Search Results (169)

This study examines the relationship between income and municipal waste generation within the Waste Kuznets Curve (WKC) framework, with a focus on selected disaggregated household waste fractions (paper and cardboard, glass, bulky waste, and biowaste). The aim is to assess whether increases in earnings per capita are associated with non-linear waste dynamics once spatial interactions and local socio-demographic characteristics are taken into account. The study employs a spatial panel dataset for 378 Polish counties over the period 2017–2024. Fixed-effects panel models, supplemented with random-effects panel models with Mundlak’s approach, are estimated alongside spatial panel specifications. Control variables include population ageing, urbanisation, and tourism, while spatial effects are decomposed into direct and indirect impacts. The results indicate that, in non-spatial models, an inverted U-shaped relationship between earnings and waste generation is observed for most waste fractions. However, once spatial dependence is explicitly incorporated, income effects weaken. In contrast, demographic structure—the share of retirement-age population—emerges as a robust and spatially persistent determinant of waste generation. Urbanisation and tourism exert only a limited influence across waste fractions. The paper advances WKC research by using spatial econometric methods and disaggregated waste fractions at the county level. The evidence suggests that conclusions about income-driven waste decoupling are sensitive to spatial dependence, emphasising the need for locally tailored waste management strategies. Full article

Households are the major contributor to food waste generation in the European Union according to the recently published data from Eurostat. Promoting food systems sustainability and aspiring to achieve the United Nations SDG 12.3 requires a better insight to the underlying drivers of the household food waste occurrence. The present study presents the combination of a well-established method of acquiring information, the questionnaire surveys, with a state-of-the-art technology for data imputation and interpretation using machine learning (ML). The Food Loss and Waste Prevention Unit (FLWPU) of the municipality of Halandri employed two surveys within the framework of the European funded projects Food Connections and FOODRUS. The first questionnaire was designed for rapid completion, to maximize response rates and minimize respondent burden, ensuring the collection of a consistent core dataset. A total of 154 replies were collected. The second questionnaire, associated with FOODRUS, was more detailed, enabling the participants to provide more in-depth information on their household food waste (HHFW) practices. In total, 43 responses were collected. ML algorithms were applied for data enhancement and data clustering. Specifically, ML and statistical techniques are applied for data imputations. An XGBoost algorithm was trained so as to capture complex relationships between variables. Behavioral intentions and effective strategies for reducing food waste at the community level are identified from the responses of both questionnaires, while a clustering of respondents in five groups emerged by using k-means, thus providing valuable insight into targeted HHFW prevention action plans. Full article

This study investigates the valorisation of mixed municipal waste glass (MMWG; EWC 20 01 02) as a sustainable supplementary material in cement mortars. In contrast to most existing studies, which focus almost exclusively on homogeneous container glass, this work addresses a heterogeneous waste stream derived from municipal selective collection, containing flat glass, mirrors, ceramics, porcelain, and metallic residues. Such mixed household glass has not previously been systematically evaluated in cement mortars, thereby addressing a clear research gap. The MMWG was washed, dried, and ground in a Los Angeles drum with corundum abrasives to obtain a fine glass powder (FGP < 63 µm) with a median particle size of approximately 20 µm and a Blaine fineness of 360 m²/kg. Microstructural and chemical characterisation of the milled glass confirmed its highly amorphous nature and angular particle morphology resulting from grinding. In addition, coarse glass granules (0–4 mm) were used as partial replacements for natural sand in mortar mixtures. The incorporation of FGP led to a 4–12% reduction in flowability, attributable to the angular shape and increased specific surface area of the ground-glass particles. At 28 days, mortars containing 5–10% FGP exhibited mechanical properties comparable to the reference mix, while at 56 days their compressive strength increased by up to 8%, indicating delayed pozzolanic activity typical of finely milled, amorphous glass. Mortars containing coarse glass primarily reflected a filler and aggregate-replacement effect. Leaching tests conducted in accordance with PN-EN 12457-4 demonstrated that all mortars, both reference and MMWG-modified, complied with the non-hazardous waste limits defined in Council Decision 2003/33/EC. Minor exceedances of Ba and Cr relative to inert-waste thresholds were observed; however, these values remained within the permissible range for non-hazardous classification and were attributed to ceramic and metallic contaminants inherently present in the mixed glass fraction. Overall, this study demonstrates that mixed municipal waste glass—a widely available yet rarely valorised heterogeneous waste stream—can be effectively utilised as a finely ground supplementary material and as a partial aggregate replacement in cement mortars, provided that particle fineness is adequately controlled and durability-related effects are monitored. The findings extend the applicability of glass waste beyond container cullet and support the development of circular-economy solutions in construction materials. Full article

The rapid growth of online food delivery in urban areas reflects changing consumer lifestyles, but it has also contributed to increasing plastic waste and challenges in waste management. This study investigated the composition of municipal solid waste (MSW) related to online food delivery, consumer ordering behavior, and single-use plastic (SUP) generation in households in the Bangkok Metropolitan Area. Data were collected from 385 food delivery customers via online questionnaires. The results show that the proportion of plastic waste in MSW has increased, with 76.6% of participants reporting higher online food delivery usage. SUPs from food delivery, including non-essential items such as plastic films, spoons, and cutlery, were prevalent, and participants rarely selected green options to opt out of receiving them. These findings highlight the need for targeted interventions, including closed-loop management involving producers, platforms, consumers, and government. Policy recommendations include implementing extended producer responsibility (EPR) for environmentally friendly packaging, providing incentives for merchants and consumers to reduce SUP, applying the polluter-pays principle (PPP) to users, and designing government policies to regulate SUP and improve plastic waste management. Full article

This study aims to develop a consumer typology based on attitudes and behaviors related to Household Food Waste in both urban and rural households in Greece, where data are limited. A structured questionnaire was administered to 279 residents of the Municipality of Eordaia through face-to-face interviews using stratified random sampling. A two-step cluster analysis identified four distinct consumer types: “Ecologically Conscious” (31%), “Empirical” (20%), “Modern” (28%), and “Socio-Ecologically Conscious” (21%). These clusters represent various levels of environmental awareness, consumer habits, and the influence of rural background on food-related practices. Findings highlight that rural background significantly impacts consumer behavior regarding Household Food Waste. This typology provides a valuable framework for designing targeted interventions and policy measures to reduce Household Food Waste. Future recommendations emphasize integrating educational food waste programs into primary schools, alongside institutional and policy support to ensure their effective implementation. Full article

Municipal solid waste (MSW) is a rapidly escalating global challenge, with Thailand exemplifying the persistence of a policy–practice gap in zero-waste transitions. Despite national initiatives such as Zero Waste Thailand, household segregation and recycling rates remain modest, particularly in semi-rural municipalities. This study addresses this gap by introducing and validating the ARUN Model, a competency-based governance framework for community-level zero-waste management. Using a mixed-methods sequential explanatory design, quantitative data from 300 households were analyzed using exploratory factor analysis and regression modeling, complemented by focus group interviews with local leaders to interpret behavioral mechanisms. The findings revealed that Responsibility and Nurturing competencies exert the strongest positive effects on household zero-waste behavior, confirming the model’s reliability and construct validity. These results empirically demonstrate how community competencies shape sustainable waste practices and bridge the structural–behavioral divide in waste governance. This research provides the first empirical validation of a competency-based governance framework in a semi-rural Thai context, extending beyond participatory and capacity-based models. By integrating statistical rigor with community insight, the ARUN Model advances theoretical and practical understanding of competency-driven sustainability transitions. This study provides actionable insights for policymakers and supports the achievement of SDGs 11, 12, and 13, offering a locally rooted yet globally relevant pathway toward circular economy governance. Full article

According to the EU Directive 2018/851 on waste, by 2035 the amount of municipal waste sent to landfills should be reduced to 10% of the total amount of household waste, and the level of reuse and recycling of municipal waste should be increased to 65% [...] Full article

The overconsumption of plastic packaging has alarming repercussions on the environment, notably through waste accumulation in public spaces and clogged drains. This study identifies factors driving plastic proliferation, analyzes their impacts, and proposes strategies for sustainable waste management. A cross-sectional design combined document review, field observations, and interviews with 156 households and 24 informants. Descriptive statistics characterized consumption patterns and service access. Impacts were assessed through litter hotspots, blocked drains, flood-prone points, and reported health risks. Households used five to six plastic bags daily, while collection coverage remained below 50%, sustaining persistent leakage. Findings reveal excessive reliance on plastics, shaped by technical, social, and institutional gaps, including weak segregation and limited pre-collection. Agoè-Nyivé 4, a fast-growing peri-urban commune within Greater Lomé, faces limited services but high consumption, making it a relevant case for rapidly growing municipalities. Yet the population often adopts counterproductive practices, hampering responsible waste management. A policy mix is outlined: expanding pre-collection and door-to-door services, integrating informal collectors, and targeted community sensitization. Without urgent interventions, plastic leakage will intensify environmental degradation, flooding, and health risks. The study recommends integrated policy measures to curb single-use dependence and foster a local circular economy. Full article

The co-firing of coal and refuse-derived fuel (RDF) from municipal solid waste recycling is gaining support in countries in which energy production is based on solid fuels. It is the result of the rising priority given to renewable energy sources, the circular economy, and effective waste management through sorting, recycling, and thermal conversion. Despite the increasing efficiency of recycling and the ever-lower quantities of waste delivered to waste dumps, the problem of the residual fraction remains unsolved. The portion of mixed municipal waste that cannot be recycled exhibits a high energy value. For this reason, it should be neither stored nor burnt in household boiler rooms, as doing so would constitute an environmental hazard. However, the waste can be used as an additive to fine coal in power boilers, provided that they are equipped with flue gas monitoring and purification systems. Tests involving proportionally prepared compositions of fine coal and refuse-derived fuel burnt in a laboratory boiler revealed a major variability in the flue gas parameters (physicochemical), depending on the applied proportions of the individual components. For instance, when burning a composition of 50% fine coal and 50% refuse-derived fuel, a reduction in CO₂ emissions by about 12% was noted compared with that when burning fine coal exclusively. Furthermore, when burning refuse-derived fuel, an addition of 20% fine coal is enough to produce a 2.8% reduction in CO emission. Meanwhile, a composition of 80% fine coal and 20% refuse-derived fuel would reduce the emissions by 393 ppm. During the measurements, it was also noted that most of the measured parameters indicated a decrease in individual gas contents relative to the emissions obtained when burning fine coal or refuse-derived fuel exclusively. These relationships can be applied to prepare fuel compositions based on refuse-derived fuel and fine coal, depending on the power and flue gas purification capabilities of individual cogeneration systems. Full article

The transition to a circular economy requires effective food waste (FW) collection and recycling systems. This study aims to evaluate general public attitudes, behaviours, and systemic challenges related to FW sorting in Latvia, in light of the recent mandate for separate biowaste collection. The study covers two important sections—assessment of the amount of FW generated in primary production sectors, and a pilot case study of biodegradable waste sorting in selected households in Latvia. A mixed-methods approach was used, combining a nationwide survey of 458 entities involved in primary food production and 115 households, followed by 99 households with backyards voluntarily participating in a pilot case study to evaluate their BW management practices. The research findings reveal that there is a need to establish a precise/specific framework for the evaluation of FW for each sector; the development of appropriate coefficients would facilitate the process of estimating waste generated by primary production in the future. Research findings revealed that inhabitants are interested in home composting; however, the implementation of home composting requires active support from project implementers, including increasing environmental awareness and providing financial incentives. These results offer practical insights for municipalities and national stakeholders aiming to increase biowaste collection rates and support country-level broader sustainability goals. The research results have practical application with the possibility to replicate the best practices and recommendations to other countries or regions within the EU and beyond. Full article

The present article examines the relationship between the changing residential net floor area of residential units in Warsaw, driven by ongoing urban growth, and the spatial requirements for household municipal waste collection. Analyzing 20 years from 2003 to 2023 across 18 districts of Warsaw, this article examines how the interplay between building morphology, demographic structure, and municipal waste generation influences the spatial and infrastructural requirements for separate collection. The study panel regression and volume simulations were applied to assess these dynamics. The results demonstrate that the number of residents per unit is the strongest predictor of waste generation, while the effect of floor area is less robust but still relevant. Waste generation per unit increased by 20% during the study period, accompanied by a sevenfold rise in plastics and a nearly eightyfold increase in biowaste, which together impose growing spatial burdens on households and collection infrastructure. The study emphasizes the significance of integrating waste infrastructure planning with housing design, considering the urban areas’ heterogeneous and evolving nature (identified at the district level). In the transition to a circular economy, the results highlight the need for locally sensitive strategies that link everyday household waste management with systemic urban sustainability goals. Full article

In accordance with the EU Landfill Directive, by 2035, EU countries must reduce the amount of municipal waste sent to landfills to 10% or less of the total municipal waste generated. To achieve this, it is necessary to implement recycling measures, including composting organic waste. Another way to utilize organic waste generated in households is through anaerobic digestion, which produces biogas, a renewable energy source. Biogas production from biodegradable waste generated in households occurs in both industrial facilities and household biogas installations. Producing biogas in household installations offers the advantage of generating and using biogas at the same location where the waste is produced, reducing the need to transport bio-based materials to a storage site. This approach reduces costs and the environmental footprint associated with transporting waste to industrial facilities and subsequently transporting biogas to municipal (domestic) consumers. Although this solution appears optimal in many respects, the current technical and legal environment limits the development of the household biogas production market in EU countries. This article highlights the technical and legal aspects of safely using biogas from household installations (e.g., certification of gas equipment) and legal aspects (such as restrictions on the number of energy sources), which significantly limits the growth of this sector. Full article

Post-consumer plastic waste poses increasing challenges in urban areas, where recycling heavily relies on consumer cooperation. In Japan, two recycling routes for post-consumer plastic waste from households exist, the municipal recycling route and the retailer recycling route, with the latter requiring more voluntary effort. This study aims to explore the diversity of consumers’ cooperative behaviors in Japan’s post-consumer plastic waste recycling system, with a focus on the retailer route. We conducted an online survey with 758 respondents from Sendai, Kawasaki, and Kyoto in urban Japan, using a structured questionnaire based on the knowledge–attitude–practice (KAP) framework. K-means clustering was conducted to identify behaviorally distinct consumer groups. Three clusters were revealed: Fully Engaged Consumers, Knowledge-Driven Consumers, and Passively Engaged Consumers. These groups exhibited distinct differences in cooperative recycling behaviors and socio-demographic characteristics. Our findings demonstrate the heterogeneity of consumer cooperation and underscore the importance of targeted strategies. By focusing on the retailer recycling route and consumer segmentation, this study addresses key gaps in Japan’s research on urban plastic waste. The results provide a theoretical and empirical foundation for differentiated policy-making, ultimately supporting the transition to a more sustainable and circular economy in post-consumer plastic waste recycling in urban Japan. Full article

Both behavioral intentions and structural constraints shape household waste disposal in low-resource settings. This study integrates the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) with Environmental Justice (EJ) to examine informal waste disposal in Vhembe District, South Africa, a region marked by infrastructural deficits and uneven municipal services. A cross-sectional survey of 399 households across four municipalities assessed five disposal behaviors, including river dumping and domestic burial. Only 8% of households used formal bins, while over 50% engaged in open or roadside dumping. Although education and income were inversely associated with harmful practices, inadequate service access was the most significant constraint on formal disposal. Logistic regression revealed that rural residents and households in underserved municipalities were significantly more likely to engage in hazardous methods, regardless of socioeconomic status. These findings extend TPB by showing that perceived behavioral control reflects not only psychological agency but also material and institutional limitations. By reframing informal disposal as a structurally conditioned response rather than a behavioral deficit, the study advances EJ theory and provides a transferable TPB–EJ framework for decentralized, justice-oriented waste governance. The results underscore the need for Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)-aligned interventions that integrate equitable infrastructure with context-sensitive behavioral strategies. Full article

Determining the amount of biowaste generated, separated, and recycled at source in households (BHrecycled) is crucial for assessing its potential inclusion in the total mass of waste prepared for reuse and recycling on the country level. Although the EU has introduced standardized rules for BHrecycled measurement, it is still a major challenge. This study, the first to be conducted on a large scale in Poland and the EU countries, aimed to determine the actual mass of BHrecycled (kitchen waste (B_K) per capita per year (kg/(capita·year)) and garden waste (B_G) per square meter of green area (kg/(m²·year)) in 1150 households that use an active composting unit located in more than 400 municipalities in all the voivodeships in Poland. Each municipality is characterized by individual MSW generation (MSW_G) values (the amount of waste generated per capita per year). The MSW_G values of the municipality where the household was located were used to group the data of B_K and B_G. In Poland, the average masses of B_K and B_G remained within the ranges of 81.02–107.49 kg/(capita·year) and 1.02–2.87 kg/(m²·year), respectively, across the MSW_G value. However, there was no clear statistical relationship between the MSW_G value and B_K or B_G. The average masses of B_K and B_G were ca. 97 kg/(capita·year) and ca. 2 kg/(m²·year). These results enable the determination of the total amount of BHrecycled in Poland. By incorporating these findings into waste management, strategies, monitoring, and reporting practices can be improved. Moreover, it promotes compliance with the EU recycling targets. Full article