Dissertations / Theses on the topic 'Environment aspects of Refuse and refuse disposal'

The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of poor solid waste disposal on a sustainable environment/development in the Mzamomhle urban informal settlement. According to Coffey & Coad, (2010) informal or squatter urban communities pay no municipal taxes, because of their informal status, and this fact has often been used as the principal argument against providing these communities with municipal services.

This dissertation puts in place a risk-cost-benefit analysis for waste management facilities that explicitly recognizes the adversarial relationship that exists in a regulated market economy between the owner-operator of the facility and the government regulatory agency under whose terms the facility must be licensed. The risk-cost-benefit analysis is set up from the perspective of the owner-operator. It can be used directly by the owner-operator to assess alternative design strategies. It can also be used by the regulatory agency to assess alternative regulatory policies, but only in an indirect manner, by examining the response of an owner-operator to the stimuli of various policies. The objective function is written in terms of a discounted stream of benefits, costs, and risks over an engineering time horizon. Benefits are in terms of revenues for services provided; costs are those of construction and operation of the facility. Risk is defined as the expected cost associated with failure, with failure defined as a groundwater contamination event that violates the licensing requirements set forth by the regulatory agency. Failure requires a breach of the containment structure and contaminant migration through the hydrogeological environment to a compliance surface. Reliability theory is used to estimate the probability of breaching and Monte Carlo finite-element simulations are used to simulate advective contaminant transport. The hydraulic conductivity values in the hydrogeological environment are defined stochastically. The probability of failure is reduced by the presence of a monitoring network established by the owner-operator. The level of reduction in the probability of failure can be calculated from the stochastic contaminant transport simulations. While the framework is quite general, the development in this dissertation is specifically suited for a landfill in which the primary design feature is one or more synthetic liners and in which contamination is brought about by the release of a single, nonreactive species in an advective, steady-state, horizontal flow field. The risk cost benefit analysis is applied to 1) an assessment of the relative worth of alternative containment-construction activities, site-investigation activities, and monitoring activities available to the owner-operator, 2) an assessment of alternative policy options available to the regulatory agency, and 3) two case histories. Sensitivity analyses designed to address the first issue show that the allocation of resources by the owner-operator is sensitive to the stochastic parameters that describe the hydraulic conductivity field at a site. For the cases analyzed, the installation of a dense monitoring network is of less value to the owner-operator than a more conservative containment design. Sensitivity analyses designed to address the second issue suggest that from a regulatory perspective, design standards should be more effective than performance standards in reducing risk, and design specifications on the containment structure should be more effective than those on the monitoring network. Performance bonds posted before construction have a greater potential to influence design than prospective penalties to be imposed at the time of failure. Sitting on low-conductivity deposits is a more effective method of risk reduction than any form of regulatory influence. Results of the case histories indicate that the methodology can be successfully applied at field sites, and that the risks associated with groundwater contamination may be small when compared to the owner-operators' benefits and costs.
Science, Faculty of
Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Department of
Graduate

Thesis(MA)--Stellenbosch University, 2014.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study excavates a century’s worth of the history of household waste in South Africa, from 1890-1996. It shows that waste history is entangled with histories of disease and poor sanitation, advances in technology, the impact of war, environmental concerns and – perhaps above all – shifting socio-economic circumstances. Using a socio-environmental analytical framework, this analysis of waste history unearths empirical archival data and oral testimony, to contextualise themes of gender, race, class and nationalism in order to place rubbish within the wider historical debates in South Africa. This study uses Rubbish Theory and Broken Windows Theory as well as concepts of “Othering” and the “Sanitation Syndrome” to explore the role of waste in the construction of racial identities and perceptions. This thesis shows that Apartheid should not be seen as a watershed within this waste history, but rather as a continuation of colonial ideas of cleanliness that helped to perpetuate racist stereotypes. This study argues that the lack of waste services in “locations” during this time helped to contribute to the perception of the urban African as the unsanitary Other. The state and civic societies fostered gender roles, which (coupled with wartime nationalist propaganda) helped in shaping waste behaviour promoted by the National Anti-Waste Organisation (NAWO) during the Second World War (WWII). In the years after WWII, the threats of wartime shortages and enthusiastic solutions suggested to municipalities to “end the waste problem” were thwarted by the spread of the landfill as an even more convenient disposal method. The implementation of Apartheid, especially the Group Areas Act (No 41 of 1950) and the rise of consumer society, led to increasingly divergent experiences of waste for urban Africans and whites. The thesis uses a case study of the Devon Valley Landfill community outside of Stellenbosch. This ethnographic history explores notions of the “Subaltern” in order to give this history a human face. The diachronic analysis of this community offers a lens into ideas of “ordentlikheid” (decency), “weggooi mense” (throwaway people) and how these waste-pickers experience the environment in which they live.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie grawe ’n eeu se geskiedenis van huishoudelike afval in Suid-Afrika op, van 1890-1996. Dit toon dat die geskiedenis van afval verweef is met geskiedenisse van siekte en swak sanitasie, tegnologiese vooruitgang, die impak van oorlog, omgewingskwessies en – dalk bowenal – veranderende sosio-ekonomiese omstandighede. Deur middel van ’n sosio-omgewings-analitiese raamwerk ontgin hierdie analise empiriese argiefdata en mondelingse getuienis om temas van geslag, ras, klas en nasionalisme te kontekstualiseer ten einde afval binne die breër historiese debatte in Suid-Afrika te plaas. Die studie gebruik Afval-teorie en Gebreekte Vensters-teorie sowel as begrippe van “Othering” en die “Sanitasie-sindroom” om die rol van afval in die totstandkoming van rasse-identiteite en -persepsies te ondersoek. Die tesis toon dat Apartheid nie as ’n waterskeiding in hierdie afval-geskiedenis gesien moet word nie, maar eerder as ’n voortsetting van koloniale idees oor higiëne wat gehelp het om rasse-stereotipes te perpetueer. Die studie argumenteer dat die gebrek aan afvalverwyderingsdienste in “lokasies” in die tyd bygedra het tot die persepsie van die stedelike Afrikaan as die onhigiëniese Ander. Die staat en burgerlike samelewings het geslagsrolle gekweek, wat (tesame met oorlogtydse nasionalistiese propaganda) gehelp het met die vestiging van afval-gedrag wat bevorder is deur die National Anti-Waste Organisation (NAWO) gedurende die Tweede Wêreldoorlog. In die jare na dié oorlog is die bedreigings van oorlogtydse tekorte en die entoesiastiese oplossings wat vir munisipaliteite aanbeveel is om die “afvalprobleem te beëindig”, gefnuik deur die toenemende gebruik van stortingsterreine as ’n selfs geriefliker afvalverwyderingsmetode. Die implementering van Apartheid, veral die Groepsgebiedewet (No. 41 van 1950) en die opkoms van die verbruikersamelewing, het gelei tot toenemend uiteenlopende ervarings van afval onder stedelike Afrikane en wit mense. Die tesis maak gebruik van ’n gevallestudie van die gemeenskap van die Devonvallei-stortingsterrein buite Stellenbosch. Hierdie etnografiese geskiedenis verken denkbeelde van die “Ondergeskikte” om ’n menslike gesig aan die geskiedenis te gee. Die diakroniese analise van die gemeenskap is ’n venster op idees van “ordentlikheid”, “weggooimense” en hoe hierdie afvalontginners die omgewing waarin hulle woon, beleef.

Thesis (MTech (Environmental Health))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2007
The waste management that is taking place in the Breede Valley district focus mainly on disposal and end-of-pipe solutions. This approach resulted in serious negative impacts on the environment and human health. Improper waste management practices have become a major source of concern due to the risk associated with poor waste management in the area. Indiscriminate dumping of waste at street corners is very common. The basic waste management processes of collection, transport, segregation and [mal disposal appear to be very inefficient and inadequate. The objective of this study was to determine the composition of the waste stream as well as public awareness, attitudes and behaviours towards current and alternative waste management practices. A waste assessment study was conducted to determine the amount of waste generated by the different communities, as well as how much and what of the recyclables can be taken out of the waste stream by recycling. For this study data was obtained by formulation of questionnaires for businesses, communities and medical practitioners, as well as an interview with the Engineering Department of the Breede Valley Municipality about the current waste management situation in the area. From the data obtain from businesses, communities and medical facilities, it is clear that public participation, partnership, education and awareness is essential for effective integrated waste management. This study revealed that waste management practices are inefficient, uncontrolled and fragmented. This investigation shows that there is a huge difference between the different communities in terms of the volume of waste generation. The study also shows that waste related legislation is outdated and fragmented and there is no enforcement by municipal officials. The major Issues and challenges that affect the management of waste. include its organisational structure and lack of waste minimisation plans.

Solid waste management in South Africa has been focussing on the technical issues of waste disposal with little attention paid to the social and economic aspects of households. It is important to find out the impact of the attitude and perception of households on solid waste management, especially in low-income areas to be able to deal with the deplorabe domestic solid waste management in such areas. The quantity of solid waste generated in low-income areas is often assumed to be less than the solid waste generated in high-income neighbourhoods. In most of the townships of low-income households in Cape Town, the residents live next to mountains of solid waste which is not the case in middle and high income areas. This clearly has a negative effect on the environment and human health. Tafelsig is one of the low-income Cape Flats townships where the open spaces and green areas are dumping areas. The small yard that people own is often unclean. The aim of the study was to examine how households residing in the low-income neighbourhood (Tafelsig, Mitchell's Plain) view domestic solid waste and its management. The study explored the perceptions, attitudes and behaviour of these households towards the production and management of sold waste. Issues relating to the degradation of their environment and to solid waste mismanagement were also examined.

Thesis (Doctor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering)--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2017.
The search for alternatives to fossil fuel is necessary with a view to reducing the negative environmental impact of fossil fuel and most importantly, to exploit an affordable and secured fuel source. This study investigated the viability of municipal solid waste gasification for a fuel cell system. Potential solid fuels obtained from the study in the form of refuse-derived fuel (RDF) had high heating value (HHV) between 18.17 MJ/Kg - 28.91 MJ/Kg with energy density increased from 4142.07 MJ/m3 to 10735.80 MJ/m3. The molecular formulas of RDF derived from Ladies Smith drop-off site, Woodstock drop-off site and an average molecular formula of all thirteen municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal facilities were CH1.43O1.02, CH1.49O1.19, and CH1.50O0.86 respectively. The comparative ratios of C/H were in the range of 7.11 to 8.90. The Thermo Gravimetric Analysis showed that the dehydration, thermal decompositions, char combustions were involved in the production of gaseous products but flaming pyrolysis stage was when most tar was converted to syngas mixture. The simulation of RDF gasification allowed a prediction of the RDF gasification behaviour under various operating parameters in an air-blown downdraft gasifier. Optimum SFR (steam flowrate) values for RDF1, RDF2 and RDF3 were determined to be within these values 2.80, 2.50 and 3.50 and Optimum ER values for RDF1, RDF2 and RDF3 were also determined to be within these values 0.15, 0.04 and 0.08. These conditions produced the desired high molar ratio of H2/CO yield in the syngas mixture in the product stream. The molar ratios of H2/CO yield in the syngas mixture in the product stream for all the RDFs were between 18.81 and 20.16. The values of H2/CO satisfy the requirement for fuel cell application. The highest concentration of heavy metal was observed for Al, Fe, Zn and Cr, namely 16627.77 mg/Kg at Coastal Park (CP), 17232.37 mg/Kg at Killarney (KL), 235.01 mg/Kg at Tygerdal (TG), and 564.87 mg/Kg at Kraaifontein (KF) respectively. The results of quantitative economic evaluation measurements were a net return (NR) of $0.20 million, a rate of return on investment (ROI) of 27.88 %, payback time (PBP) of 2.30 years, a net present value (NPV) of $1.11 million and a discounted cash flow rate of return (DCFROR) of 24.80 % and 28.20 % respectively. The results of the economic evaluations revealed that some findings of the economic benefits of this system would be viable if costs of handling MSW were further quantified into the costs analysis. The viability of the costs could depend on government responsibility to accept costs of handling MSW.

South African manufacturers, including those who produce electrical and telecommunication cables, are required by the National Waste Management Strategy (NWMS) (drawn up by the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT)), to carry out waste management in a coordinated and controlled manner. It is also becoming more difficult for South African companies, who produce for export markets, to conduct business internationally if they do not have some form of environmental management system in place. While there will always be scrap generated in any manufacturing environment, the aim is, first and foremost, to reduce this to acceptable levels and, secondly, to dispose of all scrap produced in a socially responsible manner. This study focuses attention on waste management, in the form of recycling, in the cable manufacturing industry. The purpose of this study is twofold: first, to examine the economic case, by means of a cost-benefit analysis, for the establishment and operation of a telecommunication cable waste recycling plant for the purpose of recycling copper conductor; second, to examine the economic feasibility, by means of a cost-benefit analysis, of extending the existing facility in order to accommodate the recycling of the plastic fraction contained in the cable waste. A specific cost-benefit stream was generated over a project period of 20 years for both CBAs. In both CBAs costs and benefits were categorised as being either primary or secondary. The primary costs and benefits for both CBAs were all financial in nature and were valued using market prices. The secondary costs of establishing and operating a cable waste recycling plant for recycling the copper conductor included effluent costs and noise pollution costs. The secondary benefits, on the other hand, included the creation of downstream industries. The secondary costs of extending an existing cable waste recycling plant, so as to accommodate the recycling of the plastic component of cable waste, included costs related to the generation of greenhouse gases and asthma. The secondary benefits, conversely, included the increase in house prices due to the reduction of landfilling of the plastic component of cable waste. The determination of increased house prices due to landfill avoidance was carried out using the hedonic pricing method (HPM). The hypothesis was that house values would increase the further removed they were from the landfill site. Applying regression analysis to the derived hedonic pricing (HP) function showed that there is a definite correlation between the two. Properties positioned two kilometres from a landfill site in New Brighton Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape, were found to have higher values than those positioned adjacent to the site. From the cost-benefit streams, net benefits were calculated for each CBA and discounted to present values in order to provide a standard of comparison. The social discount rate used in this study to calculate the present values reflected a combination of the social opportunity costs of capital and the social time preference rate. The rate used was calculated as the average annual rate between 2000 and 2005 and amounted to 6.72 percent. It was derived from a combination of the opportunity costs of government borrowings, household consumption borrowings and return on savings.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2003.
Full text to be digitised and attached to bibliographic record.
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The Tsitsikamma Forest, in the most southern part of the Eastern Cape, is part of the Cape Floral Kingdom, one of six such Kingdoms in the world. It has the richest area of plant bio-diversity and fauna in the world which are rare and endemic to the area. The deep gorges, temperate forests, un spoilt oceans and various other features such as the famous Bloukrantz River Bridge, where the world's highest bungi jumps take place are factors that have become the main source of job-creation and income for tourism and its inter-related activities. However, this ecosystem is also home to about 480 families who live in low-income housing at Stormsriver. This settlement which was relocated from the shack area of Coesa, nearby, has an unemployment index of 67% and a similar poverty index. In addition, the Stormsriver Village nearby has a population of about 300 families, mainly older retired white folks. The area is administered by the Koukamma Municipality which is an amalgam of several smaller municipalities viz., Clarkeson, Kareedouw, Stormsriver, Woodlands, Eerste River, ]oubertina and Bloukrantz. Waste reduction and the disposal thereof has always been a major concern to local authorities and the Koukamma Municipality is obviously faced with the same challenge. The authorities have resorted to the concept of landfill sites, which has proven to be the cheapest solution to date. But, with this option comes the problems of health risks to the poorer people who converge on the dump sites in search of food, the harm to children searching through rubbish heaps and the various legal repercussions emanating out of this practice. The option of open-burning and its related effects on human life and forest fires rules it out as an option. Transporting waste out of the area is also very costly. It was then resolved by the Koukamma Municipalities that the possibility of installing an incinerator at Stormsriver would be an option to be investigated. The reasoning behind the selection of this site was the concern of high unemployment in the Stormsriver area and extreme poverty and this venture would in some small measure create jobs, put food on the table and break the poverty cycle. The process of incineration gives rise to emissions such as dioxins and furans which is known to cause cancer, asthma and tuberculosis, if subjected in high doses over a long period of time. It is also regulated by the Atmospheric Pollution Act 45 of 1965. The important moral debate at the core of this problem is the whole question of humans rights and should these be violated solely because the subjects do not belong to an affluent class and should be shown less respect and have their health jeopardised by the toxic air from incineration. Or, should the people's poverty index rise further due to lack of employment. The question that also begs here is whether the well-being of the entire ecosystem, especially the rare and endangered plants and animals take preference over the well-being of the people of Stormsriver, given that the emissions from the incinerator will impact on the animal, bird and plant life, including that of water, soil and air. This would also put into jeopardy the income generated by Tourism and the jobs inherent in it for the locals and would threaten the area's sustainability. The various moral views of philosophers have been canvassed in order to come to a holistic understanding. I have in this vein looked at the views of ethicists such as Tibor Machan, who believes that animals and other organisms do not have any rights and are there purely for human consumption. Then the views of Peter Singer and Tom Regan have also been included, in which consideration is shown to animals. Others such as AIda Leopold, J. Baird Callicott and Paul Taylor whose thinking extends to that of not just showing respect for a single entity but allows for equal respect for all members of the biotic community, have also been. considered. Various solutions have thereafter been considered and amongst those are the relocation of the incinerator out of the Stormsriver, moving the plant to the industrial zone at Kareedouw, transporting the waste out to Port Elizabeth, dumping and finally the 'Do Nothing' option. Using Paul Taylor's "respect for nature" ethics as a guide, I have come to the conclusion that the installation of a waste-reduction incinerator at Stormsriver, Tsitsikamma, may be supported subject to a set of serious riders and conditions in that firstly, the health of the immediate and surrounding inhabitants should not be affected in any way whatsoever. Secondly, the well-being of the non-human environment which must include air, soil, water and plant life, including the animal and bird life must not be harmed in any way. In this way all members of the biotic community will be shown equal respect, thus creating a viable and sustainable community
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die Tsitsikamma Woude, in die mees suidelike deel van the Oos-Kaap, is deel van die "Cape Floral Kingdom", een van ses sulke woudgebiede in die wêreld. Dit beskerm die rykste area van plant bio-verskeidenheid asook fauna wat skaars is in die wêreld en slegs daar gevind word. Die diep bergpasse. gemagtigde woude en ongerepte oseaan, tesame met die beroemde Bloukransrivier brug waar die wêreld se hoogste bungi spronge plaasvind is faktore wat bygedra het dat werkskepping en inkomste hoofsaaklik uit toerisme en verwante bedrywe afkomstig is. Hierdie eko-sisteem is ook die tuiste vir ongeveer 480 gesinne wat in sub-ekonomiese huise in Stormsrivier woon. Hierdie gemeenskappie wat vanaf die naby geleë Coesa hervesig is, het 'n werkloosheid sowel as armoede syfer van 67%. Bykomend is daar die Stormsriver nedersetting daar naby met 'n bevolking van 300 families, hoofsaaklik ouer, afgetrede blankes. Die gebied word bestuur deur die Koukamma Munisipaliteit wat in 'n samesmelting van 'n hele paar kleiner munisipaliteite is o.a Clarkson, Kareedouw, Stormsrivier, Woodlands, Eerste Rivier, ]oubertina en Bloukrans. Die vermindering van afvalstowwe asook die verwydering daarvan was maar altyd 'n groet kopseer vir die plaaslike owerhede en dit geld nou ook vir die Koukamma Munisipaliteit. Die owerhede het besluit op die konsep van afvalstortings areas omdat dit die goedkoopste oplossing tot nou toe is. Met hierdie opsie kom egter die probleem van gesondheids risiko's vir die armer gemeenskappe (mense) wat op hierdie stortings terreine toesak op soek na kos, die beserings wat kinders opdoen wat die gemors deursoek asook die wettige terugslag wat hierdie praktyk totgevolg het. Die gevaar van oop vure en die effek wat dit sou hê op mense en die woud self maak dat hierdie opsie nie oorweeg word nie. Ook is dit te duur om afvalstowwe uit die gebied uit te vervoer. Die Koukamma Munisipaliteit het toe besluit om die instállering van 'n verbrandingsoond by Stormsrivier te ondersoek. Die rede om hierdie gebied te kies was die hoë werkloosheid syfer en armoede in Stormsrivier. Hierdie besluit sou werkskepping, kos op die tafel en die verbreking van die armoede-siklus tot gevolg hê. Die proses van verbranding het aanleiding gegee tot die nuwe gevare van skadelike afval produkte van dioksiede en furane wat kanker, asma en tuberkulose tot gevolg het as mense vir lang periodes aan hoë dosisse blootgestel word. Hierdie uitstraling word ook deur die "Atmosferiese Besoedelingswet 45 van 1965" gereguleer. Die belangrike morele debat wat die kern van hierdie probleem vorm is die vraag na menseregte en of die menseregte geskend kan word bloot omdat die mense in die gebied nie aan 'n gegoede klas behoort nie moet daar minder respek aan hulle getoon word en moet hul gesondheid in die weeg skaal geplaas word deur die giftige lug as gevolg van die verbrandering van afvalstowwe, of moet werkloosheid verder styg as gevolg van die gebrek aan werk? Die ander vraag wat gevra moet word is of die welvaart van die hele ekosisteem, veral die van skaars en bedreigde plante en diere voorkeur moet geniet bo die welvaart van die mense van Stormsrivier gegee die feit dat die uitstraling van die verbrandingsoond ook 'n inpak gaan hê op die diere, voëls en plant lewe inkluisend op water, grond en lug. Dit sal ook die inkomste wat uit Toerisme voort gebring word, en die werksgeleenthede vir die plaaslike mense wat daarmee gepaard gaan, in die weegskaal plaas asook die gebied se standhoudendheid bedreig. Die verskeie standpunte van filosowe is na gekyk ten einde tot 'n holistiese verstaan van die situasie te kom. Langs hierdie weg het ek dan na die etiese standpunt van Tibor Machan gekyk. Tibor Machan glo dat diere en ander organismes geen regte het nie en dat hulle daar is vir die uitsluitlike gebruik deur mense. Die standpunte van Peter Singer en Tom Regan, wat 'n mate van sorgsaamheid teenoor diere toon, is ook in ag geneem. Andere wie se standpunte in ag geneem is, is Aldo Leipold,J. Baird Callicot and Paul Taylor. Hulle denkrigting maak voorsiening daarvoor dat respek nie net aan 'n enkele entiteit getoon moet word nie, maar aan almal wat in 'n biotiese gemeenskap saamwoon. Verskeie oplossings is hierna oorweeg onder andere die verskuiwing van die verbrandingsoond buite Stormsrivier na die industriële gebied in Kareedouw, die vervoer van die afval na Port Elizabeth, storting asook die "Doen Niks" opsie. Ek het as etiese riglyn Paul Tayor se "respekteer vir natuur" gebruik en het tot die slotsoom gekom dat die iristallering van 'n afval verminderings verbrandingsoond te Stormsrivier ondersteun kan word met ernstige voorbehoude en voorwaardes deurdat, eerstens, die gesondheid van die onmiddelike en omliggende inwoners op geen manier hoegenaamd aangetas moet word nie. Tweedens, die welvaart van die nie-lewende omgewing met inagneming van lug, grond, water en plantlewe, insluitende die diere en voëls moet op geen manier geskaad word nie. Op hieride maruer sal almal wat deel uitmaak van die biotiese gemeenskap gelyke respek betoon word wat die daarstelling van 'n lewensvatbare en standhoudende gemeenskap tot gevolg sal hê.

Thesis (MTech (Environmental Health))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011.
Pharmaceuticals have been formulated to influence physiological systems in humans, animals, and microbes but have never been considered as potential environmental pollutants by healthcare professionals. The human body is not a barrier to chemicals, but is permeable to it. Thus after performing their in-vivo functions, pharmaceutical compound introduced into the body, exit mainly via urine and faeces. Sewage therefore contains highly complex mixtures of chemicals in various degrees of biological potency. Sewage treatment works including those in South Africa, on the other hand, are known to be inefficient in removing drugs from sewage and consequently either the unmetabolised pharmaceutical compounds or their metabolites emerge in the environment as pollutants via several trajectories. In the environment, the excreted metabolites may even undergo regeneration to the original parent molecule under bacterial influence, resulting in "trans-vivo-pharmaceutical-pollution-cycles". Although all incinerators are known to generate toxins such dioxins and furans from the drugs they incinerate, all the medicines disposed by the hospitals under research, were incinerated, as the preferred option of disposal. The incineration process employed was found to be environmentally unsafe. Expired and unused medicines which the general public discard as municipal solid waste become landfilled. Because many landfill sites are not appropriately engineered, the unwanted drugs landfilled therein, leach into the surrounding ground water, which is the influent source of water treatment plants. Water treatment plants, including those in South Africa, are also inefficient in eliminating pharmaceutical compounds, releasing them in sub-therapeutic concentrations into potable tap water as pollutants, the full effects of which are yet to be determined.

The Second-Hand Society tells the stories of people in Portland, Oregon who redefine waste by making use of objects others discard. The author spends time in repair shops watching craftsmen hammer and polish broken typewriters, vacuum cleaners and shoes back to life. She follows book scouts, clothes pickers and liquidators as they gather merchandise to resell and spends hours at nonprofits that collect and redistribute unwanted electronics and building supplies. She watches junk artists and fashion designers assemble found objects into display pieces, accompanies Dumpster divers and "freegans" along their regular collection routes and visits the homeless encampment by the airport to see how an entire community of people survives on nothing but reclaimed materials. The members of the second-hand society challenge the traditional conception of things as "broken" or "unwanted" and assert that forward movement and new-new-new is not always optimal. By examining the motivations and practices of the people who make use of our discards and looking at the contradictions they run up against, this thesis develops a more complete understanding of the reality that's possible if we think differently about our waste.

Reverse Logistics and Environmental Considerations in Equipment Leasing and Asset Management Manu Sharma 151 Pages Directed by Dr. Jane C. Ammons Today many business enterprises employ capital assets in the form of electronic equipment (e.g., personal computers, workstations and peripherals) in large quantities. As a result of rapid technological progress, these products have a very short life cycle, typically not much more than three or four years. Unfortunately, the disposal of electronic equipment (which contains hazardous materials) presents an environmental problem. In the face of rapid equipment changes, current tax laws and disposal challenges, leasing or procurement contracts with take-back considerations are attractive. For a large electronic equipment leasing company, optimal management of assets supported by good logistics decisions is crucial and may provide a significant competitive advantage. The leasing company tries to maximize operating profits through key decisions associated with the length of leases, efficient utilization of logistics facilities for material flow to and from customer sites, and equipment reuse, refurbishment and disposal actions. In this research, a mixed integer linear programming (MILP) model is developed to facilitate better decisions from the perspective of an electronic equipment leasing company. The model reduces to a linear program (LP) under certain cost assumptions. All computational results are based on the LP version of the model. A case study with representative industry data validates the approach and demonstrates the utility of the model in answering key research questions. Next, important problem uncertainties are identified and prioritized. The effects of these key uncertainties on optimal lease length and product flow decisions are examined in detail via an extended case study. It is also shown how the leasing company can make near-robust leasing decisions in the face of these uncertainties. The computational research results also have implications for policy formulation on electronic waste. The important insights include an understanding of the potential impacts and expected effectiveness of alternative environmental legislation in different geographic areas, and the imposition of negative externalities on other policy realms as a result of this non-uniform approach. Therefore, this research contributes new models and understanding to the intersection of the fields of reverse logistics and equipment replacement, and provides valuable insights to both business asset managers and environmental policy makers.

Thesis (MTech(Environmental Health))--Cape Peninsula University of Technology, 2011.
Pharmaceuticals have been formulated to influence physiological systems in humans, animals, and microbes but have never been considered as potential environmental pollutants by healthcare professionals. The human body is not a barrier to chemicals, but is permeable to it. Thus after performing their in-vivo functions, pharmaceutical compound introduced into the body, exit mainly via urine and faeces. Sewage therefore contains highly complex mixtures of chemicals in various degrees of biological potency. Sewage treatment works including those in South Africa, on the other hand, are known to be inefficient in removing drugs from sewage and consequently either the unmetabolised pharmaceutical compounds or their metabolites emerge in the environment as pollutants via several trajectories. In the environment, the excreted metabolites may even undergo regeneration to the original parent molecule under bacterial influence, resulting in “trans-vivo-pharmaceutical-pol ution-cycles”. Although all incinerators are known to generate toxins such dioxins and furans from the drugs they incinerate, all the medicines disposed by the hospitals under research, were incinerated, as the preferred option of disposal. The incineration process employed was found to be environmentally unsafe. Expired and unused medicines which the general public discard as municipal solid waste become landfilled. Because many landfill sites are not appropriately engineered, the unwanted drugs landfilled therein, leach into the surrounding ground water, which is the influent source of water treatment plants. Water treatment plants, including those in South Africa, are also inefficient in eliminating pharmaceutical compounds, releasing them in sub-therapeutic concentrations into potable tap water as pollutants, the full effects of which are yet to be determined.

O Departamento Acadêmico de Química e Biologia da UTFPR- Câmpus Curitiba conta hoje com 30 laboratórios dedicados a atividades de ensino e pesquisa. Atualmente, os resíduos gerados por esses laboratórios são recolhidos e seguem para disposição final. Neste trabalho, foi realizado um levantamento da atual situação da geração de resíduos químicos de laboratório no Departamento. Inicialmente os laboratórios de ensino foram selecionados para execução do trabalho por atenderem maior número de alunos e por suas atividades frequentes, sendo identificados os que atendiam maior número de alunos e onde eram executadas mais aulas práticas. Estudou-se as características dos resíduos gerados nestas aulas, com base nos planos de ensino, acompanhamento de algumas disciplinas durante a execução dos experimentos e registros do almoxarifado. Verificou-se as possibilidades de modificações experimentais, visando a prevenção da geração de resíduos, conforme enunciam os princípios da Química Verde. Desta forma, as disciplinas de Química Inorgânica e Orgânica foram consideradas com boas oportunidades de intervenção. Os roteiros experimentais dessas disciplinas foram estudados, e o inventário dos resíduos gerados por elas apontaram a geração de resíduos perigosos, segundo a NBR 10.004 da ABNT. Elaborou-se cinco novos roteiros de aulas práticas e as modificações metodológicas propostas envolveram a substituição de reagentes que pudessem originar resíduos perigosos contendo bário, chumbo, acetato de etila e clorofórmio. Realizou-se estudo na literatura, de modo a embasar teoricamente as propostas, as quais foram testadas em laboratório. Os testes realizados atingiram os objetivos propostos, comprovando a possibilidade de aplicação das modificações sugeridas. Um dos roteiros modificados foi aplicado em aula prática com o objetivo de verificar sua aplicabilidade e como os alunos receberiam as mudanças. Os alunos executaram e verificaram os fenômenos conforme os objetivos do roteiro, comprovando que o aprendizado não foi prejudicado e que o caráter didático da aula foi mantido. Concluiu-se que é possível executar as aulas práticas das disciplinas citadas prevenindo a geração de resíduos perigosos por meio de técnicas simples e aplicáveis, mantendo-se os objetivos iniciais das aulas práticas e incorporando-se princípios da Química Verde.
The Academic Department of Chemistry and Biology of UTFPR- Campus Curitiba today has 30 laboratories dedicated to teaching and research activities. Currently, waste generated by these laboratories are collected and proceed to final disposal. In this study, we conducted a survey of the current situation of the generation of laboratory chemical waste in the Department. Initially teaching laboratories were selected for execution of work for meeting more students and their frequent activity, were identified that met more students and where they were executed more practical classes. Studied the characteristics of the waste generated in these classes, based on the teaching plans, monitoring of some subjects during the execution of experiments and records the warehouse. There was the possibility of experimental changes, preventing the generation of waste, as set out the principles of green chemistry. Thus, the disciplines of Inorganic and Organic Chemistry were considered with good opportunities for intervention. The experimental manuals of these subjects were studied, and the inventory of the waste generated by them showed the generation of hazardous waste according to NBR 10004 of ABNT. We developed five new routes of practical classes and methodological changes proposed involved the replacement of reagents that could give rise to hazardous waste containing barium, lead, ethyl acetate and chloroform. It was proposed in the literature to explain theoretically proposed, which were tested in the laboratory. The tests met the proposed objectives, proving the applicability of the suggested changes. One of the modified scripts was applied in practical class in order to verify its applicability and how students receive the changes. Students performed and observed phenomena according to the objectives of the roadmap, proving that learning was not harmed and that the didactic nature of the class was held. In conclusion, you can perform the practical lessons of the disciplines mentioned preventing the generation of hazardous waste through simple and applicable techniques, maintaining the initial objectives of the practical classes and incorporating up principles of Green Chemistry.

The siting of municipal solid waste disposal facilities is often unsuccessful or delayed because of host community opposition. Physical, economic, social and political impacts of landfill and an incinerator site are identified, assessed and combined in a rational model to explain the cause of opposition. Residents' beliefs about facility impacts correspond well with the assessed physical impacts at the landfill in identifying odor, birds, traffic, water emissions and explosion risks as negative impacts and convenient disposal as a benefit. At the incinerator, common resident beliefs comprise odors, noise, traffic and air emissions as negative impacts and energy recovery as a benefit. Underlying these obvious physical impacts, however is a group of non-physical beliefs about the harm to community image, loss of control, unfairness, and property value losses in the host community. These non-physical impacts influence the attitude about the facility as strongly as the physical impacts. Finally, exposure to obvious physical impacts is shown to negatively influence the beliefs about physical and non-physical (economic, social and political) impacts. Thus, by screening the host community from obvious physical impacts (nuisances), the beliefs about community image, control, fairness and property values can be enhanced. Since negative attitude and opposition action are strongest prior to facility construction, the siting efforts need to be focused on this period. After construction, the host community adapts to the new situation. The facility impacts are combined into a model to define a criterion for acceptance. The net value of facility impacts and benefits must reach or exceed in value the narrow tolerance range at the original host community reference point to avoid significant host community opposition. Impact reduction rather than compensation is theoretically shown to be the more effective approach to fulfilling the acceptance criterion. This approach is empirically tested at typical waste facility sites. Despite higher costs for prevention and emission control methods to reduce physical and non-physical impacts, these methods are shown to be superior to mitigation and compensation in gaining community acceptance. Based on the conclusions, the policy statement on waste facility sitings recommends first, defining entitlements and rules for the siting process, establishing increasing waste reduction and separation in a waste management plan, and using participative community planning as long-term, preventive facility siting measures. Short term siting measures comprise, the negotiation of siting agreements, the use of best available technical emission controls and continued monitoring by an overview committee. The focused use of prevention and control measures to address host community concerns can substantially enhance community acceptance of municipal solid waste facilities.
Applied Science, Faculty of
Civil Engineering, Department of
Graduate

The separate land disposal of coal refuse and fly ash presents difficulties throughout the Appalachian region, both in terms of disposal costs per acre and in terms of its potential environmental impacts on soil, ground water, revegetation, and slope stability. The purpose of this study was to determine how fly ash addition to coal refuse would impact on certain geotechnical properties of the refuse disposal piles, and whether the refuse-fly ash blends would be suitable as co-disposed materials. Accordingly, the compaction, permeability and shear strength characteristics of the refuse-fly ash blends were experimentally determined for varying fly ash percentages. The compaction test results indicated that, with increasing fly ash, the maximum dry density of these blends marginally decreased. The permeability test results showed that the permeability of the test specimens progressively decreased with the increase in fly ash. The shear strength results demonstrated that the addition of fly ash did not significantly influence the shear strength of the refuse. The critical factor of safety determined during slope stability analysis revealed that the tested slope geometries were stable for long term, drained conditions (using the STABGM computer program). The volume change analysis determined that there was a minimal expansion in the volume of refuse when it was blended with fly ash. However, it may be noted that all the stated results depend on a number offactors, including the nature of the refuse and fly ash used. Therefore, these findings would be specific to bulk blends of coal refuse and fly ash only. In general, this study indicates that fly ash can be beneficially reused with respect to the geotechnical properties evaluated. Co-disposal of fly ash and coal refuse may be a reasonable alternative to present disposal methods.
Master of Science

The broader aim of this study is to probe participation of learners in waste management activities in selected primary schools in Botswana and through these activities, explore opportunities for action competence development. The study starts by tracing and outlining the socio-ecological challenges that confront children and the historical background of learner-centred education which gave rise to an emphasis on learner participation in Botswana education policy. It then maps out the development of children's participation in the global, regional and Botswana contexts by tracing the development of environmental education from early ecological and issue resolution goals of environmental education to sustainable development discourses. The focus is on policy issues and how learner participation has been represented and implemented in environmental education. The study then probes the rhetorical and normalised emphases on participation, and seeks further insight into how learners can be engaged in participatory learning processes that are meaningful, purposeful and that broaden their action competence and civic agency. The study uses the Cultural Historical Activity Theory (CHAT) methodology to build a picture of waste management activity systems in primary schools and to bring to the surface contradictions and tensions in learner participation in these activity systems. These contradictions are used to open up expansive learning participatory processes with learners using the Danish action competence framework. The expansive learning process uses action competence models that provide potential for transformative participation with learners, and new and different opportunities for learner participation. Case study research was used and conducted in the south eastern region of Botswana in three primary schools in three contexts, namely urban, peri-urban and rural. The data was largely generated through focus group interviews during workshops with children and observations of waste management activities. These two methods formed the main data generation methods. They were complemented by semi-structured interviews with teachers, and other actors in the waste management activities, learners' activities and work, learners' notes, photographs and children's drawings as well as show-and-tell explanations by learners. Content analysis and the abductive mode of inference were used to analyse data in all three case studies. Findings from the first phase of the study reveal that participation of learners in waste management activities was largely teacher-directed. This resulted in a mis-match between teachers views of what practices are necessary and important, and children's views of what practices are necessary and important in and for environmental education. Due to culturally and historically formed views of environmental education, the study reveals that teachers wanted children to pick up litter, and this was their primary environmental education concern. Learners on the other hand, identified sanitation management in the school toilets as their primary waste management concern. Teachers had not considered this an environmental education concern. Using the action competence expansive learning approach, the second phase of the study addressed this tension by opening up dialogue between teachers and learners and amongst the learners themselves through an expansive learning process supporting children's participation and action competence development. Through this teacher-learner dialogical engagement, a broader range of possibilities became available and ideas around participation were radically changed. The study further reveals that the achievement of this open dialogue provided for a better relationship within the school community. And with improved communication came better ideas to solve waste management issues that the community still face on a daily basis, such as too much litter. Newly devised solutions were practical and had a broader impact than the initial ones that teachers had always focussed on. They included mobilising the maintenance of toilets, landscaping the school premises and even re-contextualising the litter management that had always caused tensions between learners and teachers. Children seemed to be developing not only a better understanding of the environment, but also developing the ability to resolve conflict amongst themselves and with their elders. By engaging in dialogue with children, they became co-catalysts for change in the school community. This study shows that if children's participation is taken seriously, and if opportunities for dialogue exist between teachers and children, positive changes for a healthier environment can be created in schools. It reveals that children also appeared to be feeling more confident and more equipped to consider changes in their environment outside of the school community. The study further shows that participation in environmental education involves more than cognitive changes as proposed in earlier constructivist literature; it includes in-depth engagement with socio-cultural dynamics and histories in the school context, such as the cultural histories of teachers, schooling and authority structures in the cultural community of the school. The study recommends that there is need to strengthen Teacher Education programmes to develop teaching practices and support for teachers to identify ways of engaging learners' views on issues in the school in open, dialogical ways. Such Teacher Education programmes should deepen teachers' understandings of learners' zone of proximal development (ZPD), demonstrating how dialogue and scaffolding are part of a teacher's role in supporting learning. This is shown in the three case studies that form part of this study. Finally, the study also deepens insights of using the Cultural Historical Activity theory (CHAT) to shed light on issues surrounding learner participation within the socio-cultural and historical environmental education contexts of the schools. The action competence models used in the study provide a tool for revealing forms of learner participation. This tool can be used for critical reflections and monitoring of teaching practices in schools.

There has been a growing need in environmental education to develop students' ability and will to take part in democratic processes that enable them take environmental action in their local environment. This study examined learner action competence in waste management practices in two primary school contexts in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. An interpretive case study design is used to probe how learner participation in Eco-School waste management practices enabled the acquisition of knowledge in purposeful learning and action experiences that developed the vision and agency of informed action. The research was centred on two guiding questions: 1. How informed, purposeful and action-orientated is learner participation in Eco-School waste management activities? 2. What Eco-School waste management activities are fostering active participation towards a learner-led agency? Educators in the two schools were interviewed and Eco-School portfolios were examined for evidence of the learning activities and learner achievement. This provided the contextual data for reviewing focus group interviews to probe what was significant to learners, what they came to know and how they had contributed to the process of developing better waste management in the Eco-School context. The evidence generated in the study was used to identify the roles of the various players, the significant activities and processes that enabled and constrained the emergence of learner-led agency. The main findings in the study were that teacher intentionality and school management ethos were significant in engaging learners in meaningful waste management activities in both cases. The study also revealed that although most of the waste management activities in both cases were teacher-initiated, there were spaces open for learner initiatives. However, it appeared that the activity based waste management practices mostly allowed learners to learn how to do waste management more than allowing them to find out more about the scope and nature of ii the problem of waste. This then resulted in learners talking more about what they were doing with waste than talking about what they knew about waste. There were differences in the way in which learners approached waste in the two cases. In the one case, Kingswood Junior School learners used waste artistically and carried out activities that allowed for better use of waste resources like paper while in the other School, Grahamstown SDA School, learners approached waste as a resource for making money. However, in both cases, learners appeared to enjoy the positive experiences of doing things that contributed to a cleaner environment and were of benefit to others and this gave them a sense of pride to share their experiences with others. This study was significant as it allowed me to probe learner participation and examine the development of their action competence through listening to the voices of the learners themselves and understanding what was important to them about the knowledge they gained and their vision of better waste management.

This qualitative study investigates Waste services provided by community-based enterprises in the Ngombe peri-urban settlement area - Lusaka, Zambia. The aim of the study was to identify and analyze the factors that contribute to illegal dumping of solid waste in the said peri-urban settlement area. The research objectives were as follows: To explore the capability of the community-based enterprises to effectively manage their enterprises in relation to the provision of solid waste services to the residents of the said settlement, To identify and evaluate the solid waste services provided by the community-based enterprises, and To make recommendations for the improvement of solid waste service provision and utilisation based on the findings of the study. The method of data collection for the above listed objectives was a literature study and focus group interviews. In order to achieve the said objectives of the study, the researcher opted for a qualitative research design – utilizing the contextual, descriptive, inductive and deductive approaches. The research population comprised the community-based enterprises involved in the provision of solid waste services in the Ngombe settlement area namely Kutwano and Tiyende Pamodzi Waste Enterprises. The purposive sample method was used for the selection of the focus group. The focus group discussions were captured by means of an audiotape and note-taking. The interviews were transcribed verbatim, within 24 hours of data capturing. Data analysis followed the five steps of Powell and Renner (2003, pp,1-6), namely: familiarization, identifying a thematic framework, categorization (coding or indexing) of data, identifying patterns and connections within and between categories (relationships), and interpretation (bringing it all together). The researcher adhered to the relevant ethical considerations and the principles of trustworthiness, namely: credibility, transferability, dependability and conformability throughout the study. In exploring the capability of the two community-based enterprises to effectively manage their enterprises in relation to the provision of solid waste services to the residents of the said settlement it was found that community-based enterprises do not have the capability to provide adequate solid waste services. This is due to inadequate leadership and entrepreneurship skills of the community-based enterprises management committee members, non-payment of solid waste collection fees by the majority of households and inadequate legal enforcement by the Lusaka City Council’s Waste Management Unit. In identifying and evaluating the solid waste services provided by the community-based enterprises it was found that solid waste services provided by community-based enterprises were inadequate. This is due to the type of equipment (push carts) used for primary solid waste collection that does not carter for other forms of solid waste like construction waste; inappropriate solid waste storage containers (25kg maize meal bags) which do not allow storage of solid waste in a sanitary manner (non-leak proof, accessible to rats, flies and cockroaches and rodents); restriction on the type of solid waste that community-based enterprises should collect (in relation to the specified solid waste storage container, 25kg maize meal bags) and the delay of secondary solid waste collection by Lusaka City Council’s Waste Management Unit. On the basis of the findings of the study, a number of recommendations are being made, which, if implemented effectively, should improve the provision and utilisation of solid waste services within the study area. Such an improvement should lead to a higher level of environmental cleanliness, and ultimately to better health standards of the people living within the area.

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Conselho Nacional de Pesquisa e Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico - CNPq
Through the perturbing phenomenon of the extension of garbage, which in the contemporaneity reaches planetary proportions, the present research proposes to bring up some discussions from the perspective of Freudian and Lacanian psychoanalysis, concerning the implication of the subject of the unconscious in the act of polluting the natural environments in society of consumer capitalism. Basing us on the psychoanalytic theory research in articulation with other knowledge areas, especially with philosophy and sociology, we intend to establish conjectures between the transitional context of the psychic structure of the neurotic subject – in what concerns their entry into language and the production of the rest Real – and in the actual historical context, researching the theme of the degradation of the environments through pollution in the horizon of the political and economical system of consumer capitalism in their specificity of rest production and the rejection of the rest Real. In the course of the research connective openings and possibilities were presented between the scopes which treat the rest as pollution, the rest as operation of constitutive loss of the subject and of the rest as indescribable opacity related to the body, as well their management through capitalist discourse in order to think the place of rest production in the contemporaneity, where we conclude that there is, beyond the phenomenon, the place of a symptom
Mediante o perturbador fenômeno de extensão do lixo que atinge proporções planetárias na contemporaneidade, a presente pesquisa se propõe a levantar algumas discussões sob a perspectiva da psicanálise freudiana e lacaniana acerca da implicação do sujeito do inconsciente no ato de poluir os ambientes naturais na sociedade capitalista de consumo. Pautando-nos na pesquisa teórica psicanalítica em articulação com outras áreas do conhecimento, em especial, a filosofia e a sociologia, tencionamos estabelecer conjecturas entre o contexto transhistórico da estrutura psíquica do sujeito neurótico – no que concerne à sua entrada na linguagem e à produção do resto Real – e o contexto histórico atual, investigando o tema da degradação dos ambientes pela poluição, no horizonte do sistema político-econômico capitalista de consumo, em sua especificidade de produção de restos e recusa do resto Real. Ao longo da pesquisa, foram apresentadas aberturas e possibilidades conectivas entre os âmbitos que tratam do resto como poluição, do resto como operação de perda constitutiva do sujeito e do resto como opacidade indescritível remetida ao corpo, bem como o gerenciamento desses pelo discurso capitalista, a fim de pensarmos o lugar da produção dos restos na contemporaneidade – o que concluímos ser, para além de um fenômeno, o lugar de um sintoma

En esta Tesis se han realizado diversos estudios relacionados con la presencia de dioxinas y bifenilos policlorados en el ámbito de la gestión de residuos y la problemática ambiental que de ello se deriva. Para poder llevar a cabo las tareas incluidas en los diferentes proyectos ha sido preciso incidir en algunos aspectos relacionados directamente con la metodología analítica empleada en la determinación de estas sustancias. A modo de resumen, se ha actualizado la metodología analítica de PCDD/Fs y dl- PCBs utilizada anteriormente en nuestro laboratorio, con el objetivo de disponer de un procedimiento que nos permitiera analizar ambas familias de compuestos en fracciones separadas y en el caso de los dl-PCBs en un único análisis instrumental. Asimismo, ha sido posible realizar un estudio de validación de esta metodología analítica y determinar la incertidumbre de los resultados obtenidos en muestras ambientales objeto de estudio. Esta metodología analítica ha permitido caracterizar fangos procedentes de plantas de tratamiento de aguas residuales para su eventual aplicación en suelos agrícolas, de acuerdo a directrices y criterios sujetos a un marco regulatorio europeo, habiéndose observado que en la mayoría de los casos se cumplían los requisitos en cuanto a presencia de dioxinas y furanos. Se han determinado los niveles de estos contaminantes en muestras de suelo de una zona de gran impacto industrial (Campo de Gibraltar), como parte de un estudio multidisciplinario llevado a cabo en esta zona, que ha permitido descartar la influencia de las PCDD/Fs en la elevada incidencia de enfermedades cancerígenas diagnosticada entre los habitantes residentes dentro del área de influencia. Por último, se ha realizado un programa de vigilancia ambiental en Cataluña que nos ha permitido conocer los niveles de PCDD/Fs en muestras de aire ambiente, observándose un descenso promedio del 70% entre los años 1997 y 2004. Como aspecto novedoso cabe señalar la introducción de manera exitosa de un captador de aire ambiente direccional para el estudio de estos contaminantes en la atmósfera.
In this thesis various studies have been conducted about the presence of dioxins and PCBs in the field of waste management and environment. In the same way, some aspects related to the analytical methodology for the determination of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in environmental samples have been studied. In summary, the analytical methodology of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs previously used in our laboratory has been updated, in order to have a procedure to analyze both families of compounds in separated fractions and dl-PCBs in a unique instrumental analysis. Also, it has been possible to validate the analytical method and determine its uncertainty in environmental samples. PCDD/F have been analyzed in sludges from wastewater treatment plants prone to be used as fertilizers in agricultural soils, noting that in most cases the PCDD/F concentrations determined in these samples met the requirements stated in the European regulatory framework. On the other hand, the levels of these contaminants in soil samples from an area with a high industrial impact (Campo de Gibraltar), have been determined as part of a multidisciplinary study carried out in this zone, which has made it possible to rule out the influence of the PCDD/Fs in the high incidence of cancer diseases diagnosed among the resident inhabitants within the area of influence. Finally, an environmental monitoring program has been carried out in Catalonia to determine the levels of PCDD/Fs in ambient air samples, observing an average decline of 70% between 1997 and 2004. To conclude, a novel directional ambient air sampler has been successfully evaluated for the determination of PCDD/Fs and dl-PCBs in the atmosphere.

Thesis (MPhil)--Stellenbosch University, 2014
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: As the global population grows and more countries industrialise, waste streams will grow proportionately. Current waste management practices and product manufacturing processes dictate that a large proportion of waste ends up in a landfill or incinerator. The predominant manufacturing design is a linear, one-way model that extracts resources for manufacture, which eventually end up in a landfill or incinerator, rendered useless. This is an unsustainable use of resources, not only of the ones that were extracted to manufacture the product, but also of the land used to dump waste. Along with this goes the increasingly significant issue of food waste and the issues of global hunger and food insecurity. It is estimated that globally one third of all food that is produced is wasted, equalling a total of 1.3 billion tonnes of food waste a year. Wastage of food causes a loss of potentially valuable food sources, or a potential resource for other processes, such as composting or energy generation. The poor are normally the first affected by limited or dwindling resources, and as yet, there are no significant signs of poverty alleviation. Worldwide, there is a proliferation of informal settlements, or slums, and how to deal with these settlements has formed part of international political and societal discourse for a long time. In South Africa, policies dictate that informal settlements should undergo an incremental, in situ upgrading process, where possible. Although this marks a positive development from the previous housing policy, substantial uptake on the ground has as yet not occurred. Consequently, this study attempted to combine the issues of waste management, in particular of food waste, and incremental upgrading of informal settlements through a transdisciplinary case study that focuses on upgrading the food waste management system in Enkanini, an informal settlement in Stellenbosch, South Africa. A waste characterisation study undertaken by Stellenbosch Municipality showed that food waste makes up a substantial part of the waste stream generated in Enkanini. As informal settlements often lack adequate waste collection services, the food waste poses a health risk by breeding pathogens and attracting pests. Through a transdisciplinary approach, an alternative food waste treatment method was piloted in Enkanini in partnership with Stellenbosch Municipality and Probiokashi (Pty) Ltd. The method used bokashi substrate to treat food waste with microorganisms. This was then processed further into compost through the sheet mulching method and by black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae. The outcomes were assessed according to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of this method of waste processing and indicated a positive impact in all three of these categories.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Soos die globale samelewing groei en al hoe meer lande industrialiseer, sal afvalproduksie ook proporsioneel toeneem. Moderne afvalbestuurpraktyke en vervaardigingsprosesse behels dat groot volumes afval in vullingsterreine of verbrandingsoonde beland. Vervaardiging behels hoofsaaklik ’n lineêre proses, waarin grondstowwe vir vervaardiging onttrek word en uiteindelik in sodanige vullingsterreine of verbrandingsoonde beland. Hierdie produkte is dan onbruikbaar. Hierdie praktyk is ’n onvolhoubare manier om hulpbronne te gebruik, nie net wat die grondstowwe vir vervaardiging betref nie, maar ook die grond wat gebruik word om die afval op te stort. Verwant aan hierdie probleem, is die kwessie van toenemende voedselvermorsing en die probleme rondom wêreldwye hongersnood en voedselonsekerheid. Daar word benader dat een derde van alle voedsel wat ter wêreld vervaardig word, vermors word. Dit kom neer op 1.3 miljard ton voedsel per jaar. Voedselvermorsing veroorsaak ’n verlies aan waardevolle, potensiële voedselbronne of potensiële hulpbronne vir ander prosesse, soos bemesting en energievervaardiging. Die armes is gewoonlik diegene wat die gouste deur beperkte of afnemende hulpbronne geraak word en, tot nog toe, is daar geen beduidende vordering in armoedeverligting nie. Wêreldwyd is daar ’n toename in informele nedersettings, of agterbuurte, en maniere om hierdie probleem aan te spreek, vorm lankal deel van die internasionale politiese en maatskaplike diskoers. In Suid-Afrika dui beleide daarop dat informele nedersettings, waar moontlik, ’n inkrementele, in situ opgraderingsproses moet ondergaan. Alhoewel hierdie plan ’n verbetering is op die vorige behuisingsbeleid, het wesenlike vordering nog nie plaasgevind nie. Gevolglik het hierdie studie gepoog om die kwessies rakende afvalbestuur, spesifiek van voedselafval, en inkrementele opgradering van informele nedersettings in ’n transdissiplinêre gevallestudie te kombineer deur te fokus op die voedselafvalbestuurstelsel in Enkanini, ’n informele nedersetting in Stellenbosch, Suid-Afrika. ’n Studie, uitgevoer deur Stellenbosch Munisipaliteit, wat die inhoud van vullis ontleed het, het bevind dat voedselafval ’n beduidende deel vorm van die vullis wat in Enkanini geproduseer word. Aangesien informele nedersettings dikwels tekortskiet aan voldoende vullisverwyderingsdienste, hou voedselafval ’n bedreiging in omdat patogene daarin broei en dit peste lok. Deur middel van ’n transdissiplinêre benadering is ’n proefprojek aangepak waartydens ’n alternatiewe metode om voedselafval te behandel, getoets is. Hierdie projek is in samewerking met Stellenbosch Munisipaliteit en Probiokashi (Pty) Ltd (Edms.) Bpk. in Enkanini uitgevoer. Hierdie metode het van bokashi-substraat gebruik gemaak om deur middel van mikroörganismes die voedselafval te behandel. Dit is daarna verder deur swartsoldaatvlieglarwes (Hermetia illucens) tot kompos verwerk. Die uitkomste van die studie is geassesseer ten opsigte van die sosiale, ekonomiese en omgewingsvolhoubaarheid van dié afvalverwerkingsmetode. ’n Positiewe impak is in al drie hierdie kategorieë opgemerk.

The Minimum Requirements for Waste Disposal by Landfill forms part of the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry's Waste Management Series that establishes a reference framework of standards for waste management in South Africa. It also facilitates the enforcement of the landfill permitting system provided for in terms of Section 20 of the Environment Conservation Act, 1989 (Act 73 of 1989). The minimum requirements (MR) are standards by which environmentally acceptable waste disposal practices can be differentiated from unacceptable practices. The need for environmentally acceptable yet cost-effective waste disposal has become a priority in South Africa. This is because increasing population and urbanisation have resulted in growing waste generation, placing pressure on the environment. There is also an increasing awareness of environmental issues and a desire for a clean environment on the part of the public. To ensure a cleaner environment, the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry, with whom responsibility for waste disposal is currently vested, has been tasked to meet both current and future waste disposal needs. The aim of the Department is to protect the environment and the public from the impacts of bad waste disposal practices. It has been found that whilst there is sound legislation in place, many local authorities do not comply for various reasons. The Minimum Requirements will be evaluated and a case study approach and a local authority in the KwaZulu-Natal province will be selected. The research is envisaged to highlight areas of capacity/incapacity and to identify a set of resource requirements that may be required to ensure compliance at local authority level and ultimately to the legislation that promulgates it.
Thesis (MBA)-University of Natal, Durban, 2003.

本研究聚焦2009年到2013年，中國廣州的一場圍繞垃圾處理展開的社會運動。運動最初是當地居民動員起來反對市政府垃圾焚燒項目的鄰避抗爭。勝利後，運動領袖成立了一個環保組織，和政府從對抗走向合作，力圖推动焚燒技術以外的替代性垃圾治理方案。不過，儘管政府和環保者致力於解決垃圾，垃圾問題在消費社會中始終無法消除。本研究試圖理解後社會主義中國的綠色治理和環保行動之間的對抗與合作。
首先，我分析當代中國高速城市化和消費社會急速發展所帶來的垃圾危機。然后，我檢視圍繞垃圾焚燒技術的主要爭議，並描繪廣州居民是如何針對政府計劃中的垃圾焚燒項目做出抗爭的。我指出，他們結合地方性知識和科學話語，將自己建構為"常民專家"，對全球性的焚燒科技的"地方適用性"作出成功挑战。接下來，我提供一個民族誌，追溯抗議成功后運動的歷史軌跡。我注意到，通過成立一個環保組織"EC"，反焚運動走向合法化、組織化和制度化，抗爭被體制吸納，轉變為參與協助國家環境治理的運動。最後，我描繪EC與广州政府聯手推動的垃圾分類運動。指出，國家在此運動中的尷尬身份、以利潤為導向的回收市場影響、理想化的垃圾分類知識與普通民眾的知識存在斷裂，都使得推動垃圾分類異常艱難。
通過展示運動變遷與國家治理轉型相互交織的辯證关系，本研究挑戰了國家與社會的二元對立，指出在國家在治理轉型過程中不斷收編反抗的行動和話語，而於此同時反焚者又在不斷生產新的另類知識做出挑戰。此外，本研究還貢獻於對廢棄物的理解，將廢棄物視為是一個動態的範疇，國家、市場、科學技術、普通消費者、環保行動者等多個行動者共同生產、競爭、建構其意義。還有，本研究對於科技知識的普遍性的探討，對科學技術研究領域做出了貢獻。
This is a study on social movements that focused on waste treatment in Guangzhou, China from 2009-2013. The campaign began as a NIMBY (Not-In-My-Backyard) movement that mobilized community residents to protest against municipal government's proposed incineration projects. After its success, the movement leaders changed their dissident role to form an environmental protection NGO, collaborating with the state to explore alternative waste treatment solutions other than incineration. However, despite of the politicians and activists' attempt to eliminate waste, waste continues to exist in tandem of our consumption spree. I endeavor to understand the contradiction as well as collusion between green governance and environmental activisms in post-socialist China.
Firstly, I analyze the garbage crisis caused by the rapid urbanization and the dramatic growth of consumer society in contemporary China. Then I examine a few major technological controversies of waste incineration and depict how the activists protest against the pro-incineration government. I argue that through deploying local knowledge, the activists, as "lay experts", successfully challenged the "local appropriateness" of the global technology of incineration. Next, I provide an in-depth ethnography of the transformation of this campaign after its initial success. I notice that by taking the form of an environmental NGO called "EC", the campaign was legitimized, institutionalized and incorporated into the state’s governance framework. The environmental activism became an aid to the state’s green governmentality. Lastly, I take a detailed look at the waste classification campaign jointly launched by Guangzhou government and EC. I point out that the ambiguous role of the state in this campaign, the profit-oriented recycling market together with the idealist knowledge/practice systems of this project make this campaign extremely difficult.
My research challenges the state-society dichotomy by showing that the trajectory of the campaign is dialectically entangled with the transformation of the state’s governance. The state constantly incorporates the resistance and alternative discourses produced in the movement, whereas the activists keep on producing alternative knowledge to challenge the state. Moreover, this study deepens the understanding of waste by considering waste as a flexible category in which various actors such as state, market, technosicence, consumers as well as the environmental activists are producing, competing and reconstructing its meaning. Also, my discussions of the universal knowledge of science contribute to the field of science and technology studies.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
Detailed summary in vernacular field only.
張劼穎.
Parallel title from added title page.
Thesis (Ph.D.) Chinese University of Hong Kong, 2015.
Includes bibliographical references (leaves 220-236).
Abstracts also in English.
Zhang Jieying.

In the postmodern era, the industrial sector faces a number of pressures. These pressures include keeping within the new and stricter laws, avoiding the stricter penalties in terms of finances and legal penalties, avoiding bad publicity that occurs through bad environmental action and responding to pressure groups and public concern, including industry's own work force (Stapleton, 1996). Industry can respond to these pressures to become involved in efforts to 'green' their activities, for example. introducing waste minimisation practices into production. To this end, the Pollution Research Group of the University of Natal, Durban was instrumental in developing the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club early in 1999. Since its inauguration, this Club has been active in two primary spheres, namely, the implementation of waste minimisation into the industrial processes of member companies and the building of capacity of a range of employees of member companies. This thesis provides a case study of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club in an attempt to assess the role of voluntary participatory organisations in sustainable development. This study of the role of voluntary participatory organisations in sustainable development has taken place within the context of waste minimisation, waste minimisation clubs, and the specific characteristics of the Hammarsdale Industrial Complex and the regulatory context of South Africa. A combination of geographical and social theory has been used to study the characteristics of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club. Four bodies of literature have been drawn together to form a conceptual framework through which the case study can be analysed and understood. These bodies of literature cover the characteristics of postmodernism, the paradigm of sustainable development, social theory regarding civil society and social movements (including the environmental movement) and the impact of locality on activities. Primary data for this study has been gathered through the use of participant observation and semi-structured interviewing techniques. The theoretical framework has played an important role in a process of qualitative data analysis and interpretation that aimed to establish answers to the research questions generated in this study. Analysis of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club as a voluntary participatory organisation has revealed that these organisations do play a role in the achievement of sustainable development in two ways. Firstly, through the way in which they are organised and secondly, through the activities in which members of the organisation engage. The case of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club, the Club has been organised in such a way as to promote the implementation of waste minimisation and to provide capacity building as extensively as possible. One important characteristic of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club is the strong sense of mutual support and community that has developed. These relationships enable the organisation to contribute to sustainable development as they facilitate the participation and procedural equity necessary to the achievement of sustainable development. Despite this, the organisational structure of the Club can be seen to have some weaknesses. For example, the failure to develop a constitution and the high level of dependency on the groups of professionals in the Club which has lead to the need for motivation and leadership. It is possible that these weaknesses may lead to the decline of activities in the organisation or demise of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club in the long-term, thus inhibiting the role of the Club in sustainable development. By comparison, the waste minimisation implementation and capacity building activities of the Hammarsdale Waste Minimisation Club enable the Club to make a direct contribution to sustainable development. The implementation of waste minimisation enables industry to become more efficient thus reducing its impact on the environment. Furthermore, capacity building has created a greater awareness of environmental matters while equipping employees of member companies with the skills to carry out waste minimisation for the benefit or the environment. Thus these activities can contribute to sustainable development through the increased care of local ecosystems and a reduction of the impact of industry on this natural environment. Through these findings, this study proposes that if voluntary participatory organisations can be organised to provide a long-term motivational and facilitative framework through which activities that contribute to sustainable development can take place, then these organisations have an important role to play in bringing about on-the-ground changes which can lead ultimately to the achievement of sustainable development. Contrary to this, if care is not taken to create a voluntary participatory organisation that will be sustainable itself, the potential role of the organisation in sustainable development is reduced. Notably, these findings are reliant on the investigation of one case study. It is suggested that further examinations of a wide range of voluntary participatory organisations would enhance these findings by creating a more general picture.
Thesis (M.A.)-University of Natal, Durban, 2000.

Waste management is a global challenge due to high waste generation resulting from high industrialization, urbanization and challenges relating to the efficient implementation of waste management policies acts and standards. Although South Africa has established a number of good waste management policies and related acts and standards, most municipalities still find it challenging to efficiently implement waste management strategies. Ekurhuleni Municipality is facing challenges with the implementation of effective waste management strategies and compliance to the National Environmental Management Waste Act (2008), (NEMWA) (Act No 59 of 2008). An evaluation of the gaps that exist between NEMWA and the local implementation in the formal and informal parts of the Ekurhuleni Municipality was undertaken in this study. Data on the waste management scenario as collected through questionnaires, interviews and observations revealed that differences relating to the poor establishment of an integrated approach to waste management exist between NEMWA and the local implementation of the act. This was realized through the fact that there is limited community education on waste management, no waste recycling facilities in some residences, irregular and insufficient collection of waste and non compliance with tariff payments for most informal residents and some formal residents. Differences also exist in the waste management strategies between the formal and informal areas of the municipality primarily due to the fact that the informal settlements are mostly unplanned and considered illegal. According to this study, informal residents are not billed for waste management services and as such most of them do not pay for waste management services. To that end, waste is not efficiently managed due to municipal financial constraints. Waste management challenges in Ekurhuleni Municipality are also attributed to lack of or insufficient knowledge regarding sustainable waste management practices and its benefits amongst the waste generators and some waste management employees.
Environmental Sciences
M.A. (Environmental Management)

Waste management is a global challenge due to high waste generation resulting from high industrialization, urbanization and challenges relating to the efficient implementation of waste management policies acts and standards. Although South Africa has established a number of good waste management policies and related acts and standards, most municipalities still find it challenging to efficiently implement waste management strategies. Ekurhuleni Municipality is facing challenges with the implementation of effective waste management strategies and compliance to the National Environmental Management Waste Act (2008), (NEMWA) (Act No 59 of 2008). An evaluation of the gaps that exist between NEMWA and the local implementation in the formal and informal parts of the Ekurhuleni Municipality was undertaken in this study. Data on the waste management scenario as collected through questionnaires, interviews and observations revealed that differences relating to the poor establishment of an integrated approach to waste management exist between NEMWA and the local implementation of the act. This was realized through the fact that there is limited community education on waste management, no waste recycling facilities in some residences, irregular and insufficient collection of waste and non compliance with tariff payments for most informal residents and some formal residents. Differences also exist in the waste management strategies between the formal and informal areas of the municipality primarily due to the fact that the informal settlements are mostly unplanned and considered illegal. According to this study, informal residents are not billed for waste management services and as such most of them do not pay for waste management services. To that end, waste is not efficiently managed due to municipal financial constraints. Waste management challenges in Ekurhuleni Municipality are also attributed to lack of or insufficient knowledge regarding sustainable waste management practices and its benefits amongst the waste generators and some waste management employees.
Environmental Sciences
M.A. (Environmental Management)

The amount of greenhouse gases (GHG) emitted due to waste management in the cities of developing countries is predicted to rise considerably in the near future; however, these countries have a series of problems in accounting and reporting these gases. This study investigated GHG emissions from the municipal waste sector in South Africa. In particular, the eThekwini Municipality is researched in detail and current emissions as well as further projections have been calculated. This research has to be placed in the wider context where developing countries (including South Africa) do not have binding emission reduction targets, but many of them publish different greenhouse gas emissions data which have been accounted and reported in different ways. Results from the first stages of this research showed that for South Africa, inventories at national and municipal level are the most important tools in the process of accounting and reporting greenhouse gases from waste. However, discrepancies in the methodology used are a concern. This is a challenging issue for developing countries, especially African ones, since higher accuracy methods are more data intensive. Therefore, the development of local emission factors for the different waste management processes is important as it encourages a common, unified approach. In the accounting of GHG from waste at municipal level, emission factors, based on a life cycle approach, are used with increased frequency. However, these factors have been calculated for many developed countries of the Northern Hemisphere and are generally lacking for developing countries. The second part of this research showed how such factors have been developed for waste processes used in this country. For the collection and transport of municipal waste in South Africa, the average diesel consumption is around 5 dm3 (litres) per tonne of wet waste and the associated GHG emissions are about 15 kg CO2 equivalents (CO2 e). Depending on the type of landfill, the GHG emissions from the landfilling of waste have been calculated to range from -145 to 1 016 kg CO2 e per tonne of wet waste, when taking into account carbon storage, and from 441 to 2 532 kg CO2 e per tonne of wet waste, when carbon storage is left out. The highest emission factor per unit of wet waste is for landfill sites without landfill gas collection and these are the dominant waste disposal facilities in South Africa. The emission factors developed for the different recyclables in the country showed savings varying from -290 kg CO2 e (glass) to – 19 111 kg CO2 e (metals - Al) per tonne of recyclable. They also illustrated that there is variability, with energy intensive materials like metals having higher GHG savings in South Africa as compared to other countries. This study also showed that composting of garden waste is a net GHG emitter, releasing 172 and 186 kg CO2 e per tonne of wet garden waste for aerated dome composting and turned windrow composting, respectively. By using the emission factors developed, the GHG emissions from municipal waste in the eThekwini Municipality were calculated and showed that for the year 2012 net savings of -161 780 tonnes CO2 e were achieved. This is mainly due to the landfill gas to electricity clean development mechanism (CDM) projects and due to recycling in the municipality. In the absence of landfill gas (LFG) collection and utilisation systems, which is typical for the majority of South African landfills, important GHG emission from the anaerobic degradation of waste are recorded. In the near future (year 2014) the closure of one of the three local landfill sites and the re-directioning of the majority of waste to another landfill sites which does not have LFG collection and utilisation, will cause an increase of GHG emissions to 294 670 tonnes CO2 e. An increase in recycling and the introduction of anaerobic digestion and composting has the potential to reduce these emissions as shown for the year 2020. However, only the introduction of a LFG to electricity system will result in the highest possible overall GHG savings from waste management in the municipality. In the absence of the Clean Development Mechanism and the associated financial arrangements, these systems have to be financed locally and might present a financial challenge to the municipality. Therefore, the second intervention which will make a difference by lowering GHG emissions from waste management would be to increase recycling in general and in particular the recycling of paper and metals. Since there is no direct competition for carbon, in addition to recycling, anaerobic digestion can be introduced and this combination will achieve increased savings in the future. If anaerobic digestion is not possible, composting in addition to recycling will also lead to savings, albeit not as high as with anaerobic digestion. The results presented in this study show that life cycle based GHG emission factors for waste and their use can support a unified approach to accounting of GHG and better decision-making for municipalities in the local context. They can give valuable input for the planning and development of future waste management strategies and they can help optimise current municipal solid waste management.
Ph.D. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 2013.

Municipal Solid Waste generation has become an inevitable consequence of lifestyles and daily living. However, the nature (quantity and quality) of this waste stream can vary and is largely dependent upon the manner in which waste production is managed, by both government and the public. The increasing practices of littering, dumping and burning of solid waste by households (and industries though not extensively dealt with in this study) in South Africa has led to the finding that municipal solid waste is being irresponsibly managed. In this regard, it becomes necessary to investigate the attitudes and behaviour of individuals and households toward solid waste practices, which further include mitigating measures such as reduction, reuse and recycling for the generation of solid waste. The role of the South African government in providing a refuse removal and safe disposal service to all citizens is suggestive of the responsible role of government to ensure that solid waste is being effectively managed by all sectors of society. The aims of this study in light of the above were to review the municipal solid waste policies and strategies of local government authorities in South Africa, highlighting the shortcomings and discrepancies that exist between legislative policies and actual management practices; which is also reflective of the attitudes and approaches to solid waste management by households. This was achieved by focusing on the case study of the Msunduzi Municipality and included investigations into socio-economic and cultural influences on solid waste disposal practices. The objectives of the study were achieved by means of a questionnaire survey that elicited specific responses from 650 sampled households in five suburbs of differing socio-economic status. A further analysis to identify the nature of household municipal solid waste for landfilling from three suburbs of differing socio-economic status was conducted by categorizing 25 tons of garbage at the New England Road Landfill Site, leading to inferences about consumer purchasing power and disposal practices. Further, key personnel in the Msunduzi Municipality’s waste management division were interviewed to ascertain the solid waste challenges faced at local municipal and national levels of government. The study revealed several significant findings of which the most important is that the implementation of South Africa’s national municipal solid waste legislation policies and strategies are inconsistent with local government practices and procedures; thus compromising equity, efficiency, effectiveness and the sustainability of municipal solid waste disposal. Factors contributing to this are shown to be inadequate management and service delivery. The research has shown that monitoring and control systems which purported to ensure environmental sustainability are lacking and inadequately address issues where the implementation of municipal solid waste regulations are in contravention with national solid waste policies. The outcomes of the questionnaire survey and the assessment of household municipal solid waste for landfilling reveal that socio-economic status and culture do in fact influence the nature of solid waste and the disposal methods used by residents. The receptiveness of households towards adopting suggested municipal solid waste disposal practices was also investigated. The non-compliance of residents with municipal solid waste legislation and policies points towards a lack of monitoring and control measures, thereby not providing for a sustained and adequate service delivery which is environmentally sound. The research further suggests that all sectors of the South African public and the government are inadequately informed in terms of aspects of municipal solid waste. This has led the researcher to recommend that further education and awareness campaigns and its role in environmental sustainability are needed so that a sharing of responsibility between government and the public can be effected to aid municipal solid waste management in the country. It is argued that the insight into the roles of socio-economic status and cultural influences over solid waste practices provide a platform from which municipal authorities can work to specifically address the problems associated with municipal solid waste at a community level. It is the task of the national government to ensure that South Africa’s municipal solid waste is being responsibly managed at the local municipal levels so that the health and safety of the environment and its citizens are suitably addressed, hence the focusing on solid waste legislation and national policies (which have been recognized internationally as being environmentally sound and sustainable) must be translated in terms that local municipalities can adopt, assuming that they have been sufficiently empowered in terms of both knowledge and adequate budgeting.
Thesis (M.Sc.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Pietermaritzburg, 2009.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management has been a challenging issue throughout history. Waste management options have evolved, but they can present distinct environmental impacts, such as the emission of greenhouse gases (GHG). This study quantified the environmental benefits (i.e., greenhouse gas emission and energy use reductions) of various MSW management plans proposed for Puerto Rico through the use of the Waste Reduction Model (WARM). The waste management initiative known as the “Base Case” was found to offer the most environmental benefits. Thus, higher benefits can be attained from the implementation of an integrated solid waste management
Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Management

This research aimed to investigate an area of research that has largely been overlooked in the past, that is, the efficiency, profitability and sustainability of informal waste recycling in semi-urban areas. In exploring the research topic, a recycling buyback centre was used as a case study. The centre facilitates collection, sorting and selling of waste and is located in Senwabarwana, Northern Limpopo Province. Here the P.E.A.C.E (Planning, Education, Agriculture, Cooperatives and Environment) Foundation, an organisation looking at rural poverty alleviation in South Africa, initiated a flagship recycling buyback centre as a community project. This research picks up on prior research that was conducted on a similar project initiated by the same organisation in Ndumo, KwaZulu Natal. Even though the location is different from KwaZulu Natal, both Senwabarwana and Ndumo are faced with similar challenges affecting social, economic and environmental circumstances. Five objectives were identified to provide structure to this research. Through action research, the study assessed the sustainability of this recycling buyback centre with regard to the impact on social, economic and environmental factors within Senwabarwana. It also covered problems experienced in rolling out waste management initiatives within the semi-urban study location and assessed the municipal framework with regard to waste and how waste is managed and recycled. Furthermore, analyses of the waste data generated at the recycling centre was examined that culminated in offering solutions to the identified problems. Recommendations for acceptable practices in semi-urban waste management are made to enable further research and potentially up-scaling the project for application in other geographic areas. The study reports both qualitative and quantitative data collected through the investigation of the case study in the start-up phase. The data gathering was done through administering questionnaires to waste pickers associated with the case study centre. Telephonic and face-to-face interviews and secondary data were interchangeably used to address each of the five objectives. The results from the data gathered show that, if properly coordinated and structured, informal waste recycling in semi-urban communities is possible and can contribute positively to the socio-economic and environmental development of these areas. It is envisaged that this study would contribute to the body of knowledge already in existence, whilst also creating an opportunity for further academic research and input within this field to enable the scaling-up of such initiatives.
Environmental Sciences
M. Sc. (Environmental Science)

M.Tech. (Chemical Engineering)
Solid waste management is a growing environmental concern in developing countries such as South Africa. Waste tyres fall under the general solid waste category give rise to land filling, health and environmental challenges. As a result, majority of these waste tyres accumulate in large quantities at landfill sites or end up being illegally disposed in open fields. Thus, sustainable remedial technologies such as pyrolysis which are environmentally friendly must be developed. Pyrolysis offers a number of attractive advantages as a treatment option such as the production of primary and secondary economic valuable products, namely pyrolysis gas, oil, char and steel wires. The objective of this work was the development of a business model which includes costing, procurement, installation, commissioning and operating a batch pyrolysis plant in Gauteng, South Africa. In addition this work assesses the environmental, socio-economic aspects for waste tyre derived products. The study objectives were achieved through literature research, site visits, telephonic and personal interviews as well as questionnaires. An order of magnitude costing method was used for the construction of the pyrolysis business model. The model showed that it is possible to operate and sustain a batch pyrolysis plant with a constant supply of waste tyres in the Gauteng region. This research has also shown that a batch plant with a 12 year life span and a projected payback period of approximately 5 years can be operated. However, an initial capital incentive of R 10 173 075.00 is required which includes the cost of all major equipment, plant assessment costs, building and structure, engineering and construction and other costs such as contingency fees and office utilities. Four major income streams are expected to be core revenues for the business; the waste tyre gate fee, tyre derived pyrolysis oil, carbon black and steel wire. Project evaluation methods such as the Return on Investment (ROI), Return of Assets (ROA) and the Rate of Return (ROR) were in strong agreement with those obtained from literature. In addition, the positive net present value shows that the project is viable. However, a stable and well regulated market should exist for the pyrolysis products.

In most developing countries, the problem of inefficient municipal solid waste management (MSWM) is endemic. The problem is manifested by heaps of uncollected solid waste found on open areas and by the street sides. This dissertation examines the relationship between land pollution and population density resulting from solid waste generation in the City of Kwekwe in Zimbabwe. Questionnaires and interviews were conducted to 375 randomly selected households in low, medium and high density residential suburbs. The household survey was triangulated with field observations, key informant interviews and secondary data sources. The average household size in high, medium and low density residential areas was 11, 8 and 5 people respectively. The study revealed that the amount and composition of solid waste generated varied according to household size, income and education levels of residents. The higher the population density, the more the solid waste produced. However, waste generated was not carried to the dumpsites for disposal. Also the higher the income, the higher the amount of solid waste produced, although residents with high income were able to ferry their wastes to the dumpsites hence less land pollution. The solid waste generation rate in high density areas was 0.04 kg/capita day, in medium density areas was 0.35 kg/capita/day and in low density areas were 0.84 kg/capita/day. It was also observed that among high income earners, the educated people produced more waste than low income earners. However, the low income earners and the less educated people could not take care of their environment to limit roadside and open space littering. However, lack of public awareness coupled with inefficient and ad hoc waste management system continue make provision of effective solid waste management services illusive. Based on the research findings, it is suggested sound environmental stewardship amongst residents will limit land pollution in the city of Kwekwe.
Environmental Sciences
M.A. (Environmental Management)

Every year, the United States produces at least 236 million metric tons of hazardous waste. Hazardous waste is defined as solid waste that can pose a substantial threat to human health and the environment when disposed of incorrectly. Some commonly used household products, when disposed of, become hazardous waste; historically, much of this household hazardous waste (HHW) has been disposed of into systems not designed to safely handle hazardous waste. One solution to this disposal problem is providing safe disposal systems for household hazardous waste in the community. The purpose of this study was to survey the population of Benton County, OR to assess the residents' HHW disposal practices, attitudes and beliefs about HHW as an environmental health risk, and preferences for a safe disposal system. Benton County residents' awareness of the current community program for recycling used household items was also investigated. This study indicated that incorrect disposal methods were used by the majority of subjects for almost all HHW surveyed, and that for nonautomotive HHW, landfilling was the most common means of disposal. The majority of subjects in this study disposed of used motor oil and lead-acid batteries by recycling these HHW. A permanent collection site for HHW disposal was the preferred disposal option for 62% of subjects, and 100% of those subjects choosing this option said they would drive up to 5 miles to use this facility. This study indicates that the largest number of subjects preferred the option of paying a user fee for HHW disposal as a means of funding a HHW disposal system. Three-fourths of the subjects reported a high or moderate amount of concern about the contribution of HHW to pollution of surface and groundwater, and 68% of the subjects stated that they lacked confidence in the landfill to safely contain chemical wastes. Approximately one-half of the subjects recalled reading or hearing about HHW disposal in the past year, and 62% of the subjects stated that they would call their garbage disposal company for HHW disposal information. The results of this study indicate that 90% of the Benton County residents surveyed were aware of their curbside recycling program. This study suggests that Benton County residents are concerned about the possible adverse environmental health effects of incorrect HHW disposal, and supports a permanent collection site for the safe disposal of HHW, as well as increased public education, as means of reducing the risks to human health and the environment caused by incorrect HHW disposal.
Graduation date: 1992