Significant shortfall in newspaper recycling explained by workplace behaviour –  Published statistics reveal a disparity of 0.5 million tonnes per annum in the weight of newspapers consumed in the UK and the estimated weights recycled and disposed of in municipal (ie household)  waste.

This research tests the hypothesis that these papers might have ended up, unrecovered, as mixed commercial waste. A survey of over 550 separate businesses in the town of Paisley, West Scotland showed that nearly 90% of newspapers in the workplace had been brought in personally by employees then discarded at the end of the day into the commercial waste bin, with just 2.6% of workplace consumed newspapers recycled by the businesses surveyed. The scale up of losses from the town of Paisley was consistent with losses of 350,000 tonnes per annum from a national workforce.

How local authorities tackle bulky household waste collection – This evaluation looks at the way in which the 354 waste collection authorities in England provide services for the collection of bulky furniture and electrical appliances.  Approximately 28% of councils do not make a charge. The remainder do, usually related to the number of items collected. The standard waiting time is 7-10 days. The evaluation assesses the quality of information provided by individual councils on such services.  It provides case studies illustrating best practice and a recommended content for website information.

Waste scavenging in Onitsha, Nigeria – Onitsha Urban Area, Nigeria, is characterised by the lack of a formal waste recovery and recycling programme. Scavengers, therefore, carry out material recovery from refuse. This paper notes the major waste materials recovered and attempts to identify the operating routes preferred by the waste pickers, the reasons behind the preferences and the pattern of distribution of markets for recovered recyclable materials. It also makes recommendations for measures to facilitate the transportation of recovered materials at low cost for subsequent recycling and re-use.

Centralised secure landfill facility in India –   This paper reports the joint efforts made by a group of industries, consultants, governmental and non-governmental organisations to establish an ISO (14001) certified centralised secure landfill facility for industrial solid waste management at Ankleshwar industrial estate, district Bharuch, Gujarat, the first of its kind in India.  Six types of waste are landfilled: effluent treatment plant sludge; iron sludge; gypsum sludge, incineration ash, brine sludge and spent carbon. Significant features of the design include provision for future expansion of the site in stages, minimum leachate generation, landfill gas management through gas vents, provision of temporary storage and closure of the site during the monsoon.

To obtain a copy of the this issue of the Scientific and Technical Review, e-mail diane.ward@ciwm.co.uk

      
Notes:

1) Paper titles and authors in this issue:

Workplace consumption and discard of newspapers  - P Tucker and P Douglas, Environmental Technology Group, University of Paisley

An evaluation of council bulky waste collection services in England – A Curran, S Heaven and I D Williams, Waste Management Research Group, School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton

Waste scavenging and recycling in Onitsha Urban Area, Nigeria – T C Nzeadibe and O J Eziuzor, Department of Geography, University of Nigeria

Centralised secure landfill facility in India: a step towards integrated solid waste management –
P N Parmeswaran, Bharuch Enviro Infrastructure Ltd, Ankleshwar (India)
G R Pophali, T Nandy and S N Kaul, National Environmental Engineering Research Institute, Nagpur (India)

2) The CIWM Scientific and Technical Review is a peer-reviewed journal for waste professionals and researchers throughout the world, published three times each year by the Chartered Institution of Wastes Management. The journal provides new and original information for the industry and researchers working in the field of waste. A broad cross-section of articles from professional waste managers, academic researchers and consultants are published, with preference given to articles that address practical waste management issues.