Modelling waste generation by the telecom sector in Nigeria: the grey side of the impressive outing Osibanjo, O., Nnorom, I.C., Ogbonna, K.C. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0000 Since the introduction of digital mobile technology into Nigeria in 2001, there has been a phenomenal improvement in mobile subscription, service delivery and in the overall penetration of mobile telecommunication into rural areas in the country. For instance, the country's teledensity increased from less than 1% in 2001 to about 25% in 2006 — an increase of more than 3000%. The aim of this paper is to predict improvements in telephone penetration and waste generation by the Nigerian telecommunications sector. This was achieved by regression analysis of available data on telephone subscription in the country. Our estimations indicate that an average of 3 million phones will be retired annually in the country. Considering an economic phone life of 4 years, the over 32 million phones, (weight estimated at about 3200 tons) in use in 2006 would be at their end-of-life (EoL) by 2010. This volume of waste may contain up to 1800 tons of waste plastics, 15 tons of lead and 124 tons of copper. Our derived regression equation also indicates that mobile phone penetration in the country would be about 40% by 2010. This implies that over 55 million mobile phones would be in use by 2010. The grey side of this impressive statistics is that waste generation by the telecommunications sector will also follow this trend. This paper also highlights the need to introduce a framework for the effective management of waste from this sector considering the toxicity of some of the components of mobile phones and accessories and the prevailing inappropriate disposal practices for such potentially `toxic' materials. The performance of Spanish solid waste collection Garcia-Sanchez, I.M. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0000 In this paper we examine street cleaning and waste collection services in Spanish municipalities with a population exceeding 50 000. The purpose is to identify factors that influence the efficiency of these services. Three input variables (staff, vehicles and containers) and four outputs variables (tonnage, collection points, collection point density and kilometres of surface area washing) are analyzed using an analytical model based on Data Envelopment Analysis (DEA) methodology. These variables, along with non-controllable input variable (Tourist Index), were chosen because they were shown, based on a Tobit regression analysis, to have a statistically significant impact on municipality behaviour. The results obtained show that scale inefficiency was lower than pure technical efficiency, the latter is linked to service management. It was observed that the street-cleaning activity was performed more inefficiently than that of waste collection. Furthermore, it was detected that municipalities can reduce the resources used in rendering this service by 8%. Finally, an estimation using the Mann—Whitney test allows us to conclude that there is no difference between the inefficiencies observed in municipalities managed directly by town councils and those which have been transferred to private companies. GIS-based modelling for the estimation of municipal solid waste generation and collection Karadimas, N. V., Loumos, V. G. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0000 In the present paper, an innovative model for the estimation of municipal solid waste generation and collection is proposed. This model is part of an extended solid waste management system and uses a spatial Geodatabase, integrated in a GIS environment. It takes into consideration several parameters of waste generation, such as population density, commercial activities, road characteristics and their influence on the location and allocation of waste bins. Ground-based analysis was applied for the estimation of the inter-relations between the aforementioned factors and the variations in waste generation between residential and commercial areas. Therefore, the proposed model follows a unified categorization approach for residential and commercial activities and focuses on the dominant factors that determine waste generation in the area under study. The most important result of the research work presented in the current paper is an accurate estimation of the optimal number of waste bins and their allocation. A new methodology and an appropriate algorithm have been developed for this purpose in order to facilitate routing and waste collection. By using these results, municipalities aware of social, economical and environmental factors, related to waste management, can achieve optimal usage of their resources and offer the best possible services to their citizens. Nutrients and heavy metals distribution in thermally treated pig manure Kuligowski, K., Poulsen, T. G., Stoholm, P., Pind, N., Laursen, J. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0000 Ash from pig manure treated by combustion and thermal gasification was characterized and compared in terms of nutrient, i.e., potassium (K), phosphorus (P) and heavy metal, i.e., cadmium (Cd), chromium (Cr), copper (Cu), nickel (Ni) and zinc (Zn) contents. Total nutrient and metal concentrations were measured using energy dispersive X-ray fluorescence analysis. Acid (HNO3, H2SO4) and water-extractable concentrations were also measured both in non-classified ash and in selected ash particle size fractions using flame atomic absorption spectrometry and colorimetric spectrometry. Results indicate that ash from gasified manure contained more water-extractable K in comparison with combusted manure whereas the opposite was the case with respect to P. Heavy metals Ni, Cr and Cd were present in higher concentrations in the fine particle size fractions (< 30 µm of particle diameter), whereas K, P, Zn and Cu exhibited higher concentrations in the coarser particle size fractions (> 30 µm). Describing variability of MSW composition data with the log-logistic distribution Milke, M. W., Wong, V., McBean, E. A. Mon, 04 Aug 2008 00:00:00 -0000 Variations in solid waste composition data are necessary as inputs to solid waste planning, yet uncertainty exists regarding which probability distributions might be generally valuable to describe the variability. Twenty-two detailed analyses of solid waste from British Columbia, Canada, were fitted to distributions using the BestFit software. Alternative distributions were ranked based on three goodness-of-fit parameters and twelve waste fractions. The log-logistic distribution was found to be the most able to fit over the wide range of composition types considered. The results were demonstrated to be insensitive to the number of waste components or to the choice of a two- or three-parameter distribution. Although other distributions were able to better match the waste composition for individual waste types, the log-logistic distribution was demonstrated to fit, overall, a wide variety of waste composition types.
Argus - The Study Group for Environmental Statistics at the Technical University of Berlin features information on waste management through publications and special projects.
Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA ) - Represents the interests of wastewater treatment agencies through crafting legislative and regulatory policy that incorporates comprehensive watershed management into the national clean water program.
Meta Description: [ NACWA, National Association of Clean Water Agencies, AMSA, Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies, WIN Report, AMSA represents the interests of wastewater treatment agencies through crafting legislative and regulatory policy that incorporates comprehensive watershed management into our nat... ]
Association of State and Interstate Water Pollution Control Administrators (ASIWPCA) - Independent, nonpartisan organization of state water program managers.
Meta Description: [ ASIWPCA, is an independent, nonpartisan organization of state water program managers. ASIWPCA Members represent the state professionals who, on a daily basis, implement surface and groundwater quality management programs. ASIWPCA represents the states, interstate agencies, territories, and the Di... ]
British Recovered Paper Association - Trade association representing recycling and recovery of paper.
Meta Description: [ The Confederation of Paper Industries, the eyes, ears and voice of the paper industry. ]
Chartered Institution of Wastes Management - Professional organization for waste management in the United Kingdom.
Meta Description: [ The Chartered Institution of Wastes Management ]
Conference on Transportation of Hazardous Articles (COSTHA) - Promotes safety and compliance in the transportation of hazardous materials and dangerous goods.
Meta Description: [ COSTHA's goal is to promote safety and compliance in the Transportation of hazardous materials and dangerous goods. ]
Environmental Industry Interactive (EII) - Represents companies that manage solid, hazardous, and medical wastes; manufacture and distribute waste equipment; and offer related pollution-prevention services.
Meta Description: [ EIA, Environmental Industry Associations ]
European Federation of Waste Management and Environmental Services - Represents European companies with activities in all forms of waste management.
Meta Description: [ Information on: Biowaste, Classification of Wastes, E-PRTR, Hazardous Waste, IPPC, Packaging Waste, PVC, Recovery-Disposal, Waste Framework Directive, Waste Management BREF ]
Hazardous Materials Advisory Council - Devoted to promoting regulatory compliance and safety in the transportation of hazardous materials/dangerous goods, substances and wastes.
International Solid Waste Management Association (ISWA) - Mission is to promote and develop professional solid waste management world-wide. Website has information on the organization, waste-related conferences, and links.
Meta Description: [ ISWA - International Waste Organisation , ]
National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association (NOWRA) - Founded in 1991 as a national professional organization to advance and promote the onsite wastewater industry.
Meta Description: [ NOWRA - National Onsite Wastewater Recycling Association ]
National Solid Wastes Management Association (NSWMA) - Represents companies providing solid, hazardous and medical waste collection, recycling and disposal services, remedial and oil spill clean-ups, and consulting services to the industry.
Nuclear Waste Management Organization - Recommends strategies for managing used nuclear fuel produced by Canada's electricity generators.
Meta Description: [ The Nuclear Waste Management Organization will recommend a long-term approach for managing used nuclear fuel produced by Canada's electricity generators. NWMO is engaging Canadians, stakeholders and experts to develop a sustainable, ethically and socially acceptable, and environmentally respectfu... ]
Solid Waste Association of North America (SWANA ) - Professional association which sponsors annual conference, conducts training, awards credentials for solid waste management professionals, and maintains the Solid Waste Information Clearinghouse.
Meta Description: [ SWANA ]
Solid Waste Management Coordinating Board - SWMCB - Joint powers board comprised of two county commissioners from the counties of Anoka, Carver, Dakota, Hennepin, Ramsey and Washington, Minnesota. Mission is to increase the efficiency and environmental effectiveness of the region's solid waste management system.
U.S. Composting Council - Research, public education, composting and compost standards, expansion of compost markets and the enlistment of public support.
Urban Mines Ltd. - UK based environmental nonprofit organization committed to finding innovative, sustainable solutions for waste materials and waste management.
Waste Equipment Technology Association (WASTEC) - Association for companies which design, build, distribute, and service equipment for the waste management industry.
Meta Description: [ Represents providers of solutions for the solid waste industry. Members design, build, distribute, service and consult with respect to the equipment and technology systems that are used to collect, contain, transport, store, process, recycle, treat and dispose of the world's solid wastes and recy... ]
Waste Management Association of Australia - Australian organization of waste management professionals.
Meta Description: [ WMAA - Waste Management Association of Australia ]
WMA) - Professional organization that provides training, information, and networking opportunities to 12,000 environmental professionals in 65 countries. Focus is on air quality, waste management and environmental management.
Meta Description: [ The Air & Waste Management Association (A&WMA) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan professional organization that provides training, information, and networking opportunities to thousands of environmental professionals in 65 countries. ]
In another night of attacking Barack Obama over his associations, Sean Hannity was confronted about his past relationship ...