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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.

With the rapid increase in the consumption of electrical and electronic innovations, responsible management and recycling of electronic waste (e-waste) or waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) has been a significant concern for the governments, stakeholders, researchers and industry practitioners around the world. Consumer awareness, disposal behaviour and perception are chief facets of designing sustainable management strategies. Although researchers have widely studied e-waste over many years, the research focusing on consumer awareness about e-waste recycling has gained momentum recently. This paper aims to systematise the existing literature and explore future research prospects on household e-waste sorting behaviour.

Web of science (WoS) core collection was searched using selected keywords to identify relevant articles published from 2001 to 2021. The search resulted in 1,156 research articles published from 2001 to 2021. After a detailed study, 85 articles were shortlisted for in-depth review. The review was conducted based on global trends, top journals, most prolific authors, most active e-waste research countries, and institutions centring on consumer participation in e-waste disposal and recycling behaviour. The present research has also identified around eleven factors that seem to have a bearing on consumer behaviour towards storage, disposal and recycling of e-waste.

E-waste research has gained increased attention in the last five years. The majority of the studies has focused on motivational factors and ignore the risks associated with handling e-waste. The present study reports the pertinent issue of lack of awareness among the masses about e-waste handling and disposal. Thus, bringing to the fore the lack of awareness programmes and initiatives. The analysis presents the gaps in the literature and future research agendas.

The review article will help in providing an in-depth understanding of consumer behaviour towards storage, disposal and recycling of e-waste and delineates the future direction of research that may be undertaken in this field of study.

The purpose of this paper is to analyze the different types of domestic waste disposal in rural China and the major factors that affect rural household waste disposal behavior.

Stratified and randomly sampled household data are used to describe the disposal of domestic waste in rural China, including domestic garbage and organic waste (human excreta, livestock waste, and kitchen waste); econometric models are estimated to quantify the major determinants of household domestic garbage and human excreta disposal.

While about 30 percent of the domestic garbage in 2008 was discharged to appropriately designated places, more than 40 percent of the garbage was discharged casually. Organic waste at the time of data gathering was still largely used in agricultural production, although a falling trend has been evidenced in recent years. Based on econometric analysis, it becomes clear that income growth, rising population density, and transportation improvements have significantly improved domestic garbage disposal, but negatively affected the recycling of human excreta. The provision of an adequate garbage collection service has the most positive effects on garbage management.

The analyses are based on primary survey data. The results will have significant policy implications on the management of rural domestic waste to maintain better rural environment.

In 1987, Campbell Soup Company introduced the Souper Combo, a line of frozen soup and sandwiches. Melvin Druin, vice‐president for packaging, called it “the perfect combination of old‐fashioned good taste and today's convenience. No mess. No fuss. Easy to use. All you have to do is clean your spoon. Everything else just throw away.” Unfortunately, the multi‐layered plastic‐coated packaging does not just disappear when thrown away. Plastics packaging, particularly from convenience products, has become a waste disposal nightmare. Garbage, an environmental magazine, gave the Souper Combo an “in the dumpster” award, saying, “It's precisely the kind of product that's created the municipal landfill monster.”

The purpose of this paper is to evaluate consumers’ latent need to serve society by participating in “Go Green Revolution” and the contribution to proper disposal of waste and packaging of fruits and vegetables by the consumer and retailer.

The United Arab Emirates (UAE’s) regular customers comprise an expatriate population of 200 nationalities. Primary research attempted to maintain a ratio of this diversity.

There is low awareness of effects of disposal of fruits and vegetables and an urgent need for intervention by stakeholders.

This research attempts to provide avenues for further scientific and academic research. Better methods of disposing and faster turnaround from waste to compost should be pursued scientifically. Academic research venues are available for researchers to study methodologies which can be used to educate people. Corporate, institutional and government awareness campaigns specific to disposal of fruits and vegetables should be researched further.

The paper attempts to analyse the levels of awareness of the general population with respect to disposal of fruits and vegetables. The landfills can be saved from the stench which usually encompasses the area, if fruits and vegetables can be disposed properly. The creation of compost at micro levels can help create a greener earth.

The research paper focuses on awareness of disposal of fruits and vegetables and its packaging, which is new in the context of the UAE.

In a developing environment, much is being done to provide for safe storage, collection and sanitary disposal of household waste; yet the problem still persists. Examines the ways in which solid waste management is undertaken in Southwest Nigeria and outlines some of the problems encountered. These include the continuous expansion of sprawling areas, funding limitations, variation in eating and waste disposal habits and laxity in enforcing sanitation laws. These and other factors make solid waste management and environmental pollution control in the area extremely complex. Suggestions are made for the recognition of socioeconomic factors in refuse depots siting and management, modification of urban planning management and a well equipped and adequately staffed Waste Disposal Agency.

Because medical waste may present potential hazards to employees, waste handlers and the general public, all facilities generating this form of waste should develop and implement a medical waste management strategy. This strategy should be prepared after conducting a survey to determine the types and estimated amounts of medical waste generated by the facility. The strategy should address medical waste handling, including segregation, packaging, in‐house transport and storage. The management plan must also prescribe appropriate treatment procedures for contaminated waste, and designate proper methods for final disposal of medical wastes and treatment residues. Finally, the facility must ensure the implementation and monitoring of this strategy.

Future waste management in the UK will have to address the problem of rising costs of waste disposal. The current financial costs of landfill disposal represent an under pricing of the waste assimilative capacity of the environment. Economic, social and political pressures over the coming decade will serve to force up disposal costs closer to the “true” economic cost to society. The cost rise will have important positive ramifications for waste minimisation and waste recycling. It is argued that rational decision making in the waste management context has been made more difficult in the UK because of a series of failures: information failure; lack of “systems” thinking; institutional failure; lack of economic cost‐benefit thinking.

This study aims to test how waste disposal behaviors can be changed such as higher recycling diversion and lower contamination rates using signage and messaging techniques at public outdoor waste receptacles on a university campus.

The experiment took place at five public outdoor receptacle stations, each with a landfill and recycling receptacle, which were located in highly trafficked areas on the University of Florida campus. The study consisted of three phases, each lasting for three weeks. During phase one, no signage and messaging were introduced; during phase two, negative and concrete messaging was placed on signs that stood above the two receptacles; and during phase three, positive and abstract messaging was placed above the receptacles. Waste audits were conducted by separating and weighing the waste.

With signage and messaging implementation, the recycling diversion rates increased and contamination in the recycling receptacles decreased. However, there was not a consistent decrease in contamination in the landfill receptacles. The study also showed that the negative and concrete messaging was more effective at both increasing diversion rates and decreasing contamination rates at the recycling receptacles.

Waste managers on university campuses need to address the purpose and type of messaging being used at waste receptacles to maximize behavior and/or education outcomes.

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this study represents the first time waste disposal behaviors have been analyzed and experimented on at public outdoor receptacles on a university campus.

This paper examined the current status of municipal solid waste management across Nigeria. The core aspects covered are generation, characterization, collection, scavenging, open dumping, disposal and environmental implications of poor solid waste management. The purpose of this paper is to present a comprehensive overview of the current state of municipal solid waste management in Nigeria.

This study was executed by a combination of an extensive literature search and field study. Solid waste generation rates for 31 Nigerian cities were obtained from literature. In addition, characteristics of municipal solid waste from 26 Nigerian cities were also obtained from literature. Other aspects such as characterization of solid waste obtained from final dumpsite and heavy metals accumulation in solid waste dumpsites were undertaken first hand.

Solid waste generation rate was found to vary from 0.13 kg/capita/day in Ogbomosho to 0.71 kg/capita/day in Ado-Ekiti. Factors affecting solid waste generation rates were identified. Typically, food waste was found to constitute close to 50 percent of overall municipal solid waste in Nigerian cities. This study shows that the rate of generation of plastics, water proof materials and diapers has assumed an upward trend. Due to the dysfunctional state of many municipal waste management authorities, many cities have been overrun by open dumps. For instance, more than 50 percent of residents of Maiduguri in northern Nigeria and Ughelli in southern Nigeria dispose of their waste in open dumps. Indiscriminate disposal of waste has also resulted in the preponderance of toxic heavy metals in agricultural soils and consequent bioaccumulation in plants as well as groundwater contamination.

The main limitation of this research is municipal waste management authorities do not have relevant data. Hence, there was heavy reliance on published materials. The status of waste management in Nigeria is very deplorable and therefore poses serious threats to public and environmental health. There is urgent need for both government and individuals to adopt holistic and sustainable waste management strategies in order to safeguard public/environmental health.

Findings from this paper can form a veritable resource for the formulation and implementation of sustainable municipal solid waste management framework and strategies in Nigeria.

While most studies on municipal solid waste management in Nigeria are focussed on selected cities of interest, this particular study cuts across most cities of Nigeria in order to present a broader and holistic view of municipal solid waste management in Nigeria. The paper has also unraveled core municipal solid waste management challenges facing Nigerian cities.