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Municipal and Industrial Waste Management
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Municipal and Industrial Waste Management

A special issue of Resources (ISSN 2079-9276).

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 June 2021) | Viewed by 61552

Special Issue Editors

Prof. Dr. Eva Pongrácz

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Water, Energy and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 4300, 90014 Oulu, Finland
Interests: sustainable development; circular economy; industrial ecology; municipal waste management; food waste; electronic waste; sustainable energy; energy transition
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Jenni Ylä-Mella

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Water, Energy and Environmental Engineering Research Unit, University of OULU, P.O. Box 4300, 90014 Oulu, Finland
Interests: waste management and recovery infrastructure; electronic waste (WEEE); recovery of critical materials; circular economy
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Innovations in waste and resource management are emerging globally. Waste is now viewed as a valuable resource to be utilized rather than a potential source of pollution to be disposed of. Circular economy has emerged as the driving paradigm for sustainable resource management and products, and supply chains and business models are being redesigned to harness this opportunity. New wealth is being created by recovering value from waste and promoting a circular flow of resources. However, municipalities and industries are still struggling to handle responsibly the wastes generated by human and economic activities.

This Special Issue on “Municipal and Industrial Waste Management” will highlight challenges in waste management, identify opportunities to recycle and derive value from waste, and disseminate the latest knowledge and progress in realizing a circular economy.

Key themes include:

  • Successful recycling and resource recovery schemes;
  • Impacts and benefits of recycling and resource recovery;
  • Consumer awareness and participation in municipal waste recycling schemes;
  • Technology innovations in value recovery from industrial wastes and byproducts;
  • Barriers to successful recycling and collection systems;
  • Circular economy strategies and enablers of circular economy;
  • New business models to capture value from waste;
  • Sustainable resource management agenda in industry.

Prof. Dr. Eva Pongrácz
Dr. Jenni Ylä-Mella
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. Resources is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly 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 1600 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

  • Municipal solid waste (MSW) management
  • Recycling and recovery
  • Circular economy - Circular bioeconomy
  • Industrial side-streams
  • Recovery of critical materials
  • Electronic waste (WEEE) management
  • Waste-to-energy technologies

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Further information on MDPI's Special Issue polices can be found here.

Published Papers (7 papers)

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14 pages, 1724 KiB  
Article
End-of-Use vs. End-of-Life: When Do Consumer Electronics Become Waste?
by Jenni Ylä-Mella, Riitta L. Keiski and Eva Pongrácz
Resources 2022, 11(2), 18; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources11020018 - 8 Feb 2022
Cited by 16 | Viewed by 7785
Abstract
This study focuses on the lifespan of consumer electronics. The article reviews end-of-life terminology in scientific literature and suggests distinguishing end-of-use and end-of-life stages. The question, when electronics become waste, is approached using the concept of a system called PSSP language, which classifies [...] Read more.
This study focuses on the lifespan of consumer electronics. The article reviews end-of-life terminology in scientific literature and suggests distinguishing end-of-use and end-of-life stages. The question, when electronics become waste, is approached using the concept of a system called PSSP language, which classifies artefacts based on their attributes of purpose, structure, state and performance. It is highlighted that waste as a concept is dynamic; the same thing can be waste or non-waste at different times and places and for different people. Further, the article reviews the impact of storage behavior on the realization of the waste hierarchy, using mobile phones as a case study. Evidence suggests that over half of customers use their mobile phones for only two years, and there is little incentive to keep them in use longer. Surveys also indicate that over half of the customers do not return their phones for reuse or recycling but keep them at home. The article suggests that the three key factors, promoting the storing of an old phone, are the shortness of usage time, perceived residual value of replaced equipment and concerns of personal information security. It is also indicated that memories and the personal attachment to the device contribute to consumers’ storage decision. It is concluded that, to prolong the use of mobile phones, there is a demand for changing consumers attitudes towards the return of electronics for reuse and repair to be more positive. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal and Industrial Waste Management)
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19 pages, 6294 KiB  
Article
Selective Collection of Municipal Waste in a Residential District with Multi-Family Buildings—Case Study from Poland
by Jolanta Latosińska, Dorota Miłek, Angelika Komór and Robert Kowalik
Resources 2021, 10(8), 83; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources10080083 - 13 Aug 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 3522
Abstract
Social and economic changes make it necessary to put in a great deal of conscious effort to shift towards a closed-loop economy, where waste provides a source of raw materials. The low level of selective collection of municipal waste poses a challenge in [...] Read more.
Social and economic changes make it necessary to put in a great deal of conscious effort to shift towards a closed-loop economy, where waste provides a source of raw materials. The low level of selective collection of municipal waste poses a challenge in many countries, including Poland. One of the major causes of the problems in Poland lies in the fact that waste collection points (WCPs) do not have adequate waste containers. The paper aims to put forward a proposal to improve the operation of WCPs. Seeking for new solutions, it is necessary to account for the conditions under which the bodies responsible for waste management take their decisions. They have to comply with the legislation in force, and at the same time, choose the options that generate the lowest costs. The study concerned a typical residential district with housing in multi-family buildings. For two fill rate variants and four emptying schedules, the number of above-ground containers was calculated. Two variants: for above-ground containers (variant I) and for semi-underground containers (variant II), were compared in terms of operating costs and investment outlays. The proposed increase in the number of above-ground containers, and additionally providing semi-underground containers, will contribute to increased engagement of the local community in the selective collection of waste. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal and Industrial Waste Management)
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16 pages, 2958 KiB  
Article
Current Status of Circular Economy Research in Finland
by Aida Hosseinian, Jenni Ylä-Mella and Eva Pongrácz
Resources 2021, 10(5), 40; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources10050040 - 25 Apr 2021
Cited by 18 | Viewed by 9254
Abstract
Circular economy has emerged as a sustainable alternative to the traditional, linear, extract-produce-use-dump economy. The scientific society, practitioners, policymakers, and business sectors are all actively taking part in driving the transition toward circular economy in their own sectors. Every sector is striving to [...] Read more.
Circular economy has emerged as a sustainable alternative to the traditional, linear, extract-produce-use-dump economy. The scientific society, practitioners, policymakers, and business sectors are all actively taking part in driving the transition toward circular economy in their own sectors. Every sector is striving to address the environmental issues of their own area, and to find solutions to the problem of resource scarcity. However, there is a lack of comprehensive studies on the general status of circular economy research and applied projects. Finland aims to be a global pioneer in this field, which is why there is a tremendous boost in research in various fields of sustainable materials management. Therefore, there is a need to have a better perspective of the research society’s efforts to accelerate the transition to circular economy. The objective of this paper is to review scientific research and practices of circular economy transition in Finland, in order to categorize and analyze them. The paper aims to give an insight into the current status and provide a comprehensive understanding of the trend changes during the past 20 years. The analysis shows that there is growing attention to circular economy in many research fields, researchers and practitioners in all fields have responded to the need of the society. However, the recycling-based ‘end-of-pipe’ interpretation of circular economy is still more dominant than developing and implementing strategies for circular product design, dematerializing society, and developing service-based business models. It is important to bear in mind that circular economy is about much more than improved resource flows and waste management practices. Achieving a circular economy needs the engagement of the society, it needs invention and innovation and it also requires the creation of new technologies, products, services, and business models. This study gives a comprehensive perspective at the national level and addresses the key actions and sectors which require more investment and attention from the scientific community to boost the transition toward circular economy. There are some limitation in this study derived from the method of data collection and selection of databases. Due to this, there may be valuable works that were not published, or only in the Finnish language and were, therefore, not identified in this study. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal and Industrial Waste Management)
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10 pages, 519 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Current Status and Regulatory Promotion for Incineration Bottom Ash Recycling in Taiwan
by Chi-Hung Tsai, Yun-Hwei Shen and Wen-Tien Tsai
Resources 2020, 9(10), 117; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9100117 - 29 Sep 2020
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 4287
Abstract
Incineration is the most important technology for treating municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial waste in Taiwan. Currently, there are 24 large-scale MSW incineration plants operated to generate about 1.2 million metric tons of residual ash (mostly bottom ash) based on approximately 6.5 [...] Read more.
Incineration is the most important technology for treating municipal solid waste (MSW) and industrial waste in Taiwan. Currently, there are 24 large-scale MSW incineration plants operated to generate about 1.2 million metric tons of residual ash (mostly bottom ash) based on approximately 6.5 million metric tons of waste incinerated yearly. To reduce the depletion of non-renewable resources under the circular economy principle, the recycling of MSW incineration bottom ash (IBA) as recycled aggregate in concrete and construction applications has been progressed in recent years around the world. According to the official database, the trend analysis of MSW generation and treatment, electricity power and IBA generation from the MSW incineration plants over the past decade (2010–2019) was performed in this work. It showed an increased power generation, growing from 0.485 kWh/kg in 2010 to 0.530 kWh/kg in 2019. In 2019, 2738 GWh of power was sold to Taipower (one of the state-owned companies in Taiwan) for electricity grid connection, gaining income of about NT$ 5,089,383,000 (≈US$ 172,520,000) at an average rate of 1.86 NT$/kWh (0.063 US$/kWh). On the other hand, the ratios of incineration bottom ash (IBA) generation to refuse incinerated indicated a decreasing trend due to the increased operation efficiencies of MSW incineration plants. Based on the revised regulations implemented on 18 May 2020, the regulatory measures for promoting IBA recycling in Taiwan were promulgated to valorize it for the production of recycled aggregate under rigorous requirements for prevent it from polluting the environment. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal and Industrial Waste Management)
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11 pages, 2316 KiB  
Article
Disposal of Personal Protective Equipment during the COVID-19 Pandemic Is a Challenge for Waste Collection Companies and Society: A Case Study in Poland
by Piotr Nowakowski, Sandra Kuśnierz, Patrycja Sosna, Jakub Mauer and Dawid Maj
Resources 2020, 9(10), 116; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9100116 - 28 Sep 2020
Cited by 49 | Viewed by 14631
Abstract
One of the social measures applied during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)—face masks and gloves. As a result, this waste category has expanded enormously. This study investigates waste management issues from multiple perspectives, including local governments, [...] Read more.
One of the social measures applied during the COVID-19 pandemic has been the use of personal protective equipment (PPE)—face masks and gloves. As a result, this waste category has expanded enormously. This study investigates waste management issues from multiple perspectives, including local governments, waste collection companies, and individual citizens in Poland using a telephone survey for institutions and an online questionnaire for individuals. The results of this study show that approximately 80% of local governments in the Silesian region have applied special measures for handling and collection of waste PPE. Only 13% of waste collection companies have applied special collection schedules for the waste generated at quarantine collection points due to the high costs of changing collection schedules, providing additional vehicles, and paying for more labor. The information campaigns focusing on new methods of PPE waste collection have been difficult to introduce on a large scale, and citizens need better information regarding how to handle and dispose of waste PPE. Results indicated the most helpful method in supporting waste PPE collection would be automatic PPE dispensers with waste PPE collection options and waste bags of a designated color. The respondents identified waste PPE pollution of the environment as an issue and the necessity for proper recovery of this waste stream. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal and Industrial Waste Management)
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25 pages, 3605 KiB  
Article
Grain-Size Specific Characterisation and Resource Potentials of Municipal Solid Waste Incineration (MSWI) Bottom Ash: A German Case Study
by Iveta Vateva and David Laner
Resources 2020, 9(6), 66; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources9060066 - 31 May 2020
Cited by 17 | Viewed by 5061
Abstract
Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is a major element of modern waste management and produces annually around 5.7 million tonnes of bottom ash (BA) in Germany. In order to save natural resources and protect the environment, utilisable materials need to be recovered from [...] Read more.
Municipal solid waste incineration (MSWI) is a major element of modern waste management and produces annually around 5.7 million tonnes of bottom ash (BA) in Germany. In order to save natural resources and protect the environment, utilisable materials need to be recovered from BA. It was the aim of the present study to determine metal and mineral resource potentials of MSWI BA based on a characterisation study of raw and aged BA of the MSWI plant in Kassel (Germany). The BA investigated consisted of 82.2% mineral materials, 16.3% metals, and 1.5% unburnt organic matter. Overall, 12.1% and 3.6% of the MSWI BA were theoretically recoverable as native ferrous (Fe) and non-ferrous (NFe) metals, respectively. Assuming state-of-the-art recovery technology, 10.7% and 2.0% of the BA were actually extractable as Fe and NFe metals. The processed BA, as a mixture, did not comply with current German limit values for use as a construction material mainly due to excessive soluble salt contents. Coarser grain size fractions were less contaminated, resulting in a utilisable potential of less than 30% of the BA as a construction material. Hence, grain-size specific processing routes need to be developed for MSWI BA to fully exploit its mineral resource potential. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal and Industrial Waste Management)
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9 pages, 2112 KiB  
Technical Note
Artificial Intelligence in the Sorting of Municipal Waste as an Enabler of the Circular Economy
by Henning Wilts, Beatriz Riesco Garcia, Rebeca Guerra Garlito, Laura Saralegui Gómez and Elisabet González Prieto
Resources 2021, 10(4), 28; https://doi.org/10.3390/resources10040028 - 29 Mar 2021
Cited by 109 | Viewed by 15433
Abstract
The recently finalized research project “ZRR for municipal waste” aimed at testing and evaluating the automation of municipal waste sorting plants by supplementing or replacing manual sorting, with sorting by a robot with artificial intelligence (ZRR). The objectives were to increase the current [...] Read more.
The recently finalized research project “ZRR for municipal waste” aimed at testing and evaluating the automation of municipal waste sorting plants by supplementing or replacing manual sorting, with sorting by a robot with artificial intelligence (ZRR). The objectives were to increase the current recycling rates and the purity of the recovered materials; to collect additional materials from the current rejected flows; and to improve the working conditions of the workers, who could then concentrate on, among other things, the maintenance of the robots. Based on the empirical results of the project, this paper presents the main results of the training and operation of the robotic sorting system based on artificial intelligence, which, to our knowledge, is the first attempt at an application for the separation of bulky municipal solid waste (MSW) and an installation in a full-scale waste treatment plant. The key questions for the research project included (a) the design of test protocols to assess the quality of the sorting process and (b) the evaluation of the performance quality in the first six months of the training of the underlying artificial intelligence and its database. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal and Industrial Waste Management)
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