RESUMO
Seasonal variations directly impact the biochemical and microbial properties of the soil, influence carbon and nutrient cycling within the soil system. Soils under tree plantation (TP) are rich in organic matter and microbial population, making them more susceptible to seasonal variation. We studied the effect of seasonal variations in soil chemical properties (pH, electrical conductivity (EC), total organic carbon (TOC), total nitrogen (TN), C/N ratio etc) and microclimate (moisture and temperature) on microbial respiration (SR), biomass, and carbon (C) utilization efficiency under 13 years old Kadamb (Anthocephalus cadamba Miq.), Simaraubha (Simarouba glauca DC), and Litchi (Litchi chinensis Sonn.) based TPs in middle Gangetic region. In contrast to higher SR and metabolic quotient (qCO2) in winter, the microbial biomass carbon (MBC) and microbial biomass nitrogen (MBN) in fall > summer > spring > winter, irrespective of TPs. The positive relationship between qCO2 and C/N ratios strongly supports the dependence of microbes on soil carbon for respiration. qCO2 had a significantly positive relationship with soil moisture (MC) and Electrical conductivity (EC), but a significantly negative relationship with temperature and pH. Higher MBN/TN and MBC/TOC ratios fall under simaraubha, and litchi-based TPs indicated more nitrogen (N) and carbon accumulation into microbial biomass. The seasonal variation of MBC/MBN ratios signifies the changes in microbial communities and fungi dominate over bacteria during winter, as bacteria have a lower C/N ratio than fungi. Stepwise regression analysis suggested that soil properties and micro-climate regulated microbial biomass and SR differ with TPs. Thus, the study indicates that microbial activities and biomass production can significantly influence by soil properties and seasonal variations under TPs.
RESUMO
Waste segregation at source, particularly at the household level, is an integral component of sustainable solid waste management, which is a critical public health issue. Although multiple interventions have been published, often with contradictory findings, few authors have conducted a comprehensive systematic synthesis of the published literature. Therefore, we undertook a systematic review to synthesize all published interventions conducted in any country in the world which targeted household-level waste segregation with or without additional focus on recycling or composting. Following PRISMA guidelines, Web of Science, Medline, Global Health, and Google Scholar were searched using a search strategy created by combining the keywords 'Waste', 'Segregation', and 'Household'. Two-stage blinded screening and consensus-based conflict resolution were done, followed by quality assessment, data extraction, and narrative synthesis. 8555 articles were identified through the database searches and an additional 196 through grey literature and citation searching. After excluding 2229 duplicates and screening title abstracts of 6522 articles, 283 full texts were reviewed, and 78 publications reporting 82 intervention studies were included in the data synthesis. High methodological heterogeneity was seen, excluding the possibility of a meta-analysis. Most (n = 60) of the interventions were conducted in high-income countries. Interventions mainly focused on information provision. However, differences in the content of information communicated and mode of delivery have not been extensively studied. Finally, our review showed that the comparison of informational interventions with provision of incentives and infrastructural modifications needs to be explored in-depth. Future studies should address these gaps and, after conducting sufficient formative research, should aim to design their interventions following the principles of behaviour change.
RESUMO
Waste segregation is an essential function in improving waste management. Waste segregation not only facilitates recycling and reduces waste going to landfills, rather it can benefit our environment and human in various ways. A pick analysis of waste composition is used to characterize the household waste stream and thus can analyze the segregation rate among the residents. In addition, it can measure the actual waste sorting behaviour at the household/community level. The objective of the study was to assess feasibility of a large-scale waste composition study, identify methodological and operational challenges, and estimate the resources needed to conduct the main waste composition study in order to obtain and get indicative figures about waste generation, composition, and miss-sorted proportions. The study team went door-to-door to collect waste in colour coded bags. We also collected the socio-demographic data of the households. The collected waste was weighed and segregated to analyze the waste composition. The analysis was done among 45 households, and it was found that the per capita waste generation per day is 0.25 kg (0.24 kg from slum and 0.27 kg from non-slum). Challenges identified in conducting waste composition study were lack of standard waste fraction classifications, difficulty in recruitment of personnel to conduct study due to social taboo around waste, challenge in co-coordinating with Ujjain Municipal Corporation waste collection vehicle for collection of waste. 53 household activities were completed in 5 and half hours with INR 24685 (USD 300.5). Pick analysis could be adopted by the Ujjain Municipal Corporation after cost effective analysis to generate precise estimate of waste generation, resource recovery, efficient resource allocation and will help in future interventions and informed policy decision making to improve segregation.
RESUMO
Introduction: Crowdsourcing is an emerging technique to engage or access a wider set of experts and multiple stakeholders through online platforms, which might effectively be employed in waste management. Therefore, we assessed the feasibility of the crowdsourcing method to provide an alternative approach that can improve household waste segregation using an "online-slogan-contest". Methods: The contest was promoted via targeted emails to various governmental and non-governmental organizations and through social media platforms for around 4 weeks (25 days). The entries were received through a Google form. The slogans were assessed by the experts and analyzed using content analysis methods. Results: Total 969 entries were received from different geographic regions in India. Of that, 456 were in English and 513 in Hindi. Five themes of waste segregation emerged from the received slogans: (1) Community awareness, responsibility, and support, (2) Significance of household waste segregation, (3) Use of separate dustbins, (4) Health and well-being, and (5) Environment and sustainability. Discussion: Crowdsourcing approaches can be used by local authorities for improving waste management approaches and are recommended as these involve a wider audience within a short time frame. Moreover, this approach is flexible and integrating crowdsourcing approaches strengthens our understanding of existing waste management activities.