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Food waste is recognised as being one of the major global challenges in achieving a sustainable future. Currently very little is known about how much food is wasted in primary production. This study uses a qualitative approach to examine farmers’ views on food waste and losses occurring on soft fruit and vegetable farms. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 12 fruit and vegetable farmers in Scotland to gain information about 1) farmers’ attitudes to food waste, 2) how much food waste is generated on farms, 3) what are the causes of food waste, 4) what happens to the waste, and 5) what strategies can be used to reduce food waste on farms and add value to how waste is used. Thematic analysis was employed to analyse data from the interviews. This study revealed that farmers do not consider food waste to be an issue of primary concern and perceive food waste to be an intrinsic part of farming. Farmers do not routinely record waste and have difficulty in providing estimates for food waste and losses. Many of the causes of food waste identified in this study are due to factors further along the food supply chain, including cosmetic specifications by retailers, and a lack of processing facilities. Farmers expressed an interest in adding value to how food waste is used on their farms, but identified several barriers in relation to using food waste for energy production through anaerobic digestion.

The paper presents the damage under time dependent actions, fatigue, creep, corrosion for a railway bridge and a highway bridge. The first one is situated on the IV Pan-European Corridor, which crosses the Romanian territory. Although recently rebuilt, in the end of 80s, the bridge’s superstructure, made of decks with twin plain web girders, was in an unsatisfactory condition - loss of load bearing capacity and missing structural parts (strong corrosion and cracks). After the stress analysis and the fatigue verifications based on the Wöhler concept which were made in relation with the prescriptions of the Romanian standard SR 1911-1998, Swiss code 161 & SBB Richtlinie 2002 and the German code DS 805-2002, a life prediction analysis based on fracture mechanics principles was performed in order to evaluate the remaining fatigue life for this structure for the new traffic UIC conditions; in conclusion, the superstructure should be replaced. The highway bridge is the only crossing possibility over the Bistriţa River, parish Frânceşti, being an important element for the road infrastructure in the area. The current bridge was meant to be a temporary structure, but due to economic difficulties it wasn’t replaced. It does assure the clearance and safety according to the standards. Based on the technical situation of the existing bridge the replacement of this structure is a necessity. Taking into consideration the need of a simple technology, the limited construction height and a very short erection time, it leads in both cases to the necessity of a modular system with low costs. In this area of application the VFT-WIB® solution with its roots in the classical WIB composite structure was developed.

This type of connections was used from the beginning of the steel constructions and is very efficient in some typical cases. Connections with eye bars and pins were used initially in suspension bridges, cantilever truss girders and other structures. In modern steel structures this type of connection is often used in cases when simple solutions are necessary like scaffoldings, mobile structures, emergency bridges, etc, or cases in which a certain rotation (pin connection) is desired like structures on cables, chimney, cable stayed bridges and bowstring bridges. At the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century, when the technology of foundation was not yet developed, engineers preferred the cantilever arrangement (known also as the Gerber system) to the continuous bridge, because it has favourable moments along its length and is not subjected to settlement stresses. It is important to mention that the cantilever truss girder is easier to analyse. However a cantilever arrangement requires special hinge connections and is less rigid than a continuous one. Some famous bridges have been built in this system. One of these structures of the past is the Traians bridge over the Mures in Arad, erected in 1910. The main cantilever truss has the following spans: L = 50,05 + 85,30 + 50,05 = 185,40 m. After two World Wars and other damages the bridge is still in operation for usual traffic - cars and tramways (with restrictions for trucks). The bridge is a historical monument of the engineering science and has a remarkable aesthetic aspect and an emblematical importance for the city of Arad. One of the aspects of the rehabilitation project is the analysis of the Gerber hinge which consists of lug plates and bolts in order to assure the movement of the suspended central part of the structure. These elements have to support the reaction force from all the loads on the bridge and they have a complex stress distribution. Due to the different events, the increasing of the traffic and traffic loads, the existence of cracks in these plates is possible and probable. The paper includes also the evaluation of the technical state of the bridge, stress evaluation based on 3D analysis, assessment of the remaining fatigue life.

Romania has a highway network of approx. 154 000 km on which there are over 3300 bridges. The usual range of these bridges is situated in the field of medium spans and was dominated in the past by concrete bridges. At the same time more than 50 % of the total number of bridges is designed for the loading class I (Lorries A 13 tones, S 60 tonnes). For them the National Administration of Roads proposes (in a long term program – Romanian Highway Administration Report 2003) their rehabilitation and upgrading to Loading class E (Lorries A 30 tones, V 80 tonnes). The European RFCS project ECOBRIDGE or Demonstration of ECOnomical BRIDGE solutions based on innovative composite dowels and integrated abutments [1] started in 2010 and has the principal objective to continue the research, demonstration projects and accompanying measures for the promotion of knowledge gained by the two pilot projects: INTAB – “Economic and Durable Design of Composite Bridges with Integral Abutments”, 2005 – 2008 and PRECOBEAM – “Prefabricated Enduring Composite Beams based on Innovative Shear Transmission”, 2006 – 2009. The main conclusion of the two pilot projects was that the composite dowel strips combined with the integral structure concept find a wide application in bridges. The article presents the first Romanian proposed project for the European RFCS program in which the composite dowel strips together with integral abutments in terms of construction details and economic aspects are implemented.

Alongside Romania’s main focus direction of the past years regarding the transportation system, the motorways, which are part of the Pan-European corridors, the entire road network has to be considered. This is the case of the local road which crosses over the Bistriţa River, in the village Frâncesti, via a provisory bridge, used as permanent solution. The bridge does not ensure the safety of its passengers, nor the required clearance. The conducted expertise concluded that the structure must be replaced. The new bridge to be built was chosen to be part of the European research project ECOBRIDGE [1]. It is an three-spanned integral bridge using the VFT-WIB® technology for its superstructure. This technology referring to the German “Verbund-Fertigteil-Trager – Walztrager im Beton” or “prefabricated composite beam – filler beam” was introduced to the market in the last years. A key feature of the solution is the use of composite dowels for the steel-concrete connection. Important European research programs such as INTAB [2] or PRECOBEAM [3] have shown the use of such dowels is efficient and that VFT-WIB® is suitable to be used in case of integral bridges, combing the advantages of both technologies.

Bridges are of essential importance to the infrastructure; it is a fact that, in the last decades, composite bridges became a well-liked solution in many European countries as a cost-effective and aesthetic alternative to concrete bridges. Their competitiveness depends on several circumstances such as site conditions, local costs of material and staff and the contractor’s experience. Beside the classical solution, the new ones with efficient design, which follows the present tendency in bridges consisting in simplifying the structure as much as possible, consolidate the market position of the steel construction and steel producing industry. In the background of Europe’s transportation system renewal process, Romania is also passing through a development period of its transportation infrastructure. This is an opportunity for a country to develop efficient, economical and also modern projects, targeting towards obtaining sustainable systems in the end. Continuous shear connection using a cut steel strip is a solution for composite beams. The present paper presents a quick overview of the technical solution chosen for two of the structures from the Orastie – Sibiu motorway section – overpasses which use in the cross section prefabricated composite girders, applying composite dowels strips and VFT® technology. To prove the accuracy of the model, the bridge was submitted to several in-situ tests, which proved to be a success.

An important factor within Europe’s development process is the transportation system. The completion of the Pan-European corridors, as set in the early 90-ies, is also based on Romania’s motorway and railway system. Therefore investments in Romania’s transportation infrastructure are made. “Design and build” projects allow the implementation of efficient, economical and also modern structures. In case of the Orastie – Sibiu, lot 1 motorway section, with a length of 24,110 km, all bridges, summing 27 structures, are build using innovative and modern concepts. Twenty six of the bridges are integral structures with lengths up to 96,00 m, some of them in obliquity and 1 bridge is semi-integral having a length of 240,00 m. The present paper presents a quick overview of these structures and the chosen technical solutions: prestressed concrete girders with efficient material use - BFT®, prefabricated composite girders with composite dowels – VFT®, box bridges with precast slabs.

The bridges are vital structures for the transport infrastructure. Composite bridges became a popular solution in many countries and a real alternative to concrete bridges. The Romanian highway and railway infrastructure is presently involved in a large operation of construction, renewal and modernization. Beside the classical solution, the new ones with efficient design and construction improve and consolidate the market position of the steel construction and steel producing industry. These bridge solutions combine many important aspects: reduced costs, fast and simple erection, modularity, durability and robustness, low maintenance costs and an appealing aesthetical aspect. Their competitiveness depends on several circumstances such as site conditions, local costs of material and staff and the contractor’s experience.