Perceptions of Urban Pollution of River Dependent Rural Communities and Their Impact: A Case Study in Bangladesh

This study considers the Old Brahmaputra River, Bangladesh, as a case study regarding community perceptions on urban pollution and its impact on rural communities. In doing so, in-depth individual interviews (n = 195), key informant interviews (n = 7), and focus group discussions (n = 7) were conducted by emphasizing different perspectives on urban pollution and its effects on people related to losses of fisheries resources, agricultural production, human health, and livelihood transformation. The findings illustrate that poor urban solid waste management and direct sewage discharge degrade rivers daily. The most vulnerable rural communities are directly dependent upon the river, including fishermen, farmers, and boatmen. Specific measures such as an effluent treatment plant should be established near the river, and households and commercial drains should be cut off from the direct connection with the river. Alternative income-generating activities for the stakeholders are suggested to safeguard the river from urban pollution and the wellbeing of the stakeholders.

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.

Pollution Credit Certificates Theory: An Analysis on the Quality of Solid Waste Management in Brazil

Purpose: This paper aims to introduce an economic instrument called Theory of Pollution Credit Certificates in the management of municipal solid waste in Brazil, in order to create opportunities to achieve the goal established in the above mentioned policy at lowest possible social costs. Methodology/Approach: The methodology adopted has as a starting point the “constructo” of a scenario in which a city comprised of five brazilian districts produces its urban solid waste made up of 50% organic material. In the proposed scenario, similar to what happens in practice, a fee for collection and treatment of organic material would be charged for two different situations. Findings: The result showed that the use of Pollution Credit Certificates Theory has a better cost-effectiveness for solid waste management because it allows reaching the environmental goal at a lower cost to society. Research Limitation/Implication: Subjectivity of the analysis, due to the “constructo” proposition in the studies. Originality/Value of paper: From the results obtained, we inferred that the use of the Pollution Certificates Theory for the management of brazilian municipal solid waste benefits from economies of scale as it allows in the scenario determined, that districts sell their spaces at the landfill and parallel to this, to promote the practice of composting organic waste in the municipality.

College Students’ Willingness to Separate Municipal Waste and Its Influencing Factors: A Case Study in Chongqing, China

College students are the engine of the sustainability of the future, and their awareness of environmental protection and waste classification is very important for the sustainable implementation of urban solid waste separation projects. Chongqing is one of the first 46 waste separation pilot cities in China. The primary objective of this study was to investigate the municipal waste separation behavior of college students and its influencing factors. Data from a total of 814 questionnaires among college students from sixteen universities in Chongqing were collected. Results showed that most college students think it is necessary to separate waste, and they have executed it in their daily life. Students have a high accuracy in classifying perishable waste, but they are not familiar with the classification of waste lamps, bulbs (14.00%), expired drugs (30.71%), toilet paper (11.3%), peel (18.80%) and brick kilns (27.76%). Special attention should be paid to distinguishing recyclables and other wastes. The principal factors that affect students’ willingness to classify waste are attitude, situational factors and publicity and education, which are embodied in students’ attitude towards waste separation, the surrounding environmental hygiene, the convenience of waste separation, the ease of understanding of waste separation marks and the degree of publicity and education of the school. Four measures are recommended for improving students’ willingness to separate municipal waste based on this investigation.

Determination of Service Priority Areas as an Effort to Increase Urban Solid Waste Service Coverage (Case study Ngawi Regency)

Limited budget and infrastructure require that a selection be made, which areas prioritize solid waste services. The priority of waste services is determined based on the results of the assessment of the interest scale matrix of the service area. Regions with the highest matrix scores receive priority, followed by sites with lower scores. This study aims to determine the importance of increasing the solid waste service area in Ngawi district, with 19 sub-districts. The results showed that the Ngawi sub-district, as the district capital, Ngawi sub-district was the priority to improve solid waste services, followed by Kedunggalar, Karangjati, Mantingan, and Padas sub-districts.

Solid waste management and contemporary challenges

In the present study we analyze and discuss socioenvironmental impacts arising from inadequate management of urban solid waste in the Brazilian Discovery Coast, southern Bahia. We also discuss the challenges to be overcome to promote proper management, highlighting the need for social inclusion of waste pickers. Methodological procedures consisted of an applied and exploratory research, through a review of specialized scientific literature. We also used secondary data available at the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics and at the National Sanitation Information System, and applied a structured online questionnaire to municipal managers of public sanitation services. The cities under study only transfer the waste generated in urban centers to distant areas, in dumps, negatively affecting the environment and public health. There are neither management units nor incentive practices or support programs aimed at recyclable material collectors. Due to the weaknesses and the socioenvironmental, cultural, and historical importance of the area under study, the creation of public policies with broad popular participation is urgently needed to promote a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable development.

Viable Disposal of Post-Consumer Polymers in Mexico: A Review

Post-consumer polymers require viable actions to transfer value to the final consumer to reduce environmental impact. Worldwide, initiatives are being developed to promote the culture of recycling and thus reduce waste generation. These initiatives seek to make the work of thousands of people visible, encourage job creation, and promote businesses through incentive schemes for effective separation, collection, classification, reuse, and recycling, in the hands of consumers, collectors, and scavenges. It is necessary to emphasize that Mexico needs to develop techniques to increase the productivity of collection centers for recyclable materials and to face the challenges that recycling implies. For these reasons, the Mexican government has spoken of waste management as a national priority due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which increased urban solid waste between 3.3 % and 16.5 % in addition to what was generated under normal conditions. Also, the recycling chain provides economic income to more than 35 thousand Mexicans. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is an example of the most notable circular economy in Mexico because 60 % of PET bottles are recycled. Therefore, this article addresses the methods and systems in the management of urban solid waste. It focuses on post-consumer recycled plastic bottles to provide an overview of cost-effective strategies for designing and developing an affordable sorting system in Mexico from the academic field. In addition, to simplify the solution that we propose, it is recommended to combine optical techniques such as infrared spectroscopy and Raman spectroscopy with others methods that work together, such as computer vision, to develop affordable systems that address the limitations of mechanical systems.