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[Display omitted] Sustainable waste management (SWM) practices are crucial for tackling environmental concerns under a circular economy (CE) scope. Thirty-one OECD countries have been evaluated on their national SWM performance via Malmquist data envelopment analysis (DEA) methodology from 2000 to 2021. The Malmquist (MPI) and Malmquist-Luenberger (MLPI) productivity indices are compared based on their total factor productivity (TFP) and its elements (i.e., efficiency and technological changes). Both models have the gross domestic product (GDP) as a desirable output, but MLPI also incorporates municipal solid waste (MSW) generation and greenhouse gases (GHGs, i.e. CO 2 and CH 4) as undesirable outputs. MLPI has a lower average performance (1.74%) than MPI (4.42%), meaning that the incorporation of waste and GHGs has diminished an OECD country's SWM performance by 2.5 times on average. In essence, it is innovation that drives TFP in the selected countries. Overall, the synergistic implementation of SWM practices, Malmquist DEA-based methodology, and CE principles is crucial for advancing sustainable development and achieving a circular and resilient future. The manuscript also offers policy implications regarding the need of financial incentives, vocational training, and fostering stakeholder encouragement in the waste sectors to implement CE solutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• 0.613 kg/cap/d based on sampling of the waste generated in 81 communities. • Average waste composition is 68 % biowaste, 23 % recyclable and 9 % other. • MSW collection frequency is once a week for 40 % of the rural population. • Household biowaste use reduces the amount of waste to be managed by up to 64 %. • Recyclable waste is barely recovered and is centralized in urban areas. Municipal solid waste management is one of the greatest challenges for environmental sustainability and well-being in developing countries, where the infrastructure and financial resources required to carry out such services are often lacking. The design of solutions that adequately respond to local needs must be based on quality information about the quantity and composition of the generated waste and current management practices. This study evaluated domestic waste generation and its management in 81 communities in Ecuador based on sampling at the source and population surveys. An average household waste generation value of 0.613 kg/cap/d was obtained, of which biowaste accounted for 68 % of the total generation, followed by 23 % recyclable material and 9 % other non recyclable waste. Even though some councils have set up differentiated collection systems for inorganic material in urban areas, these systems are still absent in many rural areas, which explains why waste is not separated in 70 % of the studied communities. Furthermore, only 70 % of the rural population in the country has a waste collection service, and waste in some communities is still thrown into water bodies or burned. Rural populations often use biowaste at home by composting it or as animal feed, which are good practices that should be considered in the diagnosis reports and incorporated into waste management planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Simultaneously utilizing a variety of solid wastes to prepare ceramsites. • High temperature sintering is an effective method to solidify heavy metals. • The artificial acceleration of aging in ceramsites has been effectively achieved. • Strong acid and light yield the most optimal results in artificial aging. The escalating global issue of soil pollution by heavy metals, particularly incinerated municipal solid waste fly ash (IMSWFA), necessitates effective remediation strategies. The prevailing approach for safely disposing and utilization of IMSWFA involves high-temperature sintering. In this work, we propose a cost-effective method to produce ceramsites by utilizing IMSWFA, municipal sludge (MS), contaminated soil (CS), and iron tail slag (ITS). After conducting a comprehensive analysis and comparison of outcomes obtained from orthogonal experiments and single-factor experiments, it was determined that the optimal preparation conditions for achieving desirable results are preheating at a temperature of 400 °C for 15 min followed by sintering at a temperature of 1150 °C for 10 min. The optimal ratio of raw materials for ceramsites is 15 % IMSWFA, 15 % MS, 58 % CS, and 12 % ITS. The ceramsites, prepared in accordance with the specified process and raw material ratio, exhibit remarkable properties including robust stability, minimal water absorption, reduced weight, and elevated cylindrical compressive strength. The ceramsites demonstrate an exceptionally high heavy metal loss ratio ranging from 91 % to 100 %, while exhibiting significantly lower leaching quantities of these metals compared to the raw materials. Additionally, aging tests of ceramsites were performed under UV light and acid/alkaline etching to simulate the real-world environment. This work can be utilized to investigate the long-term environmental impact of ceramsites derived from municipal solid waste (MSW), thereby making a valuable contribution to the advancement of solid waste management technology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Introduced an online system for monitoring ash deposition and corrosion rates. • Demonstrated rapid adaptability to condition changes in solid waste combustion. • Indicated enrichment of NaCl/KCl in submicron particles and inner deposit layer. • Useful for real-time operational adjustments and guiding maintenance decisions. Solid waste incineration is a clean and sustainable approach for solid waste management. However, ash deposition and corrosion remain a critical issue due to fuel's inherent enrichment of alkali chlorine. This study develops an integrated online deposition and corrosion monitoring system to enhance the operational safety and efficiency of solid waste incineration boilers. This system combines linear polarization resistance (LPR) for corrosion rate estimation with heat flux measurements for ash deposition analysis. It can offer a novel approach for real-time monitoring of heat exchangers' safety during solid waste combustion. It was deployed in a full-scale circulating fluidized bed (CFB) boiler that purely combust solid wastes. Key findings demonstrate the system's capability to deliver continuous, real-time data, crucial for the dynamic control of combustion processes and the maintenance of heat transfer surfaces. Its robust diagnostic capabilities were evident across various scenarios. Specially, initial corrosion rates sharply increase with deposition rates due to the enrichment of alkali chlorine on inner deposit layer, in which chlorine serves as a catalyst, facilitating the rapid penetration and aggravation of corrosion by other agents. As deposit further buildup, the corrosion rate steadily decreases along with surface temperature, highlighting a dynamic interaction. Moreover, measured corrosion rates can quickly response to temperature variations. Such multi-process online monitoring system provide more possibilities to investigate the inherent interaction between deposition and corrosion. Therefore, this work offers insights that could significantly influence operational strategies, maintenance protocols, and the overall reliability of waste-to-energy technologies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Carbon footprint was used to evaluate the effect of source classification. • Unit carbon emission decreased to 0.14 t CO 2 -eq/t MSW after source classification. • The MSW management system is a carbon sink due to energy and material recovery. • Transportation contributes little to the total carbon emissions of the whole system. • Landfill gas utilization and plastic recycling were the two determining factors. Municipal solid waste (MSW) management is a critical concern in megacities that depend heavily on external material and energy inputs but lack space for waste disposal. MSW treatment is a significant contributor to carbon emissions. The implementation of source classification improved the overall MSW management system and enhanced resource recovery from MSW. However, the precise contribution of source classification to carbon emissions reduction remains unclear. This study aimed to analyze the carbon emissions evolution in the MSW management of Shenzhen, a prototypical megacity in China, using data from 2006 to 2020 and employing carbon footprint assessment methodologies. The results demonstrated that source classification reduced the carbon emissions from 0.19–0.25 to 0.14–0.18 t CO 2 -eq/t MSW when considering the contribution of the urban environmental sanitation management department. The entire MSW management system becomes a carbon sink when considering recyclables collected by commercial enterprises. Although the source classification complicated the collection and transportation of MSW, the carbon offset effect of recycling food waste and recyclables was more significant than that of carbon emissions from collection and transport. Moreover, the landfill gas recovery rate critically influenced the carbon emissions of landfill-based MSW management systems. In contrast, the recovery of plastics was crucial for determining carbon emissions from incineration-based MSW management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• LCO can help the waste sector shift towards sustainable development. • GHG emissions is the most frequently used environmental indicator in optimization. • Environmental and economic objectives are often optimized simultaneously. • The static deterministic model has played a dominant role in waste LCO studies. • Most applications of waste LCO have focused on macro system planning. Life cycle optimization (LCO) is an effective decision-making method combining life cycle assessment and optimization, which is capable of adjusting system configurations to meet specified sustainability goals. This study analyzed the status quo of LCO studies related to sustainable waste management and the circular economy. Most studies have focused on simultaneously optimizing environmental and economic objectives, whereas few have considered social impacts. Greenhouse gas emissions is the most commonly used environmental indicator in optimization, followed by the endpoint single-score indicator. A static deterministic model is often employed to formulate an LCO problem, while uncertainty and dynamic models are less frequently applied but cause concerns. To deal with multi-objective optimization, the ε-constraint method and non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm are popular. Waste LCO has been mainly applied to macro system planning, such as integrated municipal solid waste management systems, biowaste supply chains, waste-to-energy systems, and waste-to-resource networks, aiming to determine optimal waste allocation, facility capacity/location, technology choice, etc. It is occasionally used in optimizing process structure, operating conditions, blending ratio of feedstocks, and product development. Future research should focus on exploring the integration of more environmental and social indicators into multi-objective optimization, modeling under uncertainty, dynamic LCO, process and product optimization, and addressing the lack of multi-scale studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Critical application of the Waste Flow Diagram methodology in Tuy Hoa city, Vietnam. • Plastic leakage into the aquatic environment from 0.8 to 2.7 kg/cap/year. • The SWM collection system is the main contributor to plastic leakages. Plastic mismanagement and its subsequent pollution by rapid economic development and urbanisation pose significant challenges for modern world society. Notwithstanding one of the main sources for macro plastic leakage into the ocean from land, precise assessment of plastic pollution origins from Southeast Asia is yet to be clearly examined. In order to make informed decisions and prioritise areas of improvement it is required to better understand the waste leakage dynamics at the local level. In this work, the Waste Flow Diagram (WFD) was applied to understand the sources and fates of plastics leaking from the solid waste management system for the case of Tuy Hoa City, Phu Yen, Vietnam. The study shows scenarios of leakage into the aquatic environment ranging from 0.8 to 2.7 kg/cap/year, which originates mainly from the collection system. Targeted improvements to this stage of the service could reduce leakages and the overall environmental impacts of mismanaged plastic waste. The results of this study show the necessity and importance of having up to date and reliable data to better inform stakeholders and service planning, facilitating efficient action against plastic pollution. As the first peer-reviewed scientific article critically applying the WFD, this work highlights the steps and challenges of the methodology and critically analyses different methodological pathways. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The refractory oxides of the W-residue formed a harmless slag after smelting with SKW. • Photovoltaic sawing waste was applied as a high-efficient silicothermic reductant. • Heavy metal oxides in W-residue were converted into high-value alloy phase. • An overall recovery rate of valuable metals of 91.7% was achieved. • The synergistic recovery mechanism of two industrial wastes was studied. Solid waste challenges in both the tungsten and photovoltaic industries present significant barriers to achieving carbon neutrality. This study introduces an innovative strategy for the efficient extraction of valuable metals from hazardous tungsten leaching residue (W-residue) by leveraging photovoltaic silicon kerf waste (SKW) as a silicothermic reducing agent. W-residue contains 26.2% valuable metal oxides (WO 3 , CoO, Nb 2 O 5 , and Ta 2 O 5) and other refractory oxides (SiO 2 , TiO 2 , etc.), while micron-sized SKW contains 91.9% Si with a surface oxide layer. The impact of SKW addition on the silicothermic reduction process for valuable metal oxides in W-residue was investigated. Incorporating SKW and Na 2 CO 3 flux enables valuable metal oxides from W-residue to be effectively reduced and enriched as a valuable alloy phase, with unreduced refractory oxides forming a harmless slag phase during the Na 2 O-SiO 2 -TiO 2 slag refining process. This process achieved an overall recovery yield of valuable metals of 91.7%, with individual recovery yields of W, Co, and Nb exceeding 90% with the addition of 8 wt.% SKW. This innovative approach not only achieves high-value recovery from W-residue and utilization of SKW but also minimizes environmental impact through an efficient and eco-friendly recycling pathway. The strategy contributes significantly to the establishment of a resource-efficient circular economy, wherein the recovered high-value alloy phase return to the tungsten supply chain, and the harmless slag phase become raw materials for microcrystalline glass production. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals have higher risk than antibiotics in landfill leachates. • Population size contributed to the regional differences of pharmaceuticals in leachates. • Solid waste composition and loading affect pharmaceutical concentrations in leachate. • High level of pharmaceuticals was observed in the leachate of residual/food waste. Municipal solid waste (MSW) landfill sites have been identified as a significant source of pharmaceuticals in the environment because unused or expired pharmaceuticals are discarded into MSW, which eventually percolate into leachates. However, the contamination of pharmaceuticals in landfill leachate in China is not comprehensively understood. Previous research into factors influencing pharmaceutical concentrations focused on a limited number and type of target pollutants or restricted study area. In the present study, 66 pharmaceuticals were analyzed (including 45 antibiotic and 21 non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals, also categorized as 59 prescription and 7 non-prescription pharmaceuticals) in leachate samples from landfill sites with various characteristics in different regions of China. The results indicated that non-antibiotic pollutants were present at significantly higher concentrations than antibiotic pollutants, with median concentrations of 1.74 μg/L and 527 ng/L, respectively. Non-antibiotic pollutants also presented a higher environmental risk than antibiotic pollutants, by 2 to 4 orders of magnitude, highlighting that non-antibiotic pharmaceuticals should not be overlooked during the assessment of landfill leachate. Pharmaceutical concentrations in landfill leachate samples exhibited regional differences; the population size served by the landfills was the dominant factor contributing to the observed differences. In addition, landfill characteristics such as the solid waste composition and MSW loading can also affect pharmaceutical concentrations in landfill leachate. Despite the implementation of the classification and disposal policy of MSW in Shanghai, China since July 2019, specifying that unused or expired pharmaceuticals should be discarded as hazardous waste, high levels of pharmaceutical contaminations were detected in leachate from the main components of classified MSW (i.e., residual and food waste). These findings emphasize the importance of pharmaceutical management in solid waste systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A broad variety of radionuclides and elements were determined in SSA, APC and DFB. • Mobility of wide spectrum of elements in studied waste was examined. • Relatively high activity of 226Ra in SSA and DFB samples was observed. • The content of majority of elements in samples decrease in samples: SSA > DFB > APC. • High mobility of metalloids and low mobility of metals in SSA and DFB was observed. The research was aimed at providing new knowledge in the field of chemical characteristics of solid waste generated in the process of combustion of sewage sludge in fluidized bed furnaces. The research material consisted of disposed fluidized beds (DFB), sewage sludge ash (SSA) and air pollution control residues (APC) from three Polish installations for the thermal treatment of sewage sludge. Natural radionuclides as well as anthropogenic isotope 137Cs were determined in the tested materials and the migration of a wide spectrum of trace elements to various waste fractions generated in the process of sewage sludge combustion was examined. It was observed that both radioisotopes and most of the trace elements determined accumulate in SSA and DFB, while the APC fraction contains a much smaller amount of them. The exceptions are mercury and selenium, whose volatile compounds migrate to the exhaust gas dedusting system and accumulate in the APC fraction (up to 40 mg/kg and 13 mg/kg, respectively). A potential threat from the 226Ra isotope in SSA is identified in the context of the management of this waste in the production of building materials because the typical activity of 226Ra in SSA collected from areas with very low Ra content in natural environment exceeds 1.5–6 times the activity of this isotope in conventional cement mixtures. When managing SSA and DFB, special attention should be paid to the content of metalloids such as As, B and Se, due to the high content of mobile forms of these elements in the mentioned materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Cities benefit from nutrient circularity integrating waste and local agriculture. • Significant benefits from biogas generation and avoiding mixed waste treatment. • Nutrient concentrations in urban agricultural soils limit application of compost. • Local regulations and soil quality hinder nutrient circularity in urban areas. Cities face the challenges of supplying food and managing organic municipal solid waste (OMSW) sustainably amid increasing urbanization rates. Urban agriculture (UA) can help with this effort by producing local crops that are fertilized with nutrients recovered from compost generated from OMSW. This research aims to determine the potential of OMSW compost to supply the nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium (NPK) demand of UA and the environmental benefits of replacing mineral fertilizer from a life cycle perspective. The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona (AMB) serves as the case study given its commitment to reuse biowaste according to the Revised Waste Framework Directive and to promote UA as a signing member of the Milan Urban Food Policy Pact. Based on crop requirements and farmer surveys, we find that the annual NPK demands of the agricultural fields of the AMB that cover 5,500 ha and produce 70,000 tons of crops are approximately 769, 113, and 592 tons of NPK, respectively. Spatial material flow analysis and life cycle assessment were applied to found that the current waste management system can potentially substitute 8 % of the total NPK demanded by UA with compost, reduce the impacts by up to 39 % and yield savings in global warming of 130 %. The more ambitious future scenario of 2025 can potentially substitute 21 % of the total NPK demand and reduce environmental impacts up to 1,049 %, depending on the category considered. Avoiding processing of mixed OMSW, mineral fertilizer replacement and cogeneration of electricity from biogas are the major contributors to these environmental savings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Human occupational exposures to phthalates are of great concern. • Waste management employees were significantly exposed to phthalate esters. • DEHP exposure among compost and processing groups can pose a definite risk. Humans are at risk of exposure to phthalates due to the widespread use of plasticized plastics, and one of the major concerns is occupational exposure. The present study investigated occupational exposure to phthalates at one of the greatest solid waste management sites in the second-largest country in the Middle East. Carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic health risks were assessed by human biomonitoring (HBM). The concentration of phthalate esters was determined using gas chromatography-mass spectrometry (GC–MS), and the daily intake (DI) of phthalate was calculated based on the adjusted urinary creatinine concentrations. Moreover, carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic risks were assessed. Monte Carlo simulations were performed for uncertainty and sensitivity analysis. The highest concentration recorded was 130.80 µg/g creatinine for mono-ethyl phthalate (MEP) among the composting group, while the lowest concentration was 0.49 µg/g creatinine for Monobenzyl phthalate (MBzP) among the office group. All estimates of daily intake were below the reference concentration, and differences between the DI at site sections were statistically significant (p < 0.05). The non-carcinogenic risk level was negligible. The excess lifetime cancer risk (ELCR) values corresponding to di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) exposure were 2.07E-04 among the composting group and 2.07E−04 among the processing group, posing a definite risk. The carcinogenic risk value among the office group was in a possible risk category with ELCR values of 9.75 E−05. The on-site workers of waste management sites can be highly exposed to phthalates, and their health risk is considerable. Appropriate measures and interventions should be considered to reduce occupational exposure to phthalates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A life cycle assessment (LCA) of solid recovered fuel (SRF) was conducted. • SRF production process contributes to about 35.6 kg CO 2 -eq per ton. • A maximum of −1752.03 kg CO 2 -eq was obtained with about 80 % of SRF biogenic carbon. • A footprint of −542.09 to −1729.05 kg CO 2 -eq can be found due to coke substitution. • The study recommended SRF production to mitigate the global carbon footprint. Solid recovered fuel (SRF) from non-recyclable waste obtained from source separation and mechanical treatments can replace carbon coke in cement plants, contributing to the carbon neutrality. A life cycle assessment (LCA) of the SRF production from non-recyclable and selected waste was conducted in an Italian mechanical treatment plant to estimate the potential environmental impacts per ton of SRF produced. The analysis would contribute to evaluate the benefits that can be obtained due to coke substitution in best- and worst-case scenarios. The avoided impacts achieved were assessed, together with an evaluation of the variables that can affect the environmental benefits: SRF biogenic carbon content (in percentage of paper and cardboard); transportation distances travelled from the treatment plant to the cement kiln; the renewable energy used in the mechanical facility. On average, about 35.6 kgCO 2 -eq are generated by the SRF transportation and production phase. These impacts are greatly compensated by coke substitution, obtaining a net value of about −1.1 tCO 2 -eq avoided per ton of SRF. On balance, the global warming potential due to SRF production and consumption ranges from about −542 kgCO 2 -eq to about −1729 kgCO 2 -eq. The research recommended the use of SRF to substitute coke in cement kilns also in low densely-populated areas to mitigate environmental impacts and achieve carbon neutrality at a global level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A multi-label mixed waste image dataset is constructed. • A DSYOLO-Trash model of real-time waste detection is proposed. • An intelligent solid waste detection and sorting system is designed. • The proposed model effectively detected the solid waste with 98.5 % mAP. In a global context, the production of urban solid waste significantly varies with changes in living standards. This trend exhibits diversity across different countries and regions, reflecting shifts in lifestyles as well as varying needs and challenges in waste management strategies. However, current standards of waste recycling are too complex for the general public to follow. In this study, we propose a model called DSYOLO-Trash to identify solid waste by integrating the dual attention mechanisms convolutional block attention module (CBAM) and Contextual Transformer Networks(CotNet), which significantly enhance its ability to mine channel-related and spatial attention features while optimizing the learning process. We apply the deep simple online and realtime tracking (DeepSORT) object tracking algorithm to solid waste detection for the first time in the literature to enable the real-time identification and tracking of waste. We also develop a multi-label dataset of mixed solid waste, called MMTrash, to realistically simulate actual scenarios of waste classification. Our proposed DSYOLO-Trash delivered superior performance to classical detection algorithms on both the MMTrash and the TrashNet datasets. Our system combines the improved you only look once(YOLO) algorithm with DeepSORT technology by using industrial cameras and PLC-controlled robotic arms to intelligently sort waste. The work here constitutes an important contribution to intelligent waste management and the sustainable development of cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Explore the relationship between industrial solid waste and socioeconomic. • Analyze the flow relationships among different sectors of industrial solid waste. • Determine the industrial solid waste discharge responsibility for each sector. • Identify the key sectors for industrial solid waste discharge. • Simulate industrial solid waste reduction measures. Rapid economic development inevitably leads to the discharge of a large amount of common industrial solid waste (CISW), which not only pollutes the environment but also restricts economic development in turn. In this study, a dynamic common industrial solid waste (DCISW) model is developed to analyze the retrospectively CISW development in Shanghai from 2000 to 2017 and simulate prospectively multi-perspective emission reduction measures. Specifically, the dynamic linkages between CISW and socio-economics are established at both the systematic and sectoral levels through input–output analysis, ecological network analysis, and related socio-economic indicators. Abatement measure simulations are conducted using RAS and other methods. The findings reveal that the growth of CISW in Shanghai is closely related to its fast-growing economy. The Others sector (OS) receives the most CISW from other sectors, while the Mining industry (MI) sends the most CISW to others. From production-based, consumption-based, and income-based perspectives, Chemical Products (CP) consistently remain the largest contributors. For the proposed waste generation intensity (WGI) indicator, the Mining industry (MI) is regarded as the main sector in all three perspectives. Moreover, the MI consistently emerges as the key sector of the system. CISW simulations indicate that improving the MI emission technology and increasing the MI output value will be top priorities for CISW emission reduction in Shanghai. This study is expected to provide scientific support to address the CISW problem in Shanghai and other similar fast-growing metropolises. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Recovery of air pollution control residues in building materials was developed. • The solidification of solid waste materials with silica additives was investigated. • Silica additives greatly impact the performance of waste-combined building materials. • The designed waste-combined building materials exhibit relatively low CO 2 emissions. The utilization of municipal solid waste incineration residues in alkali-activated granulated ground blast furnace slag (GGBFS) has garnered substantial interest for its potential in sustainable solid waste management and achieving a low-carbon footprint. However, incorporating these residues often leads to the deterioration of mechanical properties. This study revealed the role of silica fume (SF) and nano-silica (NS) derived from olivine within a sodium carbonate-activated GGBFS system incorporating air pollution control (APC) residues. The dosage of silica additives and APC residues ranges from 0 − 6 wt% and 0–15 wt%, respectively. The mechanical properties, reaction kinetics, phase composition, microstructure and carbonation resistance of the blended binder were investigated. Results indicated that SF slightly improved the early compressive strength with the formation of C-(A)-S-H gel (Ca/Si = 1.47, Al/Si = 0.23), hemicarboaluminate and hydrotalcite; reactive NS retarded the activation of GGBFS and inhibited the formation of hemicarboaluminate and hydrotalcite, while promoting the formation of C-A-S-H gel (Ca/Si = 1.01, Al/Si = 0.23), resulting in an impressive 80.3 % enhancement in compressive strength. Notably, NS-modified samples exhibited decreased carbonation resistance due to increased porosity and C-(A)-S-H gels that are vulnerable to carbonation. Conversely, 2 % SF addition decreased the diffusion rate of CO 2 , and APC residues improved the carbonation resistance by facilitating the formation of C-(A)-S-H gel with a higher Ca/Si ratio. This study provided an alternative management practice for APC residues with favorable early strength development and offered new insights into using silica additives to enhance waste-combined alkali-activated materials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Municipal solid waste management performance of 167 NUTS-2 regions in EU states. • Performance measurement developed through 4 BoD models inspired by the DEA approach. • Best performers are registered in Central and Northern EU NUTS-2 regions. • Eastern and Southern EU NUTS-2 regions performed generally worse. Achieving a Circular Economy requires effective waste management. Monitoring the transformation path taken by the European Union (EU) and its Member States is crucial for assessing the impact and effectiveness of current European waste legislation. Even though numerous studies have shown positive performance and convergence in waste treatment, regional efficiency evaluation studies are still lacking. This research aims to benchmark the performance of municipal solid waste management in 167 regions – at level 2 of the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics - across European Member States during the period from 2008 to 2013. It looks to assess whether there is any positive convergence among these regions. The efficiency assessment employs four different Data Envelopment Analysis models. One of these models, the Benefit-of-Doubt, is a non-parametric approach and represents a special case within the Data Envelopment Analysis framework. Our findings indicate a yearly reduction in the coefficient of variation of 3.6%. Despite this progressive convergence, substantial differences in municipal solid waste management performance exist between EU-20 regions, even within the same country. Particularly, the analysis demonstrates that the best performers are registered in the Central and Northern EU regions, while the Eastern and Southern EU regions performed worse. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • This study shows how the delta robot was designed to physically pick-and-place MSW. • Combined with the YOLO-based model, the robot forms the Intelligent MSW Sorter. • IMSWS could automatically sort the multiple MSWs on the conveyor belt. • The mechanical efficiency of the robot dominated IMSWS performance. • Compared with the MSW detection, IMSWS must improve the mechanical efficiency first. Sorting Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) has helped promote the awareness of sustainable development of environment. A robot equipped with an intelligent deep learning (DL) detection algorithm have been proposed to improve the sorting task. But most of the related studies aimed to better the DL algorithms on MSW detection, and few studies integrated the DL algorithms with a robot to identify the dominated factors to Intelligent MSW Sorter (IMSWS). Therefore, this study is to develop IMSWS prototype to better sort MSW, based on the pick-and-place process, and preliminarily evaluate the dominated factors. First, the delta robot prototype was manufactured, and IMSWS was performed with a camera to acquire the RGB image and the height of a MSW in the conveyor belt. The DL algorithm, YOLOv3 or YOLOv4, detected the type and plane location of the MSWs in the conveyor belt. Next, the sequence program transferred the valid MSW data to the delta robot. After the calculation of the absorbed location of the target MSW was made, the arm of this delta robot moved to absorb and then transfer the MSW to the bin. Results showed that the IMSWS prototype could sort the multi-object MSWs in the MSW stream. Both YOLOv3 and YOLOv4 reached high detection accuracy on the MSW image dataset. However, the improvement should be made in the actually moving MSW stream even though the YOLOv4 performed the acceptable detection accuracy. The gripping stability of the arm mainly dominated the performance of IMSWS, and this should be improved first. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Provide a social cost assessment model for municipal solid waste management. • The social cost of incineration treatment accounted for 81.9%. • Municipal solid waste management in Beijing has great potential for saving social costs. • Recommend subsidies for waste utilization based on social cost assessment. • Provide information for the whole society through social cost assessment. The increased municipal solid waste generation poses ponderous pressure on the economy, environment, and public health. The current waste treatment process has multiple limitations. To inform policymakers on the best practices and feasibility, we develop a more comprehensive social costing model to assess the impacts of municipal solid waste management throughout its life cycle. The prominent findings show that the life cycle social cost of municipal solid waste in Beijing in 2021 is 12.4 billion yuan. Incineration has the highest social cost, totaling 10.172 billion yuan. The social cost per unit of waste incineration is 2,045 yuan/t, which is higher than that of landfill (1,288 yuan/t), composting (1,132 yuan/t), anaerobic digestion (1,057 yuan/t), and recyclables resource utilization (-344 yuan/t). The life cycle assessment results show that economic costs, including collection, transportation, and treatment costs, account for about 61%, and health loss costs account for about 37%. The scenario analysis suggests a significant potential for social cost savings from food waste and recyclables utilization. Ideally, a social cost reduction of almost 38% could be achieved. Error analysis examines the influence of variation in uncertain parameters on the evaluation results. This paper provides scientific strategies for optimal investment and decision-making on the comprehensive municipal solid waste management. These findings could provide an essential reference for policymakers and stakeholders in municipal solid waste management, replicated in different cities and other emerging economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The deposit-refund system enables the bottle-to-bottle high value recycling of PET. • High value recycling reduces GHG emissions and comprehensive environmental impact. • Reducing energy consumption and increasing yield are important cut-in points. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is a widely used packaging material and has high value in recycling. However, under China's dominant informal recycling system, most PET bottles are downcycled into fibers. The deposit-refund system (DRS) is considered a feasible mechanism to facilitate the high-value recycling of PET bottles. To comparatively evaluate the environmental performance [reduction of greenhouse gas (GHG) and pollutant emissions] under different scenarios using life cycle assessments, including the current system based on informal recycling, an improved system with a larger contribution from the source separation of municipal solid waste, and evolving systems with DRS application, five scenarios were set up. The DRS can reduce GHG emissions and the comprehensive environmental impact by 0.538 kg CO 2 /kg PET bottles and 1.73 × 10−3 PE/kg PET bottles, respectively, compared to informal recycling. It can be concluded that the DRS-based recycling approach and the bottle-to-bottle recycling provide the substantial emission reduction potential of GHGs and pollutants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Effects of temperature and moisture content on MSW heat generation were studied. • Maximum heat generation occurred at an initial temperature of about 40 °C. • A simple formula for calculating heat generation by MSW degradation was proposed. Heat generation from degradation of organic matter in municipal solid waste (MSW) often leads to increased landfill temperature. However, it is difficult to measure environmental heat loss in laboratory and field tests; therefore, little research has been conducted to evaluate heat generation during waste degradation under different initial temperatures and moisture contents. In this study, tests were conducted to investigate the effects of initial temperature and moisture content on heat generation during waste degradation. A simple formula for calculating heat generation was proposed. Within 200 h, the waste temperature decreased by about 70%, and lower initial moisture contents were associated with greater temperature decreases. The smallest temperature decrease of 47% and the greatest heat generation occurred when the initial temperature was 40 °C. The initial moisture content increased from 30% to 60% and the heat generation increased from 5% to 36%. The heat generation per unit mass of organic matter during the aerobic and anaerobic stages were 19.44–23.77 and 0.27–0.50 MJ·kg−1, respectively, indicating that the proposed formula for calculation of heat generated from waste degradation was reasonable. The results presented herein provide theoretical support for the prediction of heat generation and the recycling of heat resources in MSW landfill sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Life cycle assessment (LCA) is a powerful tool to determine composting environmental impacts. • Greenhouse gas emissions from composting must be carefully evaluated in any LCA composting study. • The need of consistent input data is one of the main challenges for the assessment. • The avoided impacts derived from compost application should also be considered. • The selected functional unit in LCA composting studies is critical for the results obtained. Composting is one of the most widely applied methods for recycling organic waste. This process has been proposed as one option that facilitates the reincorporation of materials into the production cycle. However, composting also generates environmental impacts. Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) is the most common approach to evaluate the environmental impacts of a process at different system stages. Nevertheless, applying LCA in composting facilities is challenging due to the extensive information required, the lack of standardization on the initial assumptions, the definition of system boundaries, and the high diversity of existing composting technologies. This paper systematically reviews LCA studies in biowaste and/or green waste composting. The study highlights the challenges that should be met in order to improving the application of LCA to evaluate the environmental impacts of this type or waste treatment strategy. The review protocol used identified 456 papers published between 2010 and 2022. After the screening, 56 papers were selected, read, and thoroughly analyzed. The results show that: i) about 68% of the studies aimed to compare composting with other solid waste management options; ii) there was a wide diversity among the impact categories considered, which predominantly included climate change and ozone depletion; iii) there was no consensus on the functional unit or the system boundaries; iv) the main gaseous emissions studied were ammonia, methane, and nitrogen oxide, which were generally determined by emission factors; v) the avoided environmental impacts associated with the end-product quality and its application as an organic amendment or soil improver were ignored. This work demonstrates the complexity of conducting credible and valid composting LCA studies and proposes seven recommendations for improving the application of this assessment methodology to analyze this waste management alternative. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Iron-phosphorus residue (IPR) mainly consists of FePO 4 ·2H 2 O and valuable metals. • The leaching behaviors of IPR in different leaching systems were discussed. • Over 95% of Fe, Ni, Co, V, and Mo were extracted by HCl atmospheric leaching. • The mechanism of atmospheric leaching was analyzed by XRD, XPS, and FTIR. The method of extracting valuable metals from spent catalysts has been developed in recent years. In this paper, the solid waste produced in the treatment of spent catalyst was studied and named iron-phosphorus residue (IPR). IPR was composed of FePO 4 ·2H 2 O, Fe 3 (PO 4) 2 ·3H 2 O, Fe 5 (PO 4) 4 (OH) 3 ·2H 2 O, and SiO 2. Appreciable quantities of Ni, Co, V, Mo, and W were detected in IPR. Based on E-pH diagrams, different atmospheric leaching strategies were used to extract valuable components from IPR. Both the HCl and NaOH leaching are appropriate for treating IPR. An in-depth investigation on HCl atmospheric leaching showed that >95% of Fe, Ni, Co, V, and Mo, 76.9% of W, and 89.3% of P were extracted efficiently and SiO 2 was enriched into the leach residue, at leaching temperature of 90 ℃, leaching time of 180 min, initial HCl concentration of 5 mol/L and liquid to solid ratio of 8:1 mL/g. The leaching mechanism was discussed via XRD, XPS, and FTIR. An efficient and green process for the recovery of valuable components in IPR has been developed. This research achieves the sufficient extraction of valuable components in IPR and provides significant guidance for the management of similar solid waste. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Citric acid leached more elements from wastes than nitric acid and CaCl 2. • Addition of bentonite and MgO nanoparticles decreased elements leaching. • Only a small part of the comparatively high element was bioavailable. • Leaching pattern of elements was similar in all studied industrial solid wastes. • Speciation of effluents indicated that most of Cr was in Cr (III) species. The leaching of potentially toxic elements from different industrial solid wastes (ISWs) must be understood to manage the environmental concerns they pose. The objective of this research was to investigate the effect of clay mineral (bentonite) and nanoparticle (MgO) on potentially toxic elements (Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn) leaching in some ISWs, when they leached with different leaching solutions. The highest amount of Zn and Ni was leached from ceramic factory waste (CFW) and stone cutting wastes (SCW), respectively, while the highest amount of Cr was leached from leather factory waste (LFW). In ISWs, the leaching percentage of Cu, Ni, and Zn were up to 11.2%, whereas the greatest leaching percentage of Cr was 26.7% of the total content. The addition of bentonite and MgO decreased potentially toxic element leaching. The results of effluents speciation of SFW indicated that at the beginning of leaching with CaCl 2 , nitric acid, and citric acid, 75.1%, 84.1%, and 39.6% of Cr were in different forms of Cr (III), respectively, while at the end of leaching the percentage of Cr (III) species were decreased and Cr (VI) species were increased to 83.6%, 88.4%, and 93.4%, respectively. The addition of bentonite and especially MgO to the ISWs reduced the leaching of potentially toxic elements as well as reduced the percentage of Cr (VI) in the effluents of SFW. The findings suggested that bentonite has the potential to be a low-cost and environmentally acceptable adsorbent for minimizing the leaching of Cr and other potentially toxic elements from ISWs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Low- and middle-income countries are characterized by the presence of waste pickers. • Few studies deal with traditional waste pickers' role and their formalization. • We analyze the transition into formality of waste picker organizations in Colombia. • Results from a national survey of individual waste pickers and recycling firms. • The second source was information analysis from workshops with waste picker leaders. • We report barriers and opportunities for waste pickers and their organizations. Low- and middle-income countries are lagging in research related to waste management initiatives and practices involving the informal sector and the problems faced by this population. Many case studies focus on waste management, but few deal with waste pickers' role and their formalisation process. In particular, there is a need to document the opportunities and barriers to transition for this population and the appropriate pathway from informal to formal work in the Latin American context. The objective of this article is to report the findings of an analysis of this transition in Colombia, where the institutional context explicitly promotes a formalisation pathway for waste picker organisations within the public waste management service in the waste picking activity. This analysis mixes quantitative and qualitative methods. The study draws on information from two main sources. First, primary data from a survey of individual waste pickers and waste picker organisations at the national level was considered. The second source was information analysis from workshops with waste picker leaders. The research's findings, conclusions, and recommendations compile barriers and opportunities for waste pickers, their organisations, and their formalisation. It is hoped that the findings will be used to guide similar studies in other developing countries with similar conditions for waste pickers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Water retention curves (WRCs) of municipal solid wastes (MSWs) • Hysteresis of WRCs of MSWs with decomposition. • Effects of decomposition and paper content on the WRCs. • Unsaturated hydraulic and gas conductivity of MSWs. This paper investigates the drying and wetting water retention curves (WRCs) of municipal solid wastes (MSWs) with different paper contents, dry unit weights and degrees of biodegradation (DOBs). Fresh synthetic samples were prepared based on the field composition of the MSWs at Mugga Lane Landfill, the Australian Capital Territory (ACT), Australia. The degraded samples were prepared in simulators with MSWs of different initial dry unit weights and decomposition periods with leachate recirculation. The water retention curves (WRCs) of the MSWs were determined using pressure plate tests, in both drying and wetting phases. The outflow from MSWs was analysed using Gardner's method to obtain the unsaturated hydraulic conductivity. The results indicate that the WRCs of the MSWs are greatly affected by the DOB, paper content and dry unit weight. When DOB < 30 %, as DOB increases, the air-entry pressure of MSWs with paper increases, and the residual moisture content decreases regardless of paper content. With DOB > 30 %, the air entry pressure and residual water content depend on the balance between organic matter and highly decomposed organic constituents. The paper content affects the WRCs of MSWs due to its water retention capacity and change in the particle size distribution with decomposition. The increase in the dry unit weight of MSWs significantly increases the air entry pressure and residual moisture content, similar to the borehole samples with combined effects of biodegradation and increase in stress level from literature. Hysteresis effects have been observed during the drying and wetting of MSWs. The hysteresis of WRCs increases with the paper content and DOB. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• First Multiple Linear Regression analysis of waste management systems in EU capitals. • Door-to-door bio-waste collection linked to higher overall dry recyclables capture. • On average, dry recyclables sorting doubled in capitals with door-to-door bio-waste collection. • Linkage between door-to-door bio-waste collection and boosted sorting needs further research. • Convenience, communication campaigns and system maturity likely causal factors. • Severe lack of available data hampers evidence-based EU policymaking. The European Union Waste Framework Directive revised in 2018 sets an ambitious target of recycling 55 percent of municipal solid waste by 2025. Separate waste collection is an important prerequisite for achieving this target, but progress is uneven among Member States and has slowed down in recent years. This makes it paramount to identify effective waste management systems to enable higher recycling rates. Waste management systems vary greatly within Member States and are established by municipalities or district authorities, making the city-level the ideal level of analysis. Based on quantitative analysis of data from 28 European Union capitals (pre-Brexit), this paper speaks to debates about the effectiveness of waste management systems more broadly and the role of door-to-door bio-waste collection in particular. Drawing on encouraging findings in literature, we investigate whether door-to-door bio-waste collection contributes to boosting the collection of dry recyclables such as glass, metal, paper and plastic. Employing Multiple Linear Regression, we sequentially test for 13 control variables including six related to different waste management system and seven controls related to urban, economic and political aspects. We find evidence that door-to-door bio-waste collection is associated with greater amounts of separately collected dry recyclables. Cities with door-to-door bio-waste collection, on average, sort 60 kg per capita per year more of dry recyclables. Although the causal mechanisms behind such a relationship need further investigation, this finding indicates that European Union waste management could benefit from a stronger promotion of door-to-door bio-waste collection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The environmental impact of rural solid waste management was quantified. • Waste separation helps decrease the environmental impact of landfill. • Electricity from rural WTE is as carbon-intensive as that from coal power plant. • Improving energy recovery efficiency of WTE cuts off the GHG emission drastically. Rural solid waste management is essential for fulfilling sustainable development goals, especially in developing countries. However, quantitative study on this aspect has been little and far behind the urban areas. In this study, the environmental impacts of four typical rural solid waste management systems were quantified using life cycle assessment based on data from field investigations of five towns across four seasons. Sensitivity analysis was used to determine the most influential parameters. The results showed that landfilling mixed waste contributed the highest environmental impacts. By substituting landfilling with incineration, the environmental impacts (i.e., global warming potential, terrestrial acidification potential, fossil resource scarcity, freshwater ecotoxicity potential) dropped about 110%-900%. When shifting collection schemes to source separation, the environmental impacts also decreased by approximately 50%-200%. However, the environmental impacts of applying source separation to the existing management systems with mixed collection and disposal facilities of landfill or waste-to-energy (WTE) incineration are unclear and depend on the performance of decentralized composting and anaerobic digestion facilities, which need further investigations. Compared with urban cases, the landfill in rural areas emits higher greenhouse gas (GHG), and WTE incineration plants in rural areas have similar GHG emissions to WTE in urban areas. Besides, energy recovery was the most influential process in WTE systems and a 1% improvement on that would bring over 10% progress on global warming potential impact category. These findings can be useful for improving and developing rural domestic waste treatment in China and other developing countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• LDI-MVFNet fuses three electrode arrays to improve precision of leachate imaging. • Field salt tracer experiments simulate media changes caused by pollutant diffusion. • The proposed algorithm compensates the deficiencies of single-ERT imaging. • Distribution of contaminant plumes was more accurately delimited. • The method provides guidance for site risk assessment and efficient remediation. The accurate monitoring and early warning of groundwater pollution caused by the concealed leakage of landfills is a major challenge globally in the field of solid waste management and groundwater protection. Electrical resistivity tomography (ERT) represents a potential solution with advantages, owing to its fast and nondestructive characteristics. However, traditional ERT based on a single array cannot reveal the distribution and dynamics of pollution in complex underground media owing to the limited information it carries. We designed a novel deep network for multi-view fusion to invert the real resistivity distribution of the medium caused by leachate (named LDI-MVFNet) so as to infer the distribution of leachate. To support model establishment and validation, ERT instances collected from synthetic models and a salt tracer experiment were inverted. We compared the inversion results of the LDI-MVFNet with those of single arrays and found that the LDI-MVFNet performed the best overall. The average root mean square error (RMSE) of synthetic models reached 0.98, performing better than Dipole–Dipole (3.86), Wenner–Schlumberger (3.37), and Pole–Pole (6.61), which were inverted separately. The resultant inverted subsurface true resistivity data were presented in the form of two-dimensional (2D) cross sections. The imaging results of 2D cross sections showed that LDI-MVFNet was superior to others in data noise suppression and inversion accuracy. The results of this study indicate that the data fusion of multiple views can more accurately reflect the real resistivity than the inversion of a single array can. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Climate change impact of household waste management in Lappeenranta was calculated. • Waste management impact was investigated in 2009, 2019, and 2029. • Mixed residual waste to combustion, biowaste to digestion, and others to recycling. • The 2029 scenario was significantly affected by replacing fuel in heat production. • The role of recycled plastic demand is highlighted. Waste management processes have developed significantly in recent decades and will continue to change alongside the associated environmental impacts. This paper examines the climate change impacts of historical development in waste management, which has not received significant attention in the existing literature, while also exploring possible future developments. The city of Lappeenranta in Finland was selected as a case study, and the climate impacts of household waste (HW) management were calculated for the actual situations in 2009 and 2019 and the foreseen situation in 2029. Separately collected waste fractions of mixed residual waste (MRW), biowaste, cardboard, plastic, metal, and glass were included in the analysis. The results show that the net climate change impact decreased considerably from 945 kg CO2-eq. /t HW in 2009 to -141 kg CO2-eq. /t HW in 2019 mainly by directing the MRW to energy recovery instead of landfill. The emissions responsible for climate change could be further reduced in 2029 by directing biowaste to digestion instead of composting and by directing more fractions to recycling; e.g., plastic, the impact of which is affected by the demand for recycled plastic. For the year 2029, the net climate change impact was -181 kg CO2-eq. /t HW when heat produced from MRW displaced natural gas and was as high as 142 kg CO2-eq. /t HW if the heat substituted biomass heat. The findings reveal that as energy production mixes and materials become less fossil carbon intensive, they have a significant impact on the net climate impacts of waste management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Carbon footprint of solid waste management system. • Include all types of solid waste at the city-level. • "Zero-waste City" strategy towards carbon reduction goal. • Negative carbon footprint can be achieved in Zero-waste City. The "Zero-waste City" program and carbon peak plan are currently vital environmental strategies in China. Solid waste management systems are closely related to greenhouse gas emissions, and "Zero-waste City" programs are highlighted because of their great potential for carbon footprint reduction and pollution mitigation. However, a knowledge gap remains in terms of quantifying the carbon footprint when implementing "Zero-waste City" programs. Here, we developed a methodology for accounting for the carbon footprint of a solid waste management system, and Ningbo city, which is one of the first demonstration "Zero-waste Cities" in China, was chosen as the study case. The material flow and carbon footprint of construction and demolition waste, industrial waste, hazardous waste, sludge, and municipal solid waste were analyzed. The results show that the carbon footprint of the solid waste management system in Ningbo city was −1679.9 Gg CO 2 _eq in 2018, which can be divided into 3472.5, 1131.3, and −6283.8 Gg CO 2 _eq by Scopes 1, 2, and 3, respectively. According to the scenario analysis, the SWMS in Ningbo city can achieve a carbon footprint reduction potential of at least 5771.5 Gg CO 2 _eq by 2025, by implementing the "Zero-waste City" strategy. This suggests that waste minimization, construction and demolition waste recycling, and municipal solid waste recycling are the most effective measures for carbon footprint reduction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Waste collection characteristics impact workers' health and safety. • Case study of a technical intervention in a door-to-door collection scheme. • Development of a theoretical framework for increasing sustainability. • Ergonomics evaluation not widely implemented for waste collection systems. • Ergonomics intervention on wheeled containers reduce the musculoskeletal disorders. Waste collection is the first step of waste management, and its characteristics impact workers' health and safety. Arising out of the challenge for waste collection operators to design sustainable systems of work, the authors review the literature on ergonomics and socio-economic sustainability and design a theoretical framework for assessing the sustainability of waste collection. The framework quantitatively assess the impact of the door-to-door collection system on the health and safety of the workers to provide indications to waste collection operators on how the load carried by workers can be minimised and the economic and social sustainability can be improved. As a case study, this paper investigates the musculoskeletal disorders derived from the manual material handling of waste containers affecting the workers in charge of door-to-door sorted collection of paper waste with the goal of optimizing the workers well-being and overall waste collection system performance The research study was conducted in collaboration with a company which operates in solid waste collection for Italian municipalities. For this purpose, the ergo-quality level of two paper waste collection systems is evaluated. For each system, ten scenarios of door-to-door paper waste collection are considered. The analysis is complemented by an economic analysis, which estimates the costs associated with the collection system under consideration, and a social life-cycle assessment. Results suggest that using 120-litres capacity bins would effectively improve ergonomics and optimise the costs of the investigated activity. More specifically, due to mechanised collection, the more limited number of lifting and carrying operations would expose the workers to lower ergonomic risk. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• There is a limited number of collection points for waste batteries in Vale do Aço. • Local residents and retailers have limited information about batteries management. • Local waste pickers are neither trained nor equipped to handle waste batteries. • Awareness is the main factor affecting the disposal method adopted by consumers. • More than half of Vale do Aço's municipalities lack solid waste management plans. The Brazilian National Solid Waste Policy (BNSWP) determines that reverse logistics (RL) of waste batteries is mandatory and adopts the principle of shared responsibility among stakeholders. In this work, we sought to diagnose the current state of the RL chain for batteries in Vale do Aço, Brazil, and identify challenges and potentialities related to its improvement. Data were obtained by means of questionnaires sent to the main stakeholders involved in the batteries RL chain and by consultation of official Brazilian databases. The results showed that the main obstacles to the implementation of the RL of portable batteries in the region are: the lack of information by consumers and retailers regarding the BNSWP and management of waste batteries; the existence of few collection and consolidation points in the region; lack of municipal waste management plans; and lack of sustainability of waste picker organizations. The identified potentialities were: the good receptivity of environmental education actions by the population; the possibility of taking advantage of direct logistics of local retail chains to collect waste; the existence of a special waste management and transportation company in the region; and the existence of waste picker organizations interested in integrating the RL system. Finally, by a SWOT analysis, strategies for the implementation of a more effective RL system were drawn up. This work can serve as a basis for the structuring and implementation of the batteries RL system at the Metropolitan Region of Vale do Aço (MRVA) and can be a reference for other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Use of agricultural bio-waste and municipal solid waste for biochar production. • Low-temperature biochar derived from various feedstocks was assessed. • Selection of compost, manure fertilizer and algae biomass as organic fertilizer. • Biochar has sequestered carbon and acted as sink to optimize nutrient level in soil. • Pine needle derived biochar with additive has increased performance in plant growth. The effects of synthetic fertilizer and nutrient leaching are causing serious problems impacting soil function and its fertility. Mitigation of nutrient leaching and use of chemical fertilizer is crucial as fertile land adds up sustainability to climate changes. Biochar produced from agricultural bio-waste and municipal solid waste has been used for crop production and when applied in combination with organic nutrients may support mitigation of nutrient loss and adverse effects of chemical fertilizers. Different types of biochar and their application for soil enhancement have been observed, pine needle and sewage sludge derived low-temperature biochar along with compost, organic fertilizer in the form of manure and microalgal biomass may interact with soil chemistry and plant growth to impact nutrient loss and compensate the hazardous effect of chemical fertilizer, but it has not been investigated yet. This present study elaborates application of sewage sludge and pine needle biochar produced at 400 °C in an application rate of 5 % w/w and 10 t h−1 in combination with compost, manure and microalgal biomasses of Closteriopsis acicularis (BM1) and Tetradesmus nygaardi (BM2) on the growth of Chickpea (Cicer arietinum) and Fenugreek (Trigonella foenum-graecum) crop assessed in a pot experiment over a two crop (Chickpea - Fenugreek) cycle in Pakistan. Results depict that the pine needle biochar with additives has increased plant height by 104.1 ± 2.76 cm and fresh biomass by 49.9 ± 1.02 g, buffered the soil pH to 6.5 for optimum growth of crops and enhance carbon retention by 36 %. This study highlights the valorization of sewage sludge and pine needle into biochar and the effect of biochar augmentation, its impact on soil nutrients and plant biomass enhancement. The greener approach also mitigates and helps in the sustainable management of solid wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A nondestructive method for determining moisture content of solid waste was proposed. • The moisture content prediction model was based on ATR-FTIR spectra and ML algorithm. • An efficient data processing method that used the water-band spectra was proposed. • Hyperparameters of combinations of preprocessing and ML regressors were optimized. • The performance, application prospects and limitations of the models were analyzed. Rapid determination of moisture content plays an important role in guiding the recycling, treatment and disposal of solid waste, as the moisture content of solid waste directly affects the leachate generation, microbial activities, pollutants leaching and energy consumption during thermal treatment. Traditional moisture content measurement methods are time-consuming, cumbersome and destructive to samples. Therefore, a rapid and nondestructive method for determining the moisture content of solid waste has become a key technology. In this work, an attenuated total reflectance-Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and multiple machine learning methods was developed to predict the moisture content of multi-source solid waste (textile, paper, leather and wood waste). A combined model was proposed for moisture content regression prediction, and the applicability of 20 combinations of five spectral preprocessing methods and four regression algorithms were discussed to further improve the modeling accuracy. Furthermore, the prediction result based on the water-band spectra was compared with the prediction result based on the full-band spectra. The result showed that the combination model can efficiently predict the moisture content of multi-source solid waste, and the R2 values of the validation and test datasets and the root mean square error for the moisture prediction reached 0.9604, 0.9660, and 3.80, respectively after the hyperparameter optimization. The excellent performance indicated that the proposed combined models can rapidly and accurately measure the moisture content of solid waste, which is significant for the existing waste characterization scheme, and for the further real-time monitoring and management of solid waste treatment and disposal process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Adults produce more absorbent hygiene product (AHP) waste than infants in Australia. • In Australia, the majority of used AHPs go to landfill as municipal solid waste. • Our results recommend more sustainable management of waste from all AHPs. The environmental issues relating to disposable of infant nappies have received considerable attention. However, adult absorbent hygiene products (AHPs) receive less attention, despite having comparable or greater environmental impact. Here we quantify and compare current and future flows of continence related AHPs entering waste streams from both infant and adult populations. Importantly our study accounts for current waste management and landfilling practices across Australia and the environmental implications of AHP disposal. Absorbent hygiene product use from infants and adults was modelled from 2020 to 2030 for Australia, and it's predicted that AHP waste generated by adults will account for between 4 and 10 times that of infants by 2030 due to an aging population. Our results indicate that 50% of used AHPs end up in landfill with both leachate and biogas collection, the remainder going to landfills without biogas collection or without both leachate and biogas collection, based on the most recent national data set, which is over a decade old. The average composition of used absorbent hygiene product (including 60% urine and faeces by mass) is estimated to contain 20% non-biodegradable material, which may complicate the biodegradability of absorbent hygiene products in landfill. Without additional regulatory incentive, the current waste management practices in Australia are likely to continue, with absorbent hygiene products typically entering landfill as municipal solid waste, rather than industrial composting or recycling facilities. More accurate estimation of environmental implications from these disposal pathways requires further work including biodegradation experiments currently unavailable in the literature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Decreasing the yield stress of bentonite facilitated chalcopyrite flotation. • K+ was superior to Na+ in reducing the yield stress but with a lower flotation result. • The discrepancy was related with the modification of bentonite morphology. • The modification was owing to the interaction between K+ and bentonite. Waste management in Iceland has developed considerably in recent years. Before 1990, most of the waste was either burnt in open pits or landfilled. In the past, information about waste management in Iceland used to be almost exclusively published in reports and was primarily based on rough estimates. Currently, incinerators and landfilling sites are highly regulated and follow EU legislation. Additionally, reporting has gradually improved and is approaching EU standards, although improvement is still needed. In an international context, Iceland is far behind the other Nordic countries as well as the EU-27 countries in reducing landfill rates and enhancing energy recovery and recycling rates. According to the EU landfill directive, the total amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) landfilled must be below 10% by 2035; however, it is currently over 60%. Other targets are similarly far off, and it is unlikely that Iceland will meet those in time without immediate and significant changes in waste management. This article aims to evaluate MSW management in Iceland at the national and regional levels, its compliance with the EU's targets for waste management and the associated costs inflicted on municipalities. Hence, annual accounts data were used when comparing regions and municipalities. It was found that there are significant differences in per capita waste management expenditure between municipalities with less than 1,000 inhabitants (€379) and ones with more than 10,000 inhabitants (€106). Without changes in proposed future waste management strategies, this gap will inevitably increase in the upcoming years. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Settlement mechanisms of MSW landfills are classified into four categories. • Settlement models of MSW landfills are classified into six categories. • Some practical engineering suggestions are put forward by analyzing the influencing factors of settlement. • Advantages and disadvantages of different settlement models and their applicability are analysed. • Limitations of existing MSW landfill settlement models and future research directions are discussed. Currently, landfill is the most common, economical, and convenient method for municipal solid waste (MSW) disposal in countries around the world. MSW has a complex composition and special engineering characteristics, which lead to a very complex settlement mechanism in MSW landfills. This article reviews the description of this settlement mechanism in the existing literature and classifies it into stress-related mechanisms, biodegradation processes of organic substances, water-related mechanisms and physical and chemical processes of inorganic components. Based on the settlement mechanism, the influencing factors of landfill settlement were analysed, including the composition of MSW, physical parameters, environmental factors, and the operation mode of the landfill. Some practical engineering suggestions are obtained by analysing the influencing factors of MSW landfill settlement. Four common methods for studying the settlement of MSW landfills are presented, including laboratory experiments, in-situ settlement monitoring, theoretical analysis, and numerical simulation. We classified the existing settlement models into six categories: a soil mechanics, rheological, empirical, biodegradation, constitutive, and multiphase coupling models. Advantages and disadvantages of the different models and their applicability are compared and analysed. Moreover, limitations in the modelling process of MSW landfill settlement and future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Six Socio-economic and climatic indicators that affect MSW production are selected. • The k-means clustering algorithm was used to divide all cities in mainland China. • The clustering results be checked by statistical significance test. • Cities cluster result could be used in waste prediction and policy development. Cities in mainland China are usually classified according to geographical locations. This traditional city classification system is limited to relative fixed factors, which lives out a gap in terms of the spatial differences of municipal solid waste (MSW). Developing a more comprehensive city classification system is essential for MSW generation prediction and waste management. In this study, six economic, social and climatic indicators that affect MSW generation: population, per capita GDP (PCGDP), environmental sanitation investment (ESI), average temperature, average precipitation, and average humidity, are selected. Weights were calculated for each indicator using a combination of CRITIC weight method and Pearson correlation coefficient prior to cluster analysis. The k-means clustering algorithm was used to classify all cities into four clusters, which differed significantly in the relationships between MSW generation and influencing factors. The results of Kruskal-Wallis test also show that cities in different clusters show different distributions in terms of the indicators selected. The cross-prediction results of the model further validate the reliability of the clustering results from a quantitative perspective. By establishing a city classification system, cities with similar relationships between MSW generation and influencing factors can be placed into one cluster. The model established in one certain city cluster can be used to predict the MSW generation for cities in the same cluster that lack historical data. This may also help to formulate appropriate regional policies according to different relationships between MSW generation and influencing factors, especially for the four city clusters in the mainland China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Quality of solid recovered fuel (SRF) potentially produced in Bolivia is assessed. • SRF can be obtained with 80% plastics (85% PE, 15% PP) and 20% cellulosic. • SRF from municipal waste can provide a maximum of 23.4% of energy required by cement industries. • SRF exploitation can contribute to recovery about 5.3% of the waste maximum. • About 30,247 million cubic feet of methane can be saved in 10 years. Solid recovered fuels (SRF) can provide another treatment option to the solid waste management (SWM) sector. However, in developing countries, to date, this system approach has not found considerable application. In Bolivia, SRF is not deemed within the national regulation and the final disposal in open dumping areas is still a reality. This research article provides the first attempt in evaluating the SRF characteristics and its potentialities in Bolivia, taking La Paz as a case study. Laboratory analysis of the rejects produced after selective collection and sorting has been conducted, focusing on non-hazardous and non-recyclable waste fractions. The international standards related to EN 15359:2011 for the classification of the SRF were employed, assessing the most feasible mix of materials to provide the highest classification of SRF in terms of low calorific value (LCV), chlorine, and mercury concentration. Results reported that the SRF made of 80% plastics (85% PE and 15% PP) and 20% cellulosic (blend 2), as well as 30% plastics (50% PP and 50% PE) and 70% cellulosic (blend 1), can be considered an alternative fuel in Bolivia. On balance, it has been estimated that the use of non-recyclable plastics and cardboard from municipal solid waste can provide, on average, about 0.9–2.7 billion MJ of energy for cement kilns, solving about 1.4–5.3% of the SWM issues and covering about 8–23.4% of the energy demand for cement production in Bolivia. These results are novel for the scientific literature for estimating the potentialities of SRF in Latin America. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A new strategy for combining accelerated carbonation with biogas purification. • Leached heavy metals could be significantly reduced after accelerated carbonation. • An integrated design to evaluate the large-scale accelerated carbonation process. • Environmentally friendly and economically feasible accelerated carbonation process. Incineration is the main technology used for the management of municipal solid waste, in parallel to various recycling programs. However, incineration should not be considered as the final step for waste management as the ash still needs to be treated and disposed properly. In this work, an innovative accelerated carbonation of incineration bottom ash (IBA) using simulated biogas composition from anaerobic digestion processes (a mixture of CH 4 and CO 2) has been applied to lower the leaching of heavy metals from the carbonated IBA and its associated toxicity. Various temperatures and reaction times were explored for carbonation optimization and it was found that the carbonation at 25 °C for 8 h was the optimal reaction condition by taking into account the degree of carbonation and time constraint. The mineral content, functional groups, thermal stability, leaching patterns and ecotoxicity of both raw IBA and carbonated IBA were tested. It was found that carbonated IBA leached out less heavy metals than the raw IBA due to the locking of heavy metals in the calcite matrix. Cost-benefit analysis was also conducted on the industrial-scale process with a capacity of processing 10 tons of IBA per day. The results indicated that the proposed process had great economic potential. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Technological, compositional, leaching and modelling uncertainties were included. • 14 + 30 management scenarios assessed, all including parametrical uncertainty. • Two of the business-as-usual scenarios showed the lowest environmental impacts. Air pollution control residues (APCr) are hazardous materials generated from municipal solid waste incineration and require appropriate management. This life cycle assessment (LCA) study investigates the environmental impacts of current and alternative management options, considering the possibility of a cascading management of APCr, where one treatment technology is followed by another. In total, 14 base case scenarios and 30 sensitivity scenarios were evaluated. The effects of APCr composition, leaching, time horizon, and uncertainties were investigated. The APCr management options with the lowest environmental impacts and the smallest uncertainties were i) backfilling of underground salt mines and ii) neutralization treatment followed by backfilling (Langøya, Norway). These options were followed by iii) scenarios that included Zn extraction, iv) cement stabilization of fresh APCr followed by landfilling and v) production of cement aggregates made from carbonated APCr followed by their utilization in construction works. Recovery of salts from APCr required further performance optimizations before being environmentally competitive with other options. Long-term leaching emissions of Zn, Cr and As were among the largest contributors to toxicity-related impacts, emphasizing the need for management strategies that minimize their leaching. The investigated scenarios demonstrate that increased "processing" and cascading utilization of the residues, contribute with increased uncertainty of the results compared to landfilling and may not necessarily lead to decreased environmental impacts. LCA studies of APCr management should address the full management chain, rather than just the first treatment. Overall, the results of this study were found robust, also considering potential changes in the surrounding energy system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• A biochemical-thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling model was established. • Considering skeleton deformation, two-phase flow, heat transport and degradation. • Temperature, settlement and C/L simulation results were consistent with the test. • The temperature was affected by oxygen diffusion and moisture content. • The settlement developed by 70% in 150 days. • The C/L decreased to 0.4 in half a year. Ventilating solid waste landfills with an oxygen supply can effectively accelerate the degradation of waste, achieve rapid stabilization, and realize the sustainable utilization of landfills. Aiming to understand and verify the aerobic degradation process in landfills, this paper proposed a biochemical-thermal-hydro-mechanical coupling model. The model considers aerobic biochemical reactions, dissolved solute migration, heat transport, two-phase flow, and skeleton deformation. The model was verified by comparison with an in-situ experiment at Jinkou landfill. The results showed the model could accurately represent the observed degradation phenomena during the experiment. The modelling results indicated that the rate of temperature increase and peak temperature of the upper layer, which were lower than those of the middle layer, were affected by heat exchange at the landfill surface. The lowest temperatures occurred near the bottom because of high water content and low oxygen concentrations. The high temperature zone migrated out from the injection well during degradation, reflecting the degradation of degradable organic matter associated with oxygen diffusion rates and aerobic degradation reactions. The initial accumulated settlement value was fast, but slowed and finally stabilized. The surface subsidence also developed from the center around the injection well to the surrounding area, and 70% of the total subsidence occurred within 150 days. This newly developed model provides a theoretical framework for analyzing the multi-field coupling of aerobic degradation of landfilled municipal solid waste (MSW). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Solid substrate and inerts dilute the biomass distorting the activity tests. • Correcting factors are obtained from model simulation to estimate biomass dilution. • Factors of 79% and 25 to 35% are obtained for batch and continuous solid digesters. • The raw results from activity tests undervalue methanogen activity in digesters. • Correcting factors improve the calculation of the inoculum size for activity tests. Anaerobic digestion is a widespread technology used for organic-based solid waste management. Specific methanogenic activity tests are simple and cost-effective tools for sludge characterization and system diagnosis. However, in solid digesters, substrate and organic inert material dilute micro-organisms, enlarging the activity tests and distorting experimental results. To correct this situation, correction factors, defined as the ratio of micro-organisms concentration to total volatile solids content, are considered. Due to the impossibility to have a quick measurement of the mass of micro-organisms in the digester content, correction factors were evaluated based on the simulation of a simple model. To verify the importance of the correction, hydrogenotrophic and acetoclastic methanogenic activities were studied, involving a stage for sludge acclimatization and subsequent processing in a continuous digester. This situation was compared with a wastewater up-flow anaerobic reactor where no dilution effects are presented. A correcting factor of 0.79 was obtained for the acclimatization period, whereas correcting factors of 0.25–0.30 were estimated for the two periods of the digester. Tendencies shown for raw activities differed from those observed after using correcting factors to adjust activity values for periods 1 and 2 of the digester; also, the gap between the up-flow anaerobic reactor (without solids dilution effects) and the digester activities was reduced from sixfold to double, evidencing the relevance of this correction tool. Additionally, correcting factors also enabled a reasonable calculation of the inoculum size during the design of the activity tests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• An analytical framework is developed to detect probable illegal dump sites (IDSs) • An IDS probability map is produced at a 31,285 km2 site in rural and remote regions. • Populated areas represented by nighttime light is a priori of IDS. • Among all classes, highway length is the most decisive factor on IDS probability. • Vulnerability of the inhabitants on reserve lands was assessed in 3 sample regions. Illegal dump sites (IDS) pose significant risks to human and the environment and are a pressing issue worldwide. Due to their secretive nature, the detection of IDS is costly and ineffective. In this study, an analytical framework was developed to detect probable IDSs in rural and remote areas using nighttime light (NTL) as a proxy for populated areas. An IDS probability map is produced by aggregation of Landsat-8 and Suomi NPP satellite imagery, multiple-criteria decision-making analysis, and classification tools. Six variables are considered, including modified soil adjusted index, land surface temperature, NTL, highway length, railway length, and the number of landfills. Vulnerability of the inhabitants on reserve lands was assessed using three sample regions. The method appears effective in reducing potential IDSs. Only about 7% of the 31,285 km2 study area are identified as probable IDS, being classified as "very high" and "high". Landfills without permit are found more effective in lowering IDS occurrence. Spatial distributions of reserve lands and the maturity of highways network nearby may be more important than the length of railways when assessing the inhabitant vulnerability due to IDS. Highway length is the most decisive factor on IDS probability among all classes, with membership grades ranging from 0.99 to 0.55. Land surface temperature appears less effective for the identification of smaller scale IDS. NTL is more prominent on IDS probability in the "very high" class, with a membership grade of 0.80. The finding suggests that populated areas represented by NTL is a priori of IDS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The profile of the microbial community changes along the natural attenuation. • Changes in the microbial profile are related to the leachate composition. • Each treatment unit presented a specific microbial consortium. • The key microbial players for the leachate mitigation process were identified. Studies on the degradation dynamics of landfill leachate indicate that the microbial community profile is a valuable and sensitive tool for landfill monitoring programs. Although knowledge about the microbial community can improve the efficiency of leachate treatment systems, little is known about the microbial profile changes that occur throughout the leachate attenuation process. In the present work, an exploratory analysis of the microbial community profile of the MSW leachate treatment system in the municipality of Osório (Brazil) was conducted. In this way, a comprehensive analysis of chemical parameters, isotopic signature and microbial profile data were applied to monitor the changes in the structure of the microbial community throughout the leachate attenuation process and to describe the relationship between the microbial community structure and the attenuation of chemical and isotopic parameters. From data analysis, it was possible to assess the microbial community structure and relate it to the attenuation of chemical and isotopic parameters. Based on massive parallel 16S rRNA gene sequencing, it was possible to observe that each leachate treatment unit has a specific microbial consortium, reflecting the adaptation of different microorganisms to changes in leachate characteristics throughout treatment. From our results, we concluded that the structure of the microbial community is sensitive to the leachate composition and can be applied to study the municipal solid waste management system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Only 9% of studies considered hardened performance metrics in the FU definition. • Cradle-to-gate scope on 87% of articles due to a lack of long-term durability data. • Modeling and data types affect the types and levels of uncertainty and variability. • Guideline is proposed to probabilistically assess the solid waste mixtures. Research and practice on concrete incorporating solid wastes have found many advocates in recent years. Despite significant advancements, the connecting link between the performance of concrete incorporating solid wastes and its environmental impacts is not fully captured. The current review article aims to address the dependency between concrete performance and the potential environmental impacts of concrete made with solid wastes. A systematic review of previous life cycle assessment (LCA) publications was performed with a focus on outlining the importance of including mechanical and durability properties of such type of concrete in obtaining robust LCA results. The data on four types of solid wastes, including construction and demolition waste, municipal solid waste incineration, tire rubber, and polyethylene terephthalate, were reviewed. Research gaps and future opportunities were discussed to advance the knowledge of concrete incorporating these solid wastes. Finally, recommendations were proposed to provide a guideline for construction materials stakeholders to develop a robust comparative LCA of the concrete, particularly that made with solid wastes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • A bio-circular model applied to food waste management is illustrated. • Dry anaerobic digestion and composting of food waste are the process key. • Biomethane for transport system and compost for organic farming are produced. • Environmental sustainability is confirmed by mass and energy balances. In light of the adoption of recent global policies and strategies for a more sustainable food waste management system and a greater control of environmental impacts, this study describes a circular bioeconomy plant model, currently operating in South Italy, for treatment and enhancement of organic fraction of municipal solid waste. The key basis for plant activity is dry anaerobic digestion of separately collected organic fraction of municipal solid waste (SC-OFMSW) followed by digestate composting process. Biomethane for use in the transport sector is obtained by biogas cleaning and upgrading, while high-quality compost for organic farming is produced by digestate composting. Plant activities are completed by the transformation of part of the produced waste into refuse derived fuel (RDF) to be allocated to waste-to-energy plants and the treatment of odour emissions which allows the recovery of ammonium sulphate as a fertilizer. A rooftop photovoltaic system supplies most of electric energy needed by the plant. For plant activities relative to 2020, carbon footprint was equal to −112 kg CO 2 eq. for Mg of organic waste, while depletion of fossil resources was estimated at −89.6 kg oil eq. Mg−1 of waste. Primary energy demand of food waste treatment system was −2.66 GJ Mg−1 of input waste. Replacement of natural gas with biomethane for transport sector provided the greatest improvement contribution for all the examined categories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • The combined weight model clarifies that economics affect MSW separation vitally. • The prediction model solves the problem of missing urban sanitation data sets. • An artificial neural network were established to evaluate MSW separation ability. • An MSW separation evaluation system has been designed for model application. With the increase in municipal solid waste (MSW), most cities face solid waste management issues. In this study, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and artificial neural network (ANN) models were improved to assess the MSW separation capability based on 18 selected indicators of solid waste separation in 15 cities in China. The entropy weight method (EWM) was used in AHP to optimize and determine the indicators and then evaluate their weights, which showed that the general public budget expenditure had the highest weight (0.5239). This implied that the MSW separation capability could be mainly influenced by government financial support. ANN based on scan optimization and machine learning methods were established (R2 = 0.9992) to predict the missing indicators. The mapping relationship between MSW separation indicators and capabilities was also significantly improved from R2 = 0.5317 to R2 = 0.9993, thereby increasing the prediction accuracy of MSW separation capabilities to 95.15%. Thus, this research provides a new avenue for MSW separation and establishes a combined model to predict the separation capability in practical applications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]