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Municipal Solid Waste Management: Towards a Sustainable Future

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

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 July 2023) | Viewed by 15171

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental, Biological and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies, University of Campania “Luigi Vanvitelli”, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Interests: municipal solid waste management; life cycle assessment

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Guest Editor
Department of Environmental, Biological, Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (DISTABIF), University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, Via Vivaldi, 43, 81100 Caserta, Italy
Interests: pyrolysis; combustion; gasification; catalyst; tar removal; waste management; hot syngas cleaning; activated carbon

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

There are several actions that can be implemented in order to effectively achieve circular economy. These can affect different life cycle stages, by introducing new design criteria (prior to and after recycling), good practices in consumer behaviours, and innovative end-of-life options. This Special Issue focuses on possible ways to improve the sustainability of municipal solid waste management (MSW) by investigating currently available options and those to be implemented in the near future, all able to convert MSW into valuable resources (recycled materials, fuels or energy). The analysed processes can have different rates of maturity (traditional or innovative processes) and involve mechanical/physical/chemical/thermal routes. The technical aspects and/or environmental performances of each option can be assessed by considering them as single units or implemented in a whole management scheme. The final aim is to identify possible areas of improvement for each option or sustainable strategies to be implemented in future waste management schemes. The contributions can be related to the overall amount of MSW generated in specific areas (e.g., on a regional basis), or to a specific fraction (e.g., plastic waste, biowaste, packaging, textiles).

In this Special Issue, original research articles and reviews are welcome. Research areas may include (but are not limited to) the following:

  • Emerging technologies for waste management and resource optimization.
  • Optimization of traditional treatments for municipal solid waste management.
  • Mechanical, physical and chemical recycling routes for resource recovery from municipal solid waste.
  • Opportunities and challenges of applying gasification to municipal solid waste.
  • Specific fractions of municipal solid waste of interest in a circular economy perspective (e.g., plastics waste, biowaste, packaging, textiles).
  • Life cycle assessment of alternative options/schemes for municipal solid waste management.

We look forward to receiving your contributions. 

Dr. Filomena Ardolino
Dr. Francesco Parrillo
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

  • municipal solid waste
  • emerging technologies
  • mechanical recycling
  • chemical recycling
  • gasification
  • pyrolysis
  • waste-to-energy
  • life cycle assessment

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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Research

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11 pages, 2216 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Factors Influencing Illegal Waste Dumping Generation Using GIS Spatial Regression Methods
by Syafrudin Syafrudin, Bimastyaji Surya Ramadan, Mochamad Arief Budihardjo, Munawir Munawir, Hafizhul Khair, Raden Tina Rosmalina and Septa Yudha Ardiansyah
Sustainability 2023, 15(3), 1926; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15031926 - 19 Jan 2023
Cited by 8 | Viewed by 4753
Abstract
Illegal municipal waste dumping practices in developing countries may be impacted by many factors such as socioeconomic, demographic, availability of waste collection facilities, recycling sites, and spatial characteristics. This study uses spatial regression analysis to identify which factors primarily impact illegal waste dumping [...] Read more.
Illegal municipal waste dumping practices in developing countries may be impacted by many factors such as socioeconomic, demographic, availability of waste collection facilities, recycling sites, and spatial characteristics. This study uses spatial regression analysis to identify which factors primarily impact illegal waste dumping practices. For this purpose, 8 variables explain the data for the 177 subdistricts used in the spatial regression analysis. This study used ordinary least squares (OLS) and geographically weighted regression (GWR) methods to build a regression model of the factors identified. OLS analysis showed that only elevation and population density were found to become determinants of illegal waste dumping activity based on spatial regression methods. Elevation above sea level is positively correlated while population density is negatively correlated with the number of illegal dumping generations. GWR shows a better statistical value than OLS, where the significance of the adjusted R-square increased from 0.24 to 0.61. This study may help reduce the number of illegal waste dumping practices, especially in a metro city context. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal Solid Waste Management: Towards a Sustainable Future)
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19 pages, 4336 KiB  
Article
A Closer Look at Effective Intervention Methods to Reduce Household Solid Waste Generation in Japan
by Yoshinori Saitoh, Hiroshi Tago, Kimiyo Kumagai and Akihiro Iijima
Sustainability 2022, 14(22), 14835; https://doi.org/10.3390/su142214835 - 10 Nov 2022
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 2881
Abstract
In many countries municipal solid waste (MSW) is expected to soon increase beyond the pace of population growth due to urbanization. To minimize its negative impact, MSW management needs to be advanced. We studied administrative awareness-raising projects aimed at reducing household solid waste [...] Read more.
In many countries municipal solid waste (MSW) is expected to soon increase beyond the pace of population growth due to urbanization. To minimize its negative impact, MSW management needs to be advanced. We studied administrative awareness-raising projects aimed at reducing household solid waste (HSW), which accounts for a large portion of MSW. An online questionnaire survey was administered to local governments (LGs) in Japan to research the implementation status of the awareness-raising projects and estimate the waste reduction effect of intervention methods within those projects. Regarding social factors, multiple linear regression analysis showed significant negative relationships of HSW generation rate with the household population, total population, and waste charge system. Conversely, positive relationships were identified with age, the number of cars, income, and the frequency of collection. Intervention methods, such as briefing sessions, utilization of resident leaders, and mobile phone apps, were revealed to be effective; in contrast, information dissemination using the traditional intervention method was not. In particular, the utilization of resident leaders may be the most cost-effective, but some LGs seem to have abolished this form of intervention after its introduction 30 years ago due to lack of empirical evidence supporting its effectiveness. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal Solid Waste Management: Towards a Sustainable Future)
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Review

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15 pages, 1339 KiB  
Review
Enhancement of Municipal Solid Waste Management in Hong Kong through Innovative Solutions: A Review
by Chi Ho Li, Tsz Ting Lee and Stephen Siu Yu Lau
Sustainability 2023, 15(4), 3310; https://doi.org/10.3390/su15043310 - 10 Feb 2023
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 5869
Abstract
With the world population having reached 8 billion people, waste generation is expected to continue its growth in the coming years. Solid waste management (SWM) is an essential part of sustainable development that aims to minimize adverse environmental impacts. Although waste problems have [...] Read more.
With the world population having reached 8 billion people, waste generation is expected to continue its growth in the coming years. Solid waste management (SWM) is an essential part of sustainable development that aims to minimize adverse environmental impacts. Although waste problems have been monitored for decades, some regions still struggle to achieve their sustainability goals in this area. In particular, Hong Kong is still affected by overloaded landfills, with an average daily disposal of 14,739 tonnes. The major waste category is municipal solid waste (MSW), which originates from households and commercial activities. This paper provides an overview of the current SWM strategies and the advancement of technologies adopted in the SWM industry. Supported by a comprehensive literature review, this paper identifies the challenges of SWM in Hong Kong and suggests possible solutions. The findings lead to the direction of future research, which should include innovative solutions for improving recycling behaviors. Adopting technologies such as virtual reality on education platforms and developing mobile applications with a theme of SWM could promote a stronger awareness of waste reduction and recycling among the public. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Municipal Solid Waste Management: Towards a Sustainable Future)
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