Environmental contamination due to solid waste mismanagement is a global issue. Open dumping and open burning are the main implemented waste treatment and final disposal systems, mainly visible in low-income countries. This paper reviews the main impacts due to waste mismanagement in developing countries, focusing on environmental contamination and social issues. The activity of the informal sector in developing cities was also reviewed, focusing on the main health risks due to waste scavenging. Results reported that the environmental impacts are pervasive worldwide: marine litter, air, soil and water contamination, and the direct interaction of waste pickers with hazardous waste are the most important issues. Many reviews were published in the scientific literature about specific waste streams, in order to quantify its effect on the environment. This narrative literature review assessed global issues due to different waste fractions showing how several sources of pollution are affecting the environment, population health, and sustainable development. The results and case studies presented can be of reference for scholars and stakeholders for quantifying the comprehensive impacts and for planning integrated solid waste collection and treatment systems, for improving sustainability at a global level.

Waste Mismanagement in Developing Countries: A Review of Global Issues.

The impact of landfilling and composting on greenhouse gas emissions – A review

The conflict between economic optimization and environmental protection has received wide attention in recent research programs for waste management system planning. This has also resulted in a set of new waste management goals in reverse logistics system planning. The purpose of this analysis is to formulate a mixed integer goal programming (MIGP) model to assist in proper management of the paper recycling logistics system. The model studies the inter-relationship between multiple objectives (with changing priorities) of a recycled paper distribution network. The objectives considered are reduction in reverse logistics cost; product quality improvement through increased segregation at the source; and environmental benefits through increased wastepaper recovery. The proposed model also assists in determining the facility location, route and flow of different varieties of recyclable wastepaper in the multi-item, multi-echelon and multi-facility decision making framework. The use of the model has been illustrated through a problem of paper recycling in India.

A goal programming model for paper recycling system

Comparison on batch anaerobic digestion of five different livestock manures and prediction of biochemical methane potential (BMP) using different statistical models.

Global climate change is a change in the long-term weather patterns that characterize the regions of the world. Scientists state unequivocally that the earth is warming. Natural climate variability alone cannot explain this trend. Human activities, especially the burning of coal and oil, have warmed the earth by dramatically increasing the concentrations of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere. The more of these gases humans put into the atmosphere, the more the earth will warm in the decades and centuries ahead. The impacts of warming can already be observed in many places, from rising sea levels to melting snow and ice to changing weather patterns. Climate change is already affecting ecosystems, freshwater supplies, and human health. Although climate change cannot be avoided entirely, the most severe impacts of climate change can be avoided by substantially reducing the amount of heat-trapping gases released into the atmosphere. However, the time available for beginning serious action to avoid severe global consequences is growing short. This paper reviews assessing of such climate change impacts on various components of the ecosystem such as air, water, plants, animals and human beings, with special emphasis on economy. The most daunting problem of global warming is also discussed. This paper, further reviews the mitigation measures, with a special focus on carbon sequestration and clean development mechanism (CDM). The importance of synergy between climate change mitigation and adaptation has been discussed. An overview of the relationship between economy and emissions, including Carbon Tax and Emission Trading and the policies are also presented.

A review of climate change, mitigation and adaptation

http://www.hia21.eu/dwnld/20120419_13.pdf

Estimation method for national methane emission from solid waste landfills

Qualitative assessment of methane emission inventory from municipal solid waste disposal sites: a case study

The advantages and disadvantages of alternatives for urban solid waste management are discussed. Landfill is considered to be a suitable and simple technology for tropical countries such as India. The recovery and reuse of landfill gas generated in MSW landfills is economically viable in most situations. A case study of cost–benefit analysis of landfill system with gas recovery option has been carried out for Port Blair City, Andaman Islands, India. A saving of about Rs 0.09 billion per annum with reference to existing system of MSW disposal is evaluated.

S.A. Gaikwad

Papers

Estimation method for national methane emission from solid waste landfills

Qualitative assessment of methane emission inventory from municipal solid waste disposal sites: a case study

Cost–benefit analysis of landfill system with gas recovery for municipal solid waste management: a case study