Innovative Approaches to Sustainable Design, Recovery, and Circular Management of Solid Waste

Dear Colleagues, 

In today’s solid waste sector, recycling, recyclability, and reuse of materials are value retention processes that play crucial roles in minimizing environmental impacts, conserving resources, and supporting a circular economy. Recycling involves recovering valuable materials from discarded electronic products, such as metals (gold, copper, aluminum, and others), plastics, glass, and other organic materials. The recyclability of solid products depends on their design and the materials used. Designing products with recyclability in mind allows for easier dismantling, sorting, and recovery of high-value components and materials. Reusing materials or whole components can extend the life cycle of products, delaying their entry into waste streams. 

We are pleased to invite authors to submit research articles and review papers focused on innovative approaches to sustainable consumer product design and the recovery and circular management of solid waste to this Special Issue. Papers that focus on improving the whole value chain—from the design of products to the recycling of solid waste—are encouraged. 

We kindly invite researchers, academics, and practitioners from a wide spectrum of fields, encompassing qualitative, quantitative, mixed-method, and modeling approaches to participate in a dialogue that transcends disciplinary boundaries. We invite you to share your expertise, findings, and innovative ideas in this Special Issue, where your work will reach a global audience of researchers, policymakers, and industry professionals. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Eco-Design Approaches for Sustainable Products: Integration of eco-design principles to minimize waste and enhance the recyclability of consumer products.
• Challenges and Innovations in Sustainable Waste Management Practices: Addressing key issues such as landfill monitoring, sorting technologies, and the socio-economic dimensions of waste management.
• Modeling and Systemic Analysis of Circular Supply Chains and Business Models: Designing collaborative and internet-enabled supply chains and business models to support circular economy goals.
• Integration of Data Science and Digital Twin in Material Flow Optimization and Recycling Systems: Using predictive analytics, cyber-physical systems, and material service data to improve recycling scenarios and resource accessibility.
• Advanced Technologies in Waste Collection, Sorting, Recycling, and Disposal: Innovative separation methods and process modeling for better treatment and recovery of consumer products components.
• Advancements in Waste-to-Energy Technologies for Sustainable Energy Production: Focus on the optimization of pyrolysis, gasification, and other energy recovery techniques from municipal solid waste (MSW). Development of processes like hydrolysis and fermentation for converting waste into biofuels or bioplastics.
• Socio-Economic and Environmental Impacts of Circular Economy Practices in Waste Management and Strategic Product Material Recycling: Evaluation of waste management practices and recycling methodologies for materials critical to technology and industry, considering market and policy dynamics.

Dr. José Hidalgo-Crespo
Dr. Nicolas Maranzana
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

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