and Global E-waste Statistics Partnership. The authors did a path analysis comprising mediation and multigroup analyses to decipher the proposed rese arch model containing data from 172 countries.FindingsThe results indicate that GDPPC, literacy rate, internet penetration and urban population do not directly influence the generation of e-waste. However, higher internet penetration in developing countries leads to higher e-waste, while higher literacy rates in developed countries suppress e-waste generation. When it comes to e-waste policy, a higher urban population without a regulatory legal framework boosts higher e-waste. The authors observed that higher internet penetration leads to higher e-waste in the presence of e-waste policy as well.Originality/valueThis is the first study to include economic well-being indicators in elaborating e-waste generation, on a global scale. No previous study has observed differences between countries nested in e-waste policy and level of development.

The challenge of urban solid waste management in Brazil

The National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) and its regulation originated a new reference for the integrated and sustainable solid waste management in the country and new challenges for the implementation and improvement of the selective collection service provision in the municipalities. The purpose of this research is to identify the efficiency level of urban solid waste management in the Brazilian capitals during the period from 2002 to 2016. To measure the efficiency, the Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) technique was used. The sample consisted of 20 Brazilian capitals. After measuring efficiency, the logistic regression technique was used to measure the contribution of each variable used in the DEA technique. As a result, it was observed that the number of materials recovered is very low compared to the number of materials collected, the municipality that collected the most materials was Vitória in 2015 and the municipality that recovered the most waste was Florianópolis in 2013.

A critical review of household recycling barriers in the United Kingdom

The UK recycling rate fluctuates between 45% and 47% and has consistently failed to meet the 65% target set by the post-Brexit Resource and Waste Strategy. Understanding the issues surrounding the low recycling rate in metropolitan cities in the United Kingdom will help to overcome these recycling challenges. The review examines the current situation with regard to the recycling rate and tonnage of waste produced in the United Kingdom based on available secondary waste flow data and explores different barriers related to household recycling. Many areas giving rise to the recycling challenges have been identified, including waste policy constraints, lack of effective communication, public engagement, physical barriers, service constraints, human factors and socio-economic barriers. The literature review reveals that factors such as waste policy, communication and physical factors were the most important aspects in influencing recycling rate or output. It is concluded that a multi-dimension intervention is required, which includes a thorough review of waste policy, a more stringent enforcement, an improved communication strategy and a more integrated planning development policy to mitigate issues affecting the United Kingdom’s low recycling rate or output. This approach will propel the local authorities to launch or initiate effective recycling management and to put in place the required infrastructure to facilitate effective recycling activities.

Amidst Global E-Waste Trades and Green Neoliberalization

This chapter provides contextual background on global e-waste policy and politics and emerging “green” neoliberal interventions in Ghana. It explores nongovernmental organization interest in e-waste, with a particular focus on e-waste intervention in Agbogbloshie, Ghana. The chapter unearths the ways in which e-waste interventions, especially those aimed at mitigating air pollution and finding solutions to the environmental health crisis, are taking shape in Ghana. The chapter explores how e-waste intervention intersects with broader “green” urban development goals emerging in Ghana and how neoliberal efforts and infrastructures are endorsed and activated to modernize Ghana’s rapidly growing e-waste recycling and tech metal extraction economy.

Implementation and challenges of waste management: an analysis of the economic and environmental advantage in the recycling of Reverse Logistics / Implementação e os desafios da gestão de resíduos: uma análise da vantagem econômica e ambiental na reciclagem de Logística Reversa

This research aimed to analyze the economic and environmental advantage of solid waste management with recycling in Reverse Logistics, highlighting the implementation and the challenges of its management. With Law No. 12,305, of August 2, 2010, the implementation of the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) in parallel with Reverse Logistics suggests the minimization of waste problems with integrated management through Reverse Logistics. This establishes shared responsibility between producers and consumers for the correct destination and disciplines the problem of solid waste. The study was carried out in two stages: in the first, the National Solid Waste Policy (PNRS) was registered in waste management with the recycling of reverse logistics. In the second stage, the economic and environmental advantage of the Reversa Logística of the Embrasures Plásticos of the Automotive Lubricant Oil in an Institute located in Paupina-Fortaleza / CE was analyzed. The criterion was adopted based on the qualitative and quantitative character. The results pointed to a significant importance of the PNRS for the recycling of Reverse Logistics packages with the adhesion of companies. Therefore, Reverse Logistics was fundamental in reducing waste returning to its life cycle and in better participating companies in waste management in a sustainable way.