1. The future of waste management in smart and sustainable cities: A review and concept paper
- Author
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Sara Behdad, Behzad Esmaeilian, Kemper Lewis, Carlo Ratti, Ben Wang, and Fábio Duarte
- Subjects
Upstream (petroleum industry) ,Waste management ,020209 energy ,Circular economy ,02 engineering and technology ,010501 environmental sciences ,Business model ,01 natural sciences ,Refuse Disposal ,Data sharing ,Intelligent sensor ,Product lifecycle ,Waste Management ,Conceptual framework ,0202 electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering ,Product (category theory) ,Business ,Cities ,Waste Management and Disposal ,0105 earth and related environmental sciences - Abstract
The potential of smart cities in remediating environmental problems in general and waste management, in particular, is an important question that needs to be investigated in academic research. Built on an integrative review of the literature, this study offers insights into the potential of smart cities and connected communities in facilitating waste management efforts. Shortcomings of existing waste management practices are highlighted and a conceptual framework for a centralized waste management system is proposed, where three interconnected elements are discussed: (1) an infrastructure for proper collection of product lifecycle data to facilitate full visibility throughout the entire lifespan of a product, (2) a set of new business models relied on product lifecycle data to prevent waste generation, and (3) an intelligent sensor-based infrastructure for proper upstream waste separation and on-time collection. The proposed framework highlights the value of product lifecycle data in reducing waste and enhancing waste recovery and the need for connecting waste management practices to the whole product life-cycle. An example of the use of tracking and data sharing technologies for investigating the waste management issues has been discussed. Finally, the success factors for implementing the proposed framework and some thoughts on future research directions have been discussed.
- Published
- 2018