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A systems perspective of waste management allows an integrated approach not only to the five basic functional elements of waste management itself (generation, reduction, collection, recycling, disposal), but to the problems arising at the interfaces with the management of energy, nature conservation, environmental protection, economic factors like unemployment and productivity, etc. This monograph separately describes present practices and the problems to be solved in each of the functional areas of waste management and at the important interfaces. Strategies for more efficient control are then proposed from a systems perspective. Systematic and objective means of solving problems become possible leading to optimal management and a positive contribution to economic development, not least through resource conservation. India is the particular context within which waste generation and management are discussed. In considering waste disposal techniques, special attention is given to sewage and radioactive wastes.

Environment Management, Solid Waste Management.

This case is suitable to be used in advanced undergraduate and MBA/MSc level.

This case revolves around the challenges pertaining to waste management in Iran. Poor waste management practices can result in soil contamination, water pollution, and air pollution, can cause respiratory problem, and can create permanent adverse health effect. Thus, a solid waste management system is needed for safeguarding the public health, safety, and welfare. However, it seems not an easy task for the developing countries, and Iran is not an exception to this. Recycling has three particular steps: collection and processing, manufacturing, and purchasing new products which made from recycled materials which require heavy investment. Lack of investment in the Iranian recycling sector has made this issue more complicated and lagging behind. This case highlights the challenges faced by the Iranian Municipality in this regard.

The learning objectives are as follows:

• to expose students to an actual situation where they will be aware of the necessity to care for the environment and reduce and reuse the products that they are utilizing in their every days’ life;

• to highlight the need of a municipal waste management system to make route optimization for waste collection and transport system, storage, recycling plan, compost and incineration facility, proper site for landfill, etc.; and

• to emphasize the required support from all stake holders in managing waste.

to expose students to an actual situation where they will be aware of the necessity to care for the environment and reduce and reuse the products that they are utilizing in their every days’ life;

to highlight the need of a municipal waste management system to make route optimization for waste collection and transport system, storage, recycling plan, compost and incineration facility, proper site for landfill, etc.; and

to emphasize the required support from all stake holders in managing waste.

There is a long-going discussion in Russia focusing on finding new stimulus for economic growth. Being very rich with natural recourses, Russia has enjoyed extensive economic growth model for many centuries. The world is changing. Russia as any country which is to keep up with the dynamics and the quality of the world economic growth must find some new technologies and economic triggers. Green investment can be regarded as the key instrument to achieve faster economic growth and to make technological gap narrower. The chapter focuses on state policy and business practice in green investment in Russia.

Lifelines (also referred to as critical infrastructure) are referred to here as the essential infrastructure and services that support the life of our community. In a disaster response and recovery situation, provision of Lifelines, is essential. New Zealand has several mechanisms to improve the responses of lifeline service providers in a disaster situation, including pre‐event planning and coordination groups and legislative provisions for timely response in an emergency. Currently, waste management is not formally included in either the coordination process or the legislative provisions for Lifelines. This paper aims to address whether or not waste management should be included in these.

Qualitative and semi‐qualitative matrix‐based assessments were used to determine the relative importance of provision of waste management services in a disaster‐recovery situation.

The paper argues that waste management should be included in Lifeline planning in New Zealand. Organisational complexity in the waste management system and the likely need to expand pre‐disaster waste management services to deal with large amounts of disaster generated waste, however, mean that inclusion in the legislative provisions for Lifeline service providers would be challenging.

The research context is specific to New Zealand; however, the general challenges, principles and overall approach and may be transferable to other jurisdictions.

Organisational and regulatory approaches recommended in this paper, if adopted, will help waste and emergency managers respond and recover more effectively in a disaster situation.

This paper is the first to attempt to examine in detail the importance of waste management on disaster recovery in New Zealand. The findings of the paper are of relevance to countries with similar organisational and legal structures.

This paper aims to illustrate the growing role robots are playing in recycling and product disassembly and provide an insight into recent research activities.

Following a short introduction, this first considers robotic waste sorting systems and then describes two systems for the disassembly of electronic products. It then provides details of some recent research activities. Finally, brief conclusions are drawn.

Robotic systems exploiting artificial intelligence combined with various sensing and machine vision technologies are playing a growing role in the sorting of municipal and industrial waste, prior to recycling. These are mostly based on delta robots and can achieve pick rates of 60-70 items/min and be configured to recognise and select a wide range of different materials and items from moving conveyors. Electronic waste recycling is yet to benefit significantly from robotics although a limited number of systems have been developed for product disassembly. Disassembly techniques are the topic of a concerted research effort which often involves robots and humans collaborating and sharing disassembly tasks.

This provides an insight into the present-day uses and potential future role of robots in recycling which has traditionally been a highly labour-intensive industry.

Recycling has experienced rapid growth as a technique to reduce the solid waste stream volume. Despite the public appeal and acceptance of recycling, the reverse logistics channels used in recycling have received minimal attention. However, the reverse channels′ membership and capabilities have a significant impact on the efficiency of processing recyclable material for remanufacture into recycled products. Differing product characteristics, extensive handling, and low density shipments pose considerable obstacles to establishing an efficient reverse channel for recyclable commodities. A framework, based on interviews and current literature, describes the reverse logistics channel structure, membership and functions, and provides a foundation for identifying the issues affecting efficiency and marketability, and possible future directions for improving efficiency within the reverse channel structure.

Cement production has advanced greatly in the last few decades. The traditional fuels used in traditional kilns include coal, oil, petroleum coke, and natural gas. Energy costs and environmental concerns have encouraged cement companies worldwide to evaluate to what extent conventional fuels can be replaced by waste materials, such as waste oils, mixtures of non-recycled plastics and paper, used tires, biomass wastes, and even wastewater sludge. The paper aims to discuss these issues.

The work is based on literature review.

The clinker firing process is well suited for various alternative fuels (AF); the goal is to optimize process control and alternative fuel consumption while maintaining clinker product quality. The potential is enormous since the global cement industry produces about 3.5 billion tons that consume nearly 350 million tons of coal-equivalent fossil and AF. This study has shown that several cement plants have replaced part of the fossil fuel used by AF, such waste recovered fuels. Many years of industrial experience have shown that the use of wastes as AF by cement plants is both ecologically and economically justified.

The substitution of fossil fuels by AF in the production of cement clinker is of great importance both for cement producers and for society because it conserves fossil fuel reserves and, in the case of biogenic wastes, reduces greenhouse gas emissions. In addition, the use of AF can help to reduce the costs of cement production.

Presents a survey of water, water pollution and control in China. Water shortage and water pollution are two of the most important environmental problems and factors affecting the development of industry, agriculture and the economy. China has made great efforts to improve environmental quality and has issued a series of important policies and regulations since the 1970s. Water saving and waste water reuse are the most significant measures implemented for solving the water shortage and controlling water pollution. All these policies and measures are playing an important role in alleviating and controlling the extent of water pollution.

The eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol is among the most polluted cities in the Ukraine. Even with a decrease in manufacturing after the dissolution of the USSR, the high amounts of hazardous wastes in the water, air and soil have not been reduced, often exceeding the safety limits used by the World Health Organisation (WHO). City dwellers continue to have worryingly short lifespans, as well as a high percentage of oncological diseases. The current extent of the problems seen in the city is described in this paper, along with a programme aimed at the sustainable development of the city. Public discussions of Mariupol’s environmental problems are documented in this paper and took place via workshops, newspaper articles, television programmes and surveys. As a result of these investigations, increasing life expectancy by ten years was chosen as the primary goal for city development. A summary of the project is presented, along with some analysis and recommendations.

This study aims to empirically investigate the relationship between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and sustainable management of wastes and effluents (SMWE) in Lagos Megacity.

The paper adopts a quantitative research method, specifically the use of a Web-survey technique for eliciting responses from a cross-section of companies affiliated to the Lagos Chambers of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). From a target population of 2,300 companies, a sample of 92 companies was drawn using the sample determination formula of Parten (1950). The 92 sampled companies were randomly administered Web-based questionnaires through their official emails. Finally, the 56 responses received from the participating companies (corresponding to 61 per cent response rate) were analysed electronically and the results presented using descriptive and inferential statistics.

The results show strong positive relationships between CSR and advocacy on waste and effluents (0.7), environmental impact response (0.7), environmental sustainability policy (0.6) and preventive negative impact (0.6) with P < 0.05. However, weak positive relationships exist between CSR and monitoring mechanisms (0.3) and adequacy of infrastructure for wastes and pollutants management (0.4). Overall, there is a significant positive relationship between CSR and sustainable management of solid wastes and effluents in the sampled companies in Lagos.

The research is limited to Lagos Megacity because it is the industrial and commercial hub of Nigeria. Besides, there are several industrial associations in Lagos, but the selected association was the LCCI with 56 sampled companies.

The research supports and validates the theory of planned behaviour (TPB), which explicates that performance behaviour of organisations is influenced by the behavioural intention and behavioural control. However, behavioural intention of organisations may be carried out, abandoned or revised based on ever changing circumstances or contexts.

The study bridges the gap between theory and practice of environmental CSR by enriching the understanding of academics and practitioners on CSR and environmental sustainability relationships in Lagos Megacity.