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Management of Solid Waste

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Energy Sustainability".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 May 2021) | Viewed by 6216

Special Issue Editors

Laboratory of Physics and Mathematical Engineering for Energy and the Environment (PIMENT), University of La Réunion, 97744 Saint Denis, France
Interests: environment; biotechnology; civil engineering; climate; building simulation; weather; solid waste
Laboratory of Physics and Mathematical Engineering for Energy and the Environment (PIMENT), University of La Réunion, 97744 Saint Denis, France
Interests: thermodynamics; energy systems; energy efficiency optimization; energy storage; transient modelling and simulation; transfers; conversion

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Solid waste (SW, organic or inorganic, food wastes) management presents numerous and challenging issues. The overproduction of waste has been causing negative impacts on our environment, and raw materials are becoming scarce. Although solid waste is mainly produced in cities, its management in insular and small countries is also of great importance.

Waste reduction and valorization need to be taken to a new level of performance. Despite being harmful to the environment, solid waste has a great potential for the development of recycled materials, new by-products, and cleaner sources of energy. However, issues regarding adequate transformation techniques, legislation, and economic aspects still need to be solved to achieve an efficient and sustainable solid waste management. The adaptation of all these topics to various scales of territories is not completely treated also.

In addition, the development of multicriteria evaluation or life cycle assessment tools and the exploitation of databases for the reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions or, in general, SW environmental impacts, as well as the implementation of new techniques for SW characterization and sorting are essential.

The purpose of this Special Issue is to gather research articles focused on relevant trends, solutions, and sustainability improvements for SW management.

A special (but not exclusive) emphasis is on innovative solutions to improve the following:

  • Waste-to-energy technologies
  • Recovery of waste, both in terms of new materials and energy
  • Life cycle analysis and circular economy applied to solid waste management
  • Economics and waste management
  • Legislation, environmental, and management of solid wastes
  • Methodologies for solid waste management in insular, rural, and remote areas
  • Microbiology, physics modelling, and experiments for solid waste management and process
  • New tools or databases for evaluation of solid waste management

Dr. Laetitia Adélard
Dr. Jean Castaing-Lasvignottes
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • Solid waste management
  • Waste reduction and valorization
  • Recycled materials and energy
  • Multicriteria evaluation
  • Life cycle assessment
  • Legislation
  • Remote areas
  • Microbiology
  • New tools or databases

Published Papers (2 papers)

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Research

12 pages, 2544 KiB  
Article
Market Structure of Urban Waste Treatment and Disposal: Empirical Evidence from the Italian Industry
by Giacomo Di Foggia and Massimo Beccarello
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7412; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13137412 - 02 Jul 2021
Cited by 14 | Viewed by 2550
Abstract
In light of the organizational dynamics of services of economic interest, the regulation of municipal solid waste management is a critical issue to deal with so as to achieve sustainability goals in the coming decades. The European circular economy targets limit the share [...] Read more.
In light of the organizational dynamics of services of economic interest, the regulation of municipal solid waste management is a critical issue to deal with so as to achieve sustainability goals in the coming decades. The European circular economy targets limit the share of municipal waste in landfills to a maximum of 10% by 2035. Consequently, waste-to-energy plants may temporarily become the primary option for residual unsorted waste. The municipal waste management chain comprises two consequential stages: collection and transport, and the treatment and disposal stage, which characterizes as an oligopolistic market structure. After defining the relevant market and calculating market concentration measures, we analyze market power in the treatment and disposal of non-recyclable mixed waste, also known as residual waste. Our analyses are based on empirical data using well-known market concentration indices such as the Herfindahl–Hirschman index and concentration ratios. We report the results of three different market concentration scenarios based on alternative geographic and product market definitions. Considering only waste-to-energy as a product market, we present a situation of moderate concentration, typically involving the attention of competition authorities. On the contrary, considering both options as a single product market, no relevant evidence emerges due to the significant share of waste sent to landfills in 2019, i.e., 20.1% of the total municipal solid waste generated in Italy. Implications for future studies consist of new detailed information on the municipal waste treatment market structure in one of the leading European countries that may prompt comparative studies. Policy implications are derived from the possibility of taking cues from this paper to envisage appropriate regulatory models for an evolving sector in which market spaces are increasing. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Solid Waste)
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16 pages, 966 KiB  
Article
An Evaluation of Interventions for Improving Pro-Environmental Waste Behaviour in Social Housing
by Ryan Woodard and Anthea Rossouw
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7272; https://0-doi-org.brum.beds.ac.uk/10.3390/su13137272 - 29 Jun 2021
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 2340
Abstract
Recycling levels have been stagnating for a decade in England. Over the last 2 years, 39% of local authorities have seen a reduction in their recycling rates. Social housing has historically been neglected in waste service provision and literature. Housing associations own 2.5 [...] Read more.
Recycling levels have been stagnating for a decade in England. Over the last 2 years, 39% of local authorities have seen a reduction in their recycling rates. Social housing has historically been neglected in waste service provision and literature. Housing associations own 2.5 million dwellings, representing 10% of all housing stock in England. Improvements to waste services and increased resident engagement in social housing could address stalling recycling levels and contribute to the aim of the national waste strategy of moving towards a circular economy. This paper presents the results of engagement with housing association residents across 24 sites in England. Following community engagement workshops, a range of resident-led interventions were implemented, including improvements to recycling services and installation of onsite food waste composters. An inclusive resident engagement programme bespoke to each site was pioneered, including regular feedback on waste reduction and recycling performance. The impact of the project was evaluated using mixed methods, including monitoring of recycling levels and resident and stakeholder surveys. The interventions stimulated behaviour changes, leading to increased recycling rates (+10.4% per site compared to baseline), waste reduction (0.4 kg per flat per week compared to baseline), increased recycling quality, and social cohesion. The research outcomes provide a model for improving waste management in social housing globally. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Management of Solid Waste)
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