Special Issue "Sustainable Measures and Strategies for Waste Prevention and Management"

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Resources and Sustainable Utilization".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 May 2022.

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Jorge Cristóbal
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, Avda. Los Castros s/n, 39005 Santander, Spain
Interests: waste management; life cycle assessment; circular economy; optimization
Dr. María Margallo
E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, University of Cantabria, Avda. Los Castros s/n, 39005, Santander, Spain
Interests: waste management; life cycle assessment; circular economy; wef nexus

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Waste generation is one of the most urgent problems that must be addressed to achieve sustainable development. Thus, waste management appears as a key topic to meet the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) adopted by the United Nations, being a central issue for sustainable production and consumption (SDG 12) and transversal to many others such as SDG 2 (by reducing food waste), SDG 11 (by improving waste management systems for healthy and resilient communities), or SDG 14 (by reducing plastic pollution in the ocean). Besides, the waste sector is a significant source of Greenhouse Gas emissions (mainly due to landfilling and dumping) and can play an important role to achieve SDG 13 on climate action.

Hence, designing sustainable measures and strategies for waste prevention and management to reduce both the quantity and the negative impacts on society (environmental, economic, and social) is a major challenge that requires advanced tools, and reliable methods and frameworks to support the decision-making process. The use of life cycle thinking along with the principles of the circular economy is a powerful tool to address waste-related problems across multiples scales. This Special Issue will collect papers that promote and raise awareness of real prevention and management measures developed around the world and also methodological papers showing the latest trends in measuring the sustainability of waste prevention and management. Topics of interest for publication include, but are not limited to the following:

  • Environmental, economic, and social impacts of waste prevention measures, and management systems/technologies.
  • Modeling, simulation. and optimization of waste prevention measures and management systems.
  • Analysis and development of waste policies.
  • Real case studies of effective (with clearly defined objectives and measurable results) waste prevention measures and practices.
  • Measurement of the contribution to the SDG for waste prevention measures and management systems/technologies.
  • Sources, management, and environmental, economic and social consequences of marine litter.

Dr. Jorge Cristóbal
Dr. María Margallo
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 papers will be 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 1900 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

  • waste management
  • waste prevention
  • sustainability
  • sustainable development
  • life cycle thinking
  • marine litter

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

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Article
Clustering of EU Countries by the Level of Circular Economy: An Object-Oriented Approach
Sustainability 2021, 13(13), 7158; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13137158 - 25 Jun 2021
Viewed by 339
Abstract
In order to effectively regulate the circular economy (CE) at the national and international levels, it is essential to have a unified and informative system of indicators for monitoring the progress in the CE. The lack of standard indicators for measuring the progress [...] Read more.
In order to effectively regulate the circular economy (CE) at the national and international levels, it is essential to have a unified and informative system of indicators for monitoring the progress in the CE. The lack of standard indicators for measuring the progress of cyclicality leads to contradictions and misunderstandings, which is a problem for the implementation of CE strategies. This paper aims to adapt dynamic clustering approaches to solving strategic management problems of circular production and consumption processes. To achieve this goal, the authors performed the following tasks: (1) tested clustering algorithms by ranking EU countries by the level of development of the circular economy; (2) identified the approach that allows the best classification of EU countries, considering changes in the indicators of the level of CE development in 2000–2019 (dynamic classification); (3) developed a software module using python libraries to classify and visualize the results. The results illustrate that the k-means algorithm has a good discriminatory ability in division of all countries of the training sample (EU countries) into several clusters with different dynamics in the development of the CE. The best quality of classification is obtained by the indicator “Generation of municipal waste per capita”; satisfactory quality of the classification is obtained by the indicator “Generation of waste excluding major mineral wastes per GDP unit”. The study results demonstrate the fundamental applicability of the object-oriented and classical statistical approach to solving strategic management problems of the CE and their potential effectiveness in terms of the clarity and information content of reflecting cyclical processes. Full article
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Article
Sustainability of Recycling Waste Picker Sustainopreneurs for Prevention and Mitigation of Municipal Solid Waste in Swat
Sustainability 2021, 13(12), 6533; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13126533 - 08 Jun 2021
Viewed by 435
Abstract
This study assessed the role of waste picker sustainopreneurs (WPS) by examining their recycling contributions in a special case of District Swat, Pakistan. Using a transformative worldview, this study acknowledges their contributions to recycling. The study envisages how entrepreneurial agency works in unanticipated [...] Read more.
This study assessed the role of waste picker sustainopreneurs (WPS) by examining their recycling contributions in a special case of District Swat, Pakistan. Using a transformative worldview, this study acknowledges their contributions to recycling. The study envisages how entrepreneurial agency works in unanticipated ways where the poorest of the poor enterprise without resources demonstrate unexpected agency to improve the environment. An inductive research design in conjunction with grounded theory was used to analyze data from 37 interviews in three tehsils of District Swat. The recycling sector uses primitive measures, which are completely informal, self-organized, and self-controlled. Surprisingly, we discovered that informal recycling contributes unfavorably to waste, energy, and food (WEF) security due to intermixing and adulteration, as well as acts as a gray channel for illicit practices that have taken advantage of tax amnesty in the area until 2023. The uncontrolled welding of half cut and nose cut car parts has skyrocketed the motorization index and CO2 emissions; however, it has also resulted in alternative sources of livelihoods, as these accidental environmentalists had found modern sources of income. This is similar to low-tech innovation and business creation that takes advantage of tax holidays due to the special status of District Swat. The study highlights the most and least valuable recyclables and identifies the gray channel markets of spare parts, metal recycling, counterfeit products, fuel intermixing, and adulteration. The study contributes by untangling the understanding of a legal gambit of tax amnesty as a critical pre-policy input as well as advocates for rights of invisible stakeholders of waste management in Pakistan. Full article
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Article
What Key Drivers Are Needed to Implement Material Efficiency Strategies? An Analysis of the Electrical and Electronic Industry in Malaysia and Its Implications to Practitioners
Sustainability 2021, 13(4), 2065; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13042065 - 15 Feb 2021
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 503
Abstract
A circular economy can be achieved by the efficient use of materials across different industries and sectors. In the manufacturing sectors, practicing material efficiency is one of the effective strategies to reduce material usage and solid waste generation. However, due to many unknown [...] Read more.
A circular economy can be achieved by the efficient use of materials across different industries and sectors. In the manufacturing sectors, practicing material efficiency is one of the effective strategies to reduce material usage and solid waste generation. However, due to many unknown factors, such as key drivers to enhance material efficiency, most of the time, manufacturers are practicing at the minimum level of material saving. This study aims to examine the key drivers of material efficiency among electrical and electronic (E&E) companies to fulfill the aims of sustainable manufacturing. The data collection and synthesis were conducted using semi-structured interviews and an analytical hierarchy process survey. In this study, thirteen key drivers were found. Five internal drivers and eight external drivers with different priorities were found to influence E&E companies in the practice of material efficiency strategies. In addition, the drivers’ implications to different practitioner groups are suggested. To conclude, achieving material efficiency can be done effectively if the incentivized key drivers are clearly notified. This research is important to show the key drivers that influence the implementation of material efficiency strategies in the E&E industries. Full article
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Article
Looking for Answers to Food Loss and Waste Management in Spain from a Holistic Nutritional and Economic Approach
Sustainability 2021, 13(1), 125; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13010125 - 24 Dec 2020
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 763
Abstract
The generation of food loss and waste (FLW) is a global problem for worldwide politics. About one-third of the food produced ends up in the rubbish before it is consumed. For this reason, it is essential to design and implement new strategies along [...] Read more.
The generation of food loss and waste (FLW) is a global problem for worldwide politics. About one-third of the food produced ends up in the rubbish before it is consumed. For this reason, it is essential to design and implement new strategies along the food supply chain (FSC) with the aim of reducing this FLW at each stage. However, not only mass quantification should be considered, but also economic and nutritional performance. The novelty of this study is the definition of a methodology based on the “distance to target” approach by means of multi-objective optimization to evaluate the economic and nutritional cost produced by this FLW. This methodology was applied to the Spanish food basket in 2015. The results revealed that 80% of the total FLW generated in economic and nutritional terms is concentrated in the agricultural production (53.3%) and consumption (26.3%) stages. In the first stages of the FSC, fruits (Dn eq.= 0.7), cereals (Dn eq.= 0.61), and vegetables (Dn eq.= 0.57) were the furthest from the distance target due to the great amount of FLW generated. Moreover, according to the normalized weighted distances obtained from the minimization of economic and nutritional cost, pulses (Dn eq. = 0.05–0.03) and eggs (Dn eq. = 0.02) were the more efficient food categories. The methodology described in this study proposes a single index to quantify the economic and nutritional cost of different food categories to facilitate the decision-making process. This index makes possible the definition of reduction strategies focused on specific food categories and depending on the FSC stage. Full article
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Review

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Review
Are LCA Studies on Bulk Mineral Waste Management Suitable for Decision Support? A Critical Review
Sustainability 2021, 13(9), 4686; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13094686 - 22 Apr 2021
Viewed by 555
Abstract
Bulk mineral waste materials are one of the largest waste streams worldwide and their management systems can differ greatly depending on regional conditions. Due to this variation, the decision-making context is of particular importance when studying environmental impacts of mineral waste management systems [...] Read more.
Bulk mineral waste materials are one of the largest waste streams worldwide and their management systems can differ greatly depending on regional conditions. Due to this variation, the decision-making context is of particular importance when studying environmental impacts of mineral waste management systems with life cycle assessment (LCA). We follow the premise that LCA results—if applied in practice—are always used in an improvement (i.e., decision-making) context. But how suitable are existing LCA studies on bulk mineral waste management for decision support? To answer this question, we quantitatively and qualitatively assess 57 peer-reviewed bulk mineral waste management LCA studies against 47 criteria. The results show inadequacies regarding decision support along all LCA phases. Common shortcomings are insufficient attention to the specific decision-making context, lack of a consequential perspective, liberal use of allocation and limited justification thereof, missing justifications for excluded impact categories, inadequately discussed limitations, and incomplete documentation. We identified the following significant issues for bulk mineral waste management systems: transportation, the potential leaching of heavy metals, second-order substitution effects, and the choice to include or exclude avoided landfilling and embodied impacts. When applicable, we provide recommendations for improvement and point to best practice examples. Full article
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