Special Issue "Sustainable Waste Management"

Guest Editor
Prof. Dr. Jay N. Meegoda
Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering New Jersey Institute of Technology, 323 MLK Blvd., Newark, NJ 07102, USA
Website: http://www-ec.njit.edu/~meegoda/
E-Mail: meegoda@adm.njit.edu

Dear Colleagues,

Hygienic waste and wastewater disposal is essential for human civilizations. Current waste and wastewater disposal practices in developed nations are both excessive energy and water consuming, hence not sustainable. The increasing scarcity of water and energy in the developing world along with rapid population increase in urban areas gives reason for concern and the need for appropriate water and energy management practices. Currently there is a growing awareness of the impact of waste and wastewater contamination on rivers and lakes. The developing world with over three billion people is simply attempting to duplicate those unsustainable waste and wastewater disposal practices. Both waste and wastewater contain water and energy that can be harvested. In addition both contain nutrients that can be use as fertilizer. There are several emerging technologies for waste and wastewater disposal that are sustainable with minimal ecological footprint. The objectives of this special issue are first educate the reader of the unsustainable nature of the current waste and wastewater disposal practices, and how to make them sustainable while those methods are hygienic so that we could leave a livable planet for our children and their children.

Prof. Dr. Jay N. Meegoda
Guest Editor

Submission

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• pathogens
• agriculture
• fertilizer
• methane capture
• sustainable development
• bio digestion
• minimize energy
• minimize water use

Type of Paper: Article
Title: An Approach to Litter Generation and Littering Practices in a Mexico City Neighborhood
Authors: Cecilia E. Muñoz-Cadena ¹, Pedro Lina-Manjarrez ¹, Irma Estrada-Izquierdo ² and Eva Ramón-Gallegos ²
Affiliations: ¹ Centro Interdisciplinario de Investigación y Estudios en Medio Ambiente y Desarrollo (CIIEMAD), Instituto Politécnico Nacional, Calle 30 de junio de 1520 s/n, Barrio La Laguna Ticomán, C.P. 03340, México, DF; E-Mails: ceci_esther@yahoo.com.mx (C.M.-C.); linapedro@hotmail.com (P.L.-M.)
² Laboratorio de Citopatología Ambiental, Depto. de Morfología, Escuela Nacional de Ciencias Biológicas-IPN, Campus Zacatenco, Unidad Profesional Wilfrido Massieu esquina Cda. Manuel Stampa, Zacatenco, Del. Gustavo A. Madero, C.P. 07738, México, D.F.; E-Mails: lepidochelys@hotmail.com (I.E.-I.); evaramong@yahoo.com.mx (E.R.-G.)
Abstract: Urban litter is generated by human societies everywhere. One part of litter is recyclable waste. In this study, the acronym RUSW is used to refer to the recyclable urban solid waste generated in streets. Public attitude towards RUSW generation, generators’ perceptions, and quantification of RUSW in streets were examined in a Mexico City neighborhood in order to determine if these factors were interrelated. Interviews with neighborhood residents and item counts were carried out from 2010 to 2011. In all, 58% of interviewees reported generating RUSW at variable frequencies while 42% said they did not generate this kind of waste. Laziness, lack of vigilance by municipal authorities, no litter bins on the street, and imitation were the main causes identified by interviewees as reasons for littering. Potential litter generators may be of any age, educational level or income. Interviewees’ perception of RUSW generation was compared with item counts in the neighborhood studied.