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Managing waste tires presents a significant challenge globally, particularly in regions experiencing high temperatures and shortage of landfill sites. This issue is affecting countries like Kuwait, where the abundance of waste tires is a major source of environmental and safety risks, particularly during the intensely hot summer months. This extreme heat has sparked numerous fires, leading to substantial air pollution due to thick black smoke. Given the limited disposal options, recycling waste tires and finding practical applications for ground tire rubber (GTR) is essential. To address the challenge, a comprehensive laboratory testing program was conducted, using locally produced rubber aggregates as an additive to Kuwait's local surface sands. Two new variables were examined namely the size and gradation of the GTR, and the density of the compacted mixes. For this purpose, two different sizes of rubber aggregates, fine and coarse produced locally, were utilized, and the impact of relative compaction on the strength and compressibility of the mixtures was investigated by testing samples compacted to the maximum density and to 95% of the maximum density. The results suggest that combining local surface sands with rubber tire additives results in a lighter, more permeable, and compressible material, contributing significantly to sustainable waste management. With 20% rubber additive the maximum dry density decreased by nearly 20%, and the permeability increased by 1.74–3.11 times and the compression index increased by 6.15 and 3.8 times with fine and coarse rubber respectively. The angle of friction remained unchanged at 36° with the addition of coarse rubber and decreased by 3°–4° with fine rubber. The change in behavior although not an increase in the strength and stiffness, offers a range of suitable practical applications in civil engineering and environmental management, including use as a drainage layer, embankment construction on soft ground, earth fill around retaining walls, an additive in asphalt mixes, and in manufacturing compressible tiles for sports facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Remediation and preparation for development is a crucial aspect of the valorization of post-mining areas. This study is focused on technologies devoted to the cement stabilization of post-industrial waste and petroleum contaminated soils. Two case studies are presented. Case 1 is based on the stabilization works of waste from a closed chemical plant in order to turn it into an engineered landfill. The results form the basis for numerical studies of slope stability. The shorter case 2 is based on the laboratory testing of a soil–cement composite with regard to petroleum contamination and the application of active carbon to neutralize it in the course of deep soil mixing. Both cases, due to the use of slag cement, are not considered to be sustainable (due to a relatively high carbon footprint), but they represent current geotechnical practice and form a reference for a wide range of applications. Both cases show the positive impact of stabilization by means of the addition of a hydraulic binder. The effect of soil improvement is measurable in terms of the stability factor of landfill slopes. The effect of active charcoal addition seems to be a valuable improvement to standard deep soil mixing technology in the case of contaminated soil. The presented results, despite their local importance related to the cases under scrutiny, have an important educational and scientific value for the energy sector, where contaminated sites need to be valorized. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The conducted study aimed to investigate the quantity and composition of municipal waste deposited in landfills in the Peja District of Kosovo over the period of 2005-2021. The study covered four municipalities within the district: Peja, Klina, Istog, and Deçan. A total of 705,246.7 tons of waste were deposited during the analyzed period, with the municipality of Peja depositing the largest amount (428,347.9 tons) and Deçan the smallest (67,143.6 tons). Regarding the composition of waste, the majority of municipal waste consists of biodegradable components (about 38%), followed by plastic (20 %), paper and cardboard (17%), glass (7%), textile (5%), diapers (3%), tetrapak (1.5%), metals (1%), construction materials (1%) and small waste (6.5%). This investigation contributes to municipal waste management to know the exact amount of waste produced and its composition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Hydrogeology Journal is the property of Springer Nature and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Remote sensing can represent an important instrument for monitoring landfills and their evolution over time. In general, remote sensing can offer a global and rapid view of the Earth's surface. Thanks to a wide variety of heterogeneous sensors, it can provide high-level information, making it a useful technology for many applications. The main purpose of this paper is to provide a review of relevant methods based on remote sensing for landfill identification and monitoring. The methods found in the literature make use of measurements acquired from both multi-spectral and radar sensors and exploit vegetation indexes, land surface temperature, and backscatter information, either separately or in combination. Moreover, additional information can be provided by atmospheric sounders able to detect gas emissions (e.g., methane) and hyperspectral sensors. In order to provide a comprehensive overview of the full potential of Earth observation data for landfill monitoring, this article also provides applications of the main procedures presented to selected test sites. These applications highlight the potentialities of satellite-borne sensors for improving the detection and delimitation of landfills and enhancing the evaluation of waste disposal effects on environmental health. The results revealed that a single-sensor-based analysis can provide significant information on the landfill evolution. However, a data fusion approach that incorporates data acquired from heterogeneous sensors, including visible/near infrared, thermal infrared, and synthetic aperture radar (SAR), can result in a more effective instrument to fully support the monitoring of landfills and their effect on the surrounding area. In particular, the results show that a synergistic use of multispectral indexes, land surface temperature, and the backscatter coefficient retrieved from SAR sensors can improve the sensitivity to changes in the spatial geometry of the considered site. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With the ever-increasing human population, there is a need to develop new urban settlements for human habitation. For these new settlements, it is imperative to optimally site different land-use zones, including solid waste disposal sites. The aim of this article is to determine suitable sites for locating a landfill in a new developed city in Zimbabwe around Mt. Hampden, named the New City. The New City will have various residential, commercial, and industrial areas. This entails the need for a proper site selection of a landfill to reduce the negative social and environmental effects such as contamination of water bodies and proliferation of diseases such as malaria. GIS and remote sensing were the major methods used in mapping the suitable areas. Multi-criteria evaluation and weighted overlay analysis methods were used in the landfill site selection process. Factors used for landfill site selection were rivers, settlements, roads, protected areas, and soils. A suitability map was generated, showing five potential sites that are suitable for landfill siting in the New City. Moderately suitable areas cover approximately 8%. A further 73% of the total land area in the study area is highly unsuitable for siting a landfill. A real-time Web-GIS monitoring interface was developed to monitor land use on the selected area, because the New City is a new area under development. Using a Web-GIS interface makes data easily accessible to environment planners, ecologists, spatial land planners, and other decision makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

[Display omitted] • Characterization of MIBA from 3 MSWI plants in Delhi to assess disposal or reuse. • Compilation of 50 studies on MIBA leaching to identify CoCs critical to fate of MIBA. • Comparative assessment of CoCs to evaluate variability across countries. • Emphasis on mandatory inclusion of the identified CoCs in future studies. Present study characterizes municipal solid waste incineration bottom ash (MIBA) from three incineration plants in Delhi with an intent to serve the dual objectives: a) assessing the disposal/reuse options for Delhi MIBA, b) evaluating variability in results across the countries (including India) and assessing if is significant enough to influence the fate of MIBA of varied origin. A review on leaching studies of MIBA (50 research papers) was conducted which aided in achieving both the objectives. Delhi MIBA samples were analysed for chemical composition. The two commonly adopted leaching tests i.e., TCLP and EN 12457–2, were conducted and the results were checked against regulatory threshold levels (RTLs) to achieve the first objective. Leaching concentration of the contaminants was compared with the compiled literature and RTLs to accomplish the second objective. The compendium of literature most importantly revealed the physicochemical parameters which are pivotal in determining the fate of MIBA but have been missing from many studies. Ten such parameters were identified: Cr, Cu, Mo, Sb, Cl - , SO 4 2- , Cd, Pb, Ni and Zn and are referred as contaminants of concern (CoCs). Delhi MIBA was found suitable for disposal to non-hazardous waste landfills and unsuitable for unrestricted reuse. CoCs identified in Delhi MIBA were identical to those observed in literature (except Cd, Pb and Zn). The variability in leaching concentration of CoCs, observed from comparative assessment of results, spanned nearly 2 to 3 log 10 magnitudes for Cu, Cr, Pb, Sb and Zn while 1 to 2 log 10 magnitudes for Mo, Cl - and SO 4 2-. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Increasing population in the developing countries tend to generate more quantity of solid wastes, which are to be disposed through the proper Solid Waste Management (SWM). Landfill is one of the most common methods in SWM used for the disposal of solid wastes. However, evaluating the suitable site for establishing a landfill is more complex due to the integration of multi-factors. In such conditions, GIS-based Multi-Criteria Evaluation (MCE) techniques play a major role in incorporating various factors and guidelines for identifying the suitable landfill site. Thus, the present study is conducted to select the suitable site for establishing a landfill in Thiruverumbur taluk of Tiruchirappalli district. For which, various factors (cultural, physical, demographic and environmental) and sub-factors (geomorphology, geology, soil texture, slope, settlement proximity, road proximity, rail proximity, industrial proximity, land use/land cover, NDVI, population density and household density) were utilised. The weights of level 1 and level 2 factors were determined using Analytical Hierarchical Process (AHP) and the ratings for each class were obtained through fuzzy linear membership. Based on the weights and ratings, the Solid Waste Landfill Suitability Index (SWLSI) of has been derived and the SWLSI values indicates 15.29% of the study area is very highly suitable; 25.4%, highly suitable; 28.8%, moderately suitable; 19.6, low suitable and 10.7% very low suitable for situating a site for landfill use. Furthermore, based on the results and field observations, two candidate sites of landfill were proposed for the societal development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: The purpose of this work was to evaluate the impacts of the amendment of industrial landfill sludge (ILS) in two different soils with cultivation of sunflower and sorghum plants. Methods: The plants grew in two types of soils (Typic Paleudult—TP, and Grossarenic Hapludult—GH) with different doses of ILS (0, 2, 5, 10, and 20 Mg ha−1). The evaluation of the pH, electrical conductivity, available concentrations of P, K, Ca, Mg, and Na, and the hydrolysis of FDA in the soils were tested. The height and dry mass of both plants were measured, as well as the stem diameter of the sunflower. The total concentration of Cu, Cd, Cr, and Pb was evaluated in the plants and soils, in addition to the translocation factor of those in the plants. Results: The amendment of ILS in the soils was efficient to increase the pH and macronutrients, as to increase the biomass production. The largest production occurred with 10 Mg ha−1, and the highest dose (20 Mg ha−1) had negative effects in all treatments. Both plants had low accumulation of Cu, Cd, and Pb in their tissues. Cr increased in the roots of sunflower plants (especially in the TP soil) without translocation to the shoots. Conclusions: The amendment of ILS in soils is an alternative to disposal with benefits to plants and soil quality. TP soil presented better results, being more secure to receive the sludge due to its higher content of clay when compared to the GH soil. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The soil waste disposal is one of the main sources of soil and water contamination. In this sense, sanitary landfills have great importance for environmental protection, and in these systems, the geosynthetics materials, such as the Geosynthetic Clay Liner (GCL), are widely employed. However, for landfills with leachate recirculation, the GCL application is vetoed by many government agencies. In view of this, this study sought to provide recent advances analysis in GCL application in landfill. For this reason, the main configurations of landfills and characteristics of its leachate were presented, as well as of the GCL by means of case studies applied to the context. The results indicated that hydraulic conductivity is the most important parameter to be evaluated in GCL performance, which can be influenced directly by leachate composition (conventional and recirculated) as to cations and anions presence. Thus, it's concluded that the evaluation of these characteristics is essential to ensure the proper performance of GCL in landfills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the utilisation of finely ground construction and demolition waste (CDW) as partial replacement (5–15 wt.%) to sulphide tailings on the short- and long-term strength, durability (i.e. no loss of strength) and microstructural properties of cemented paste backfill (CPB) over a curing period of 360 days. The CPB samples containing CDW were prepared at binder dosages of 7.5 and 8.5 wt.%, while control samples (full tailings) were only produced at 8.5 wt.% binder dosage. A total of 108 CPB samples were subjected to the unconfined compressive strength (UCS), acid/sulphate (pH, SO 4 2− ) and microstructure (MIP, XRD etc.) tests. Despite its limited contribution to the resistance of CPB to acid and sulphate attack, the use of CDW as partial replacement (5–15 wt.%) to sulphide tailings enhanced the strength properties of CPB samples by decreasing the total and macro porosity. The UCSs and pH values of CPB samples increased with increasing the CDW content in CPB mixtures, while the generation of sulphate ions (SO4 2− ) decreased irrespective of the binder dosages. Compared with control samples prepared at 8.5 wt.% binder dosage, 5.3–19.5% higher UCS values were obtained for the CPB samples containing 15 wt.% CDW prepared even at 7.5 wt.% binder dosage. Mercury intrusion porosimetry (MIP) analyses proved the beneficial effect of the use of CDW on the microstructural properties (i.e. total porosity) of CPB. These findings suggest that CDW materials can be suitably used as backfill material in the mining industry to fill underground voids created during the ore production. This offers safe disposal and hence environmentally sound management of CDW. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agricola e Ambiental - Agriambi is the property of Revista Brasileira de Engenharia Agricola e Ambiental and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Though debates about the negative impact landfill exerts on land and property values are by no means historically new, research into the case of developing countries has only recently begun. This article attempts to synthesise existing literature on the subject through the analysis of three case studies to enhance our understanding, especially the contextual conditions surrounding the relationship. Applying this theoretical framework to the disposal practices occurring in three cities in Ghana, this article offers insight into the culpability of landfills in negatively impacting property values. In an illuminating analysis, we argue that most engineered landfills in the country serve as a catalyst in correcting the ills of uncontrolled urbanisation (governance, attitudinal and financial constraints, etc.). We opine that landfills’ relationship with host communities must be understood in relation to our overall underdevelopment, coupled with the increasing economic and technical challenges shaping much of the country’s history. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

With the accelerating process of urbanization, the amount of municipal solid waste (MSW) generation increases continuously. Landfill occupies a lot of land resources, leading several cities run into a condition being surrounded by MSW. In recent years, MSW incineration rises gradually. Incineration can reduce the MSW volume by 85%∼90% and the mass by about 80%, and incineration with energy recovery is one of the several waste-to-energy (WtE) technologies [1–3] . However, municipal solid waste incineration fly ash, byproducts of MSW incineration, contains large amounts of heavy metals and dioxins, improper disposal will cause serious environmental and human health hazards. This review summarizes the MSW incineration fly ash management system and related policies and regulations in United States, as well as the main disposal methods and utilization technology, in order to provide reference for the management of MSW incineration fly ash in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper formulates a theoretical model which allows different waste management strategies in equilibrium, depending on the technology of waste recovery and the utility functional specification. In the model there are two waste treatment alternatives: ‘not-recovered waste’, composed of landfill and incineration without recovery and ‘recovered waste’, which is the aggregate of recycling, composting and incineration with recovery. We show that if recovery activities present constant or economies of scale then it is optimal to have zero not-recovered waste. The presence of diseconomies of scale in recovery of waste can either result in an equilibrium with zero or positive not-recovered waste, but recovery of waste is necessarily positive. We test for the presence of an EKC, and find that it is only compatible in our model when we assume decreasing marginal utility of consumption, and diseconomies of scale are limited. However, in the presence of (constant) economies of scale in recovery, we observe complete decoupling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background and aims: One of the most important environmental problems is excessive production and management of municipal solid waste materials. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is considered as an important strategy to minimize negative impacts. The aim of this study was the use of the EIA process to minimize environmental impacts of Shahrekord landfill and to provide appropriate options for managers and planners. Methods: This descriptive-analytical study was performed to assess environmental impacts of Shahrekord solid waste landfill using two methods, Rapid Impact Assessment Matrix (RIAM) and Iranian Matrix based on field observation and data collection. Comparing was included four existing options including: continue the current landfill practices, upgrade landfill, construct a new sanitary landfill and compost and recycle plant. Results: The score of continuing current practices at RIAM and the Iranian Matrix was -1443 and -3.9, respectively. Composting and recycling plant has -816 score in the RIAM and 1 in Iranian matrix. Moreover, the results of two methods were displayed different in priority for upgrade landfill and construction a new landfill. Conclusion: Based on both methods to continue landfill with current practices is accompanied by severe damage in terms of environmental and health position. Composting and recycling plant is the first priority for Shahrekord. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Disposal of solid waste is a challenging task in developing countries as this type of waste can seriously degrade the environment and pose threat to human health. To mitigate the environmental impact, appropriate techniques must be used in accordance with standards for the disposal of solid wastes. Leachate that originates from the decomposition of solid waste within waste disposal dumping sites and landfills may infiltrate into soil, groundwater and surface water resulting in contamination. A combination of clay materials and geomembrane has been widely utilized as a suitable permeability barrier to prevent contamination. In the case of uncontrolled landfills, leachate may be responsible for serious and irreversible pollution. According to the standards utilized in Turkey, the thickness of the clay layer used as an impermeable material is 60 cm, which is constructed as two 30 cm thick compacted clay layers. This paper evaluates the optimum clay thickness to prevent leachate contamination of soil or water. Experimental models were prepared involving 20, 40, 60 and 80 cm thick clay layers with 20 cm height leachate to determine the optimum clay thickness permeability barrier for a waste disposal dumping site. The initial results indicate that a 40 cm thick clay layer is sufficient as an impermeable barrier in these sites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subtitle D landfills may experience elevated temperatures for a variety of reasons such as hydration of combustion ash, waste biodegradation with and without leachate recirculation, aluminum production waste and combustion ash reactions, and wastes received with elevated temperature. Elevated temperatures can reduce service life or effectiveness of high density polyethylene (HDPE) geomembranes by accelerating antioxidant depletion of geomembranes and polymer degradation. A case history is presented to illustrate the potential effects of elevated temperatures and time-temperature history on a HDPE geomembrane and the associated reduction in service life or effectiveness. The geomembrane service life was influenced by the peak temperature, e.g., 60-80°C, the duration of peak temperatures (time-temperature history), and the time to complete antioxidant depletion. This paper also discusses possible criteria for assessing the service life of geomembranes, such as applicable engineering properties, locations for service life assessments, definitions of geomembrane service life, and measures that could be adopted if service life were reduced significantly. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of e-GFOS is the property of Electronic Journal of the Faculty of Civil Engineering Osijek-e-GFOS and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Aluminum production wastes (APW) placed in Subtitle D regulated landfills may react exothermically and cause uncontrolled temperature increases, large volumes of explosive and toxic gasses, increases in landfill gas pressure and flow, intense odors, undesirable changes in leachate composition, increased leachate production, and most importantly, smoldering combustion of the surrounding solid waste. The landfill liner and explosive gas extraction and leachate collection systems can be damaged by heat from the reaction and/or accompanying combustion. Slope failure also may result from increased gas and liquid pressures and the reduction of waste mass shear strength attributable to subsurface combustion compounding existing or initiating damage to engineered components. Therefore, landfills that have received APW need early detection of a potential exothermic reaction to respond promptly to prevent subsequent subsurface combustion. This paper presents techniques to quickly evaluate landfill gas and temperature data to determine if an APW reaction is occurring, discusses operational indicator criteria that can be used to differentiate an APW reaction from subsurface combustion or combined reaction/combustion, and provides recommendations for APW disposal that minimize potential for a reaction to occur. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the mid 1980s, Naples and the Campania region have suffered from the dumping of wastes into overfilled landfills. The aim was to characterise a former cave located in Roccarainola (Naples, Italy) for its eventual destination to a controlled landfill site. A detailed hydro-geochemical survey of the area was carried out through drilling of 14 boreholes and four monitoring wells. Samples of water, sediment and soil were analysed for heavy metals and organic contaminants from a dew pond placed in the middle of the cave. The underneath aquifer was also surveyed. The nature of gases emitted from the site was investigated. Results of the geognostic survey revealed the presence of huge volumes of composite wastes, approximately half a million of cubic metre, which accumulated up to a thickness of 25.6 m. In some points, wastes lie below the free surface level of the aquifer. The sampled material from the boreholes revealed levels of As, Cd, Cr, Cu, Hg, Pb, Sn, Tl and Zn exceeding the intervention legal limits. Outstanding loads of Cd, Pb and Zn were found, with levels exceeding of about 50, 100 and 1,870 times the limit. In several points, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon load was extremely high, 35 vs 1 mg kg-1 of the threshold. The aquifer was also very heavily polluted by Cd, Cr-tot, Cu, Fe, Mn, Ni, Pb and Zn, with impressive high load of Cr and Mn, up to 250-370 times the limits. Hot gases up to 62 °C with presence of xylene and ethylbenzene were found. Results indicated that the site needs an urgent intervention of recovery to avoid compromising the surrounding areas and aquifers of the Campania plain. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Treatment of AMD with fly ash (FA) is a promising technology but solid residues (SR) generated in the process pose a disposal challenge. This study evaluates the suitability of the SR and SR, FA/ordinary Portland cement (OPC) blends for backfill in mine voids and in-situ treatment of AMD flows. The mitigation of AMD in a mine void was simulated by addition of simulated acid mine drainage (SAMD) to FA, SR, SR + 25 % FA and SR + 6 % OPC packed columns. Acidity neutralisation in AMD was achieved over the study period. PHREEQC modelling indicated that precipitation of contaminants bearing mineral phases contributed to low levels of contaminants. Leaching of toxic trace elements and attenuation of contaminants strongly depended on the pH regime. Results revealed that backfill of coal mine voids with SR is a promising approach for large scale disposal of SR and treatment of AMD flows insitu. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Open dumping is the most common practice for the disposal of urban solid wastes in the least developed regions of Africa, Asia and Latin America. Sanitary landfill design and operation has traditionally focused on large cities, but cities with fewer than 50,000 in population can comprise from 6% to 45% of a given country’s total population. These thousands of small cities cannot afford to operate a sanitary landfill in the way it is proposed for large cities, where heavy equipment is used to spread and compact the waste in daily cells, and then to excavate, transport and apply daily cover, and leachate is managed with collection and treatment systems. This paper presents an alternative approach for small cities, known as the semi-mechanized trench method, which was developed in Villanueva, Honduras. In the semi-mechanized trench method a hydraulic excavator is used for 1–3days to dig a trench that will last at least a month before it is filled with waste. Trucks can easily unload their wastes into the trench, and the wastes compact naturally due to semi-aerobic biodegradation, after which the trenches are refilled and covered. The exposed surface area is minimal since only the top surface of the wastes is exposed, the remainder being covered by the sides and bottom of the trench. The surplus material from trench excavation can be valorized for use as engineering fill onsite or off. The landfill in Villanueva has operated for 15years, using a total land area of approximately 11ha for a population that grew from 23,000 to 48,000, with a land requirement of 0.2m2/personyear, a cover to waste ratio of 0.2, and an estimated soil surplus of 298,000m3 that is valorized and used onsite. The landfill has been operated solely by the municipality with an operational cost in 2010 estimated at US$4.60 per ton. A modified water balance analysis at Villanueva shows negligible leachate generation from covered trenches and 700m3/yr (60m3/hayr) from the two open trenches required for daily operation. If the site were an open dump, however, leachate generation is estimated to be 3900m3/hayr and contaminated runoff 5000m3/hayr. A simple model used to estimate dilution of generated leachate based on groundwater flow data and aquifer stratigraphy suggests that the leachate will be diluted by a factor of 0.01 in the aquifer. Leachate contaminants will not accumulate because the aquifer discharges to the Ulua River 2km south of the landfill. While not suitable for all sites, the Villanueva method nevertheless serves as an excellent example of how a small city landfill with natural compaction of waste and attenuation of leachate can be sustainably operated. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

We investigate waste management and disposal performances through the lens of the multi-tasking model (Holmstrom and Milgrom, 1991) to analyse the conversion that occurred in the Italian municipal waste management system, which is of interest due to its idiosyncratic and extensive decentralisation of waste management and policy decisions. We empirically root the research on a large panel dataset that covers 103 provinces over a decade. Waste management and waste policy incentives are tested. Main results are that increasing the price of landfill taxes promotes the primarily technological substitute to disposal, i.e. recycling, and consequently is able to promote separate collection. With regard to the new tariff, it constitutes an economic incentive to promote separate collection, because its structure includes tax breaks for those people who reach a certain amount of separate collection. More negative outcomes - but coherent with the multitasking model - emerge when assessing the determinants of waste generation: neither the tariff nor the landfill tax is statistically significant drivers of waste generation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Data on waste management in Africa are poor. There is uncertainty over the quantity of greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from waste management, notably from waste disposal. Data have been collected on solid waste management for territories in Africa and a multi-phase first order decay (FOD) model has been prepared to calculate GHG emissions from waste disposal in accordance with Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) guidance. The multi-phase FOD model calculates the GHG emissions from waste disposal as 8.1% of the total GHG emissions in Africa in 2010. This is similar to the last published figure of 6.8% for 2004 data but considerably more than the world average figure of 3% GHG emissions from landfill. Probability modelling of the data used to calculate the multi-phase FOD model demonstrates that the data are variable, with a high standard deviation. The GHG emission rate from waste disposal in African territories will increase leading to further climate change as the population increases and becomes more urbanised. Whilst the UNFCCC is dedicated to minimise climate change globally, this paper demonstrates the need for the creation, at the African level, of a waste management body to assess the situation country by country with the objective to elaborate country specific recommendations for waste management. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Fibre reinforced polymers (FRPs) are increasingly being used in construction due to their light weight, ease of installation, low maintenance, tailor made properties, and corrosion resistance. The UK FRP industry produces 240,000 tonnes of products a year with 11% of this being for the construction industry in a variety of structural and on-structural applications. Products made from FRP materials can offer significant environmental benefits, for example, FRPs used in bridges can reduce the overall weight of the structure and so offer reduced transport and installation impacts. However, although the in service environmental benefits of composites are known, there is far less understanding of the environmental and social implications associated with the manufacture of FRP materials and products. Current and impending waste management legislation will put more pressure on the industry to address the options available for dealing with FRP waste. Such waste legislation focuses on dealing with waste through the w aste hierarchy and will therefore put more pressure on solving FRP waste management through recycling and reuse. At present the most common disposal method for UK FRP waste is landfill. To assist in the transition from disposal in landfill to recycling, the FRP industry needs to consider designing materials and components for easier deconstruction, reuse and recycling at the end of the product life. This paper will highlight the key issues affecting the FRP industry, taking a cradle to grave approach and assessing the environmental impacts at each stage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aluminum enters municipal solid waste (MSW) landfills from untreated raw curbside trash (MSW), industrial waste, and aluminum production wastes variously called dross, baghouse fines, salt cake, and other designations. Aluminum related reactions can arise and become problematic for landfill operations by generating undesirable heat, liquid leachate, and gases, such as hydrogen, hydrogen sulfide, carbon monoxide, and ammonia. Temperature excursions up to ∼150°C(300°F) and landfill gas pressures exceeding 210 kPa have been observed. Water from the MSW, precipitation, injection, and/or surface water management can result in sufficient water to trigger problematic aluminum related reactions. Another source of water in a MSW landfill is leachate recirculation, which is not recommended if substantial aluminum is present in the landfill mass because it can lead to a problematic aluminum related reaction. This paper examines the chemical reactions involving aluminum in landfills and the negative consequences of introducing aluminum into MSW landfills regardless of its origin. Proposals for mitigating aluminum reactions are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: Results from physical experiments are presented to assess the possible puncture of a 1.5-mm-thick HDPE geomembrane and, if not punctured, the maximum tensile strains in the deformed geomembrane from intentionally placed stone particles in an underlying compacted clay liner when subjected to applied vertical stresses. The influences of applied pressure, clay water content, stone size, stone burial depth and protection layer on the geomembrane tensile strains are reported. Except in one test conducted to a pressure of 2000kPa, the geomembrane was not punctured in the short-term tests conducted; however, it was subjected to local indentations and tensile strains from the underlying gravel particles that may exceed proposed allowable long-term strain limits. Tensile strains for the specific 35mm stones tested when initially flush with the clay surface were negligible, even up to pressures of 1000kPa, provided the initial water content of clay was 12%. Increases in water content or stone size were found to increase the tensile strain. Placing the clay at the lower limit of acceptable water content was found to be beneficial in terms of reducing strains from buried stones; however, this was also found to make the geomembrane more susceptible to stone particles sitting on top of the clay surface and hence careful site inspection is required to remove all visible stones that sit on top of the clay surface. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Evaluations of waste sites are based on the assessment of whether conditions for Natural Attenuation (NA) processes are favourable. A method is proposed as a first check for effects of NA in the groundwater emissions. For the application of the method, concentrations of the concerned substance and of a tracer must be available at observation wells at different distances from the source, preferably along a flowpath of the waste site. The method is demonstrated at waste sites, with TOC as proxy for a degradable component. The method can be recommended within a priority programme for NA-remediation on landfills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper presents a laboratory investigation of hydraulic conductivity of municipal solid waste (MSW) in landfills and provides a comparative assessment of measured hydraulic conductivity values with those reported in the literature based on laboratory and field studies. A series of laboratory tests was conducted using shredded fresh and landfilled MSW from the Orchard Hills landfill (Illinois, United States) using two different small-scale and large-scale rigid-wall permeameters and a small-scale triaxial permeameter. Fresh waste was collected from the working phase, while the landfilled waste was exhumed from a borehole in a landfill cell subjected to leachate recirculation for approximately 1.5 years. The hydraulic conductivity tests conducted on fresh MSW using small-scale rigid-wall permeameter resulted in a range of hydraulic conductivity 2.8×10-3–11.8×10-3 cm/s with dry unit weight varied in a narrow range between 3.9–5.1 kN/m3. The landfilled MSW tested using the same permeameter produced results between 0.6×10-3–3.0×10-3 cm/s for 4.5–5.5 kN/m3 dry unit weights. The hydraulic conductivity obtained from large-scale rigid-wall permeameter tests decreased with the increase in normal stress for both fresh and landfilled waste. The hydraulic conductivity for fresh MSW ranged from 0.2 cm/s for 4.1 kN/m3 dry unit weight (under zero vertical stress) and then decreased to 4.9×10-5 cm/s for 13.3 kN/m3 dry unit weight (under the maximum applied normal stress of 276 kPa). The hydraulic conductivity of the landfilled MSW decreased from 0.2 cm/s to 7.8×10-5 cm/s when the dry unit weight increased from 3.2 to 9.6 kN/m3. The results clearly demonstrated that the hydraulic conductivity of MSW can be significantly influenced by vertical stress and it is mainly attributed to the increase in density leading to low void ratio. In small-scale triaxial permeameter, when the confining pressure was increased from 69 to 276 kPa the hydraulic conductivity decreased from approximately 10-4 to 10-6 cm/s, which is much lower than those determined from rigid-wall permeameter tests. The published field MSW hydraulic conductivities are found to be higher than the laboratory results. Landfilled MSW possesses lower hydraulic conductivity than fresh MSW due to increased finer particles resulting from degradation. The decreasing hydraulic conductivity with increasing dry unit weight is expressed by an exponential decay function. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents abstracts on city planning-related topics, including visions of waterfront development in postindustrial Philadelphia, the construction of a town planning perception of Colombo, and city planning and the U.S. census.

Abstract: A method to record the shape, size, and spacing of gravel contacts that act on a geomembrane from an overlying granular drainage layer is presented. The gravel contacts acting on a 1.5-mm thick, high-density polyethylene geomembrane are then quantified for two poorly graded, angular gravels (GP1 and GP2 with nominal grain sizes of 50 and 25mm) with compacted clay beneath the geomembrane and when subjected to an applied pressure of 250kPa. The geomembrane indentations and strains are also reported. Five types of contacts were defined: point, edge, area, perimeter and composite. Point contacts were the most frequent and, along with edge contacts, caused the steepest indentations and the largest strains. The average spacings between gravel contacts were found to be 55mm for GP1 and 37mm for GP2. Without a protection layer, the largest tensile strains in the geomembrane were 32 and 16% for GP1 and GP2, respectively. A nonwoven needle-punched geotextile was found to reduce the contact pressure acting on and the resulting strains in the geomembrane. However, none of the geotextiles tested (with masses up to 2240g/m2) were able to limit the tensile strains below proposed allowable levels for long-term strain even for the short-term conditions examined. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The present work demonstrates the environmental problems associated with the development and operation of a lined and unlined landfill site, both used for municipal solid waste landfilling, that are situated next to the city of Patra, Greece. Findings from a detailed site investigation as well calculations on hydrologic evaluation of landfill’s performance and measurements on leachate composition proved that the lined landfill site is more secure and environmental friendly compared with the unlined landfill site. Even though, until today, there is no evidence from near boreholes for severe contamination problems generated by any of the two landfills, in the forthcoming future several environmental problems are expected to occur from the unlined site. In addition the prevailing hydrogeotechnical conditions indicated that the unlined site is a potential source of contamination; hence extra remedial measures should be received by the local authorities to prevent severe contamination in soil and groundwater. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Goal, Scope and Background. The aim of the present study is to evaluate, through LCA, the potential environmental impact associated to urban waste dumping in a sanitary landfill for four case studies and to compare different technologies for waste treatment and leachate or biogas management in the framework of the EPD® system. Specific data were collected on the four Italian landfills during a five-year campaign from 2000 to 2004. This work also analyses the comparability of EPD results for different products in the same product category. For this purpose, a critical review of PSR 2003:3, for preparing an EPD on 'Collection, transfer and disposal service for urban waste in sanitary landfills', is performed. Methods. PSR 2003:3 defines the requirements, based on environmental parameters, that should be considered in an LCA study for collecting and disposal service of Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in a sanitary landfill. It defines functional unit, system boundaries towards nature, other technical systems and boundaries in time, cut-off rules, allocation rules and parameters to be declared in the EPD. This PSR is tested on four case studies representing the major landfills located from the farthest west to the farthest east side of the Ligurian Region. Those landfills are managed with different technologies as concerns waste pre- treatment and leachate or biogas treatment. For each landfill, a life cycle assessment study is performed. Results and Discussion. The comparison of the LCA results is performed separately for the following phases: transport, landfill, leachate and biogas. The following parameters are considered: Resource use (Use of non-renewable resources with and with- out energy content, Use of renewable resources with and with- out energy content, Water consumption); Pollutant emissions expressed as potential environmental impact (Global Warming Potential from biological and fossil sources, Acidification, Ozone depletion, Photochemical oxidant formation, Eutrophication, Land use, Hazardous and other Waste production). The com- parison of the LCA results obtained for alternative landfill and biogas management techniques in the case studies investigated shows that the best practicable option that benefits the environ- ment as a whole must be identified and chosen in the LCA context. For example, a strong waste pre-treatment causes a high biological GWP in the landfill phase, but a low GWP contribution in the biogas phase, due to the consequent low biogas production, evaluated for 30 years since landfill closure. Conclusion. The analysis of four case studies showed that, through the EPD tool, it is possible to make a comparison among different declarations for the same product category only with some modification and integration to existent PSR 2003:3. Results showed that different products have different performances for phases and impact categories. It is not possible to identify the best product from an environmental point of view, but it is possible to identify the product (or service) with the lowest impact on the environment for each impact category and resource use. Recommendation and Perspective. In consequences of the verification of the comprehensiveness of existent PSR 2003:3 for the comparability of EPD, some modifications and integration to existent rules are suggested. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Presents several abstracts featured in various journals as of August 2006. "Creating the Public Domain: Nineteenth-Century Local State Formation in Britain and the U.S.," by Alan Digaetano; "The Significance of Color Declines: A Re-Analysis of Skin Tone Differentials in Post-Civil Rights America," by Aaron Gullickson; "Deconstructing the City of Culture: The Long-Term Cultural Legacies of Glasgow 1990," by Beatriz García.

Unfortunately in India, most landfills are located along the banks of rivers flowing through the cities. The interaction of two big, diverse and delicate ecological systems - rivers and landfills - has been investigated in this paper. During 2000, the estimated quantity of waste generation was more than 9,000 tons per day. This is one of the biggest sources of environmental degradation in Delhi, India's capital It contributes to river pollution in a significant way through landfill leachate and runoff, especially during the rainy season. Since the 1950s over 12 large landfills have been packed with all sorts of non-biodegradable and toxic wastes from Delhi. The area covered by landfills is at least I percent (14.83 sq.km) of Delhi's total area. An the landfill sites except Tilak Nagar, Hastal and Chattarpur are located close (0–6 km) to the river Yamuna. Further, these landfills are not engineered sanitary landfills and the waste is dumped at open sites without proper compaction. A high mountain of waste can be seen at all landfill sites without a cover. The leachate produced by landfills finally percolates to the porous ground surface at the landfills or finds its way to nearby drains. A large portion of landfill leachate and runoff produced by these landfill sites finally reaches the Yamuna through ground water flow or surface water flow through the drains. The results of analysis by investigations and environmental mapping during the study clearly indicate that river water quality is affected by the presence of landfill locations, i.e. landfill leachate and landfill surface runoff [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evaluation of 12 years of landfill leachate chemical data from a lined cell of municipal waste in south Florida, USA shows an overall declining trend in major ion chemistry. The leachate is dominantly Cl, Na, HCO3 and organic solutes. There are significant short-term variations in concentration that appear to be related to rainfall, rather than fundamental changes to leachate composition. Inorganic parameters related to pH, such as alkalinity, calcium, and magnesium appear to be chemically buffered. Chromium, cobalt, vanadium, zinc, and the metalloid boron display significant short-term co-variance with a decreasing trend. Iron and manganese concentrations increased significantly after capping. Based on the predominance of ammonia, historic methane generation, and increasing trends for iron and manganese after closure, the landfill cell has an anaerobic (reducing) interior environment. The reducing conditions were enhanced by capping and caused the most redox sensitive metals (manganese and iron) to become more mobile. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The behavior of a municipal waste landfill on marine clay was analyzed from field measurement data. Instruments, e.g., a groundwater level sensor, piezometer, earth pressure gauge, settlement plates, inclinometer, etc., were installed and operated during the disposal period from October 1992 to November 2000. A database system was developed to manage the data from this landfill using Access (Microsoft) with Delphi programs. From the analyses, it was determined that the settlement of the landfill during the initial period of waste disposal was small because of the high leachate level in the landfill. As the level of waste became higher than the leachate level, the settlement of the landfill increased significantly due to the increasing effective pressure within the landfill. From a stability point of view, the critical time for the landfill in this study was the initial period of landfill disposal, which was caused by either the impact load of waste disposal or the time schedule of waste disposal, which was faster than the consolidation of foundation clay caused by the waste load. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Until a hundred years ago, the waste products from human activities were returned into the environment and underwent the biosphere's natural elimination processes without there being any long-term charge on the environment. During the last century, the increase in the amount of refuse has been accompanied by a decrease in its quality, mainly due to the production and dispersal of heavy metals and xenobiotic compounds. Both useful and noxious microbial processes have been underestimated in applied research in the field of waste management which, until now, has dealt mainly with artificial technologies. This paper presents some examples of microbiological processes occurring in waste treatment, particularly dumping, waste incineration, composting and biomethanization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, health-care waste management is a challenging issue for both the public and government sectors because it contains infectious, radioactive, or hazardous waste. Selecting a suitable method for health-care waste disposal is known as a complex decision-making problem due to the existence of several multiple criteria that may in conflict with each other. In this paper, we propose a novel method called evaluation based on distance from average solution framework based on parametric divergence measures with the context of intuitionistic fuzzy sets to evaluate and rank the health-care waste disposal alternative. To do this, first, novel parametric intuitionistic fuzzy divergence measures are developed, and various desired properties have also been examined. Second, the decision experts are evaluated, and the criteria weights are computed by developed parametric divergence measure method. Third, the preference order of the alternatives is illustrated by the developed framework. The proposed framework is based on the positive and negative distances from the average solution. Moreover, the health-care waste disposal alternative selection problem is considered to elucidate the applicability of the proposed framework. Four health-care waste disposal alternatives, including incineration, steam sterilization, microwave and landfill disposal, are considered in this study. The health-care waste disposal alternatives considered in this study include. The outcome illustrates that, the steam sterilization was the highest appraisal score (0.7025) and therefore, it should be chosen as the most suitable health-care waste disposal method in this study. Also, a comparison with existing approaches is shown to illustrate the validity and practicability of the developed framework. Image 1 • Extended a new EDAS approach under intuitionistic fuzzy set called IF-EDAS. • A new IF-EDAS approach is proposed to evaluate health-care waste disposal. • Novel parametric divergence measures for intuitionistic fuzzy sets are developed. • To evaluate weights of criteria, new parametric divergence measures is implemented. • A real health-care waste disposal evaluation problem is considered. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]