Corruption and Solid Waste Management in Mbarara Municipality, Uganda.

Mbarara Municipality in Western Uganda has for many years struggled to manage municipal solid waste. Leaders in this municipality have mainly attributed this persistent problem to poor financing, failure to enforce existing solid waste management laws and regulations, limited community participation, deprived attitude by the public towards waste collection, and tendency of municipal dwellers to litter. No in-depth academic study in Mbarara Municipality has ever been done to expose and illustrate how corruption directly happens and influence solid waste management. This study fills this knowledge gap by illustrating how corruption influences poor solid waste management in Mbarara Municipality. The study finds that municipal technical officials, garbage truck drivers, their turn boys, garbage sorters, factory owners, and private land grabbers all involved in different forms of corruption have directly and indirectly turned solid waste collection and disposal into a very costly problem to the municipal council and the general public. The article recommends that fighting corruption in all its forms without fear or favor, encouraging them to play their role particularly in sorting waste, adoption of smart technologies, and putting in place measures that attract private investors while protecting the public can help in the effective management of solid waste in Mbarara Municipality.

Risks and implications for health and the environment associated with products and waste containing nanomaterials: regulatory and management issues in the European framework.

SUMMARY: Nanomaterials can revolutionize everyday products, but there are still many unanswered questions about the risks they may pose to human health and the environment. Inconsistent definitions and metrological issues are still of concern for manufacturers, importers and distributors who are demanded to comply with strict regulations. It is also likely that the increasing number of nanomaterial-containing products available on the market will vary the chemical and physical properties of the waste produced, which is currently treated in traditional plants without any particular differentiation. Treatment efficiency for nanomaterials-containing waste should then be addressed and the risks of uncontrolled emissions considered. Finally, the risks associated with the use of nanomaterials-containing products may not be sufficiently characterized as current exposure estimation models are not designed for estimating exposure to nanomaterials and they are likely to be affected by large uncertainties. Hence, it would be important for national and international institutions to provide, as soon as possible, harmonized regulations covering all aspects of the life cycle of products and waste containing nanomaterials. This paper is proposed as a starting point for reflection on the main regulatory and management issues associated with products and waste containing nanomaterials, focusing mainly on the European framework.

New Policy and Implementation of Municipal Solid Waste Classification in Shanghai, China.

To promote sustainable development, the Chinese government launched a new municipal solid waste (MSW) classification strategy in 2017. Shanghai was selected as one of the first pilot cities for MSW classification. The Shanghai municipal government first established the new MSW classification policy in 2017. The Shanghai Municipal Solid Waste Management Regulation was published in 2019 and came into effect on 1 July 2019. This short communication reports on Shanghai's new MSW classification policy and its implementation. The main content and measures adopted by Shanghai's government to ensure the effective implementation of the new MSW classification policy are introduced. Besides, a SWOT (i.e., strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats) analysis on the present policy and measures is conducted, and based on the results, some discussions and suggestions regarding the implementation of MSW classification in Shanghai and the whole of China are presented.

Evaluation of Policies on Inappropriate Treatment of Dead Hogs from the Perspective of Loss Aversion.

Punishment policies on the inappropriate treatment of dead hogs play a key role in safeguarding public health and environmental protection. These policies aim to regulate the behavior of farmers and promote the development of sustainable agriculture. Farmers' evaluation of a policy can be used to measure its effectiveness, and loss aversion is a factor that has been little studied. This study surveyed 404 hog farmers in China, and analyzed the factors that influenced their evaluation of the penalties for the inappropriate treatment of dead hogs during 2016 and 2017. We used three indicators for the evaluation of the penalties: the degree of necessity, implementation, and effectiveness. Special attention was paid to farmers' aversion to financial penalties and police detention time, which was elicited using economic experiments. The results show that farmers are more likely to be averse to police detention time than financial penalties, and suggest that the level of each indicator needs to be increased. The results from an ordered Probit model show that there are both similarities and differences between the formation paths of the three indicators. An aversion to financial penalties will help to improve the degree of implementation. An aversion to police detention time will lead to a negative trend in the degree of effectiveness. An in-depth analysis of the factors that influence farmers' evaluation of policies to punish inappropriate treatment of dead hogs may provide a basis for the design of government policies to improve environmental protection performance.

Trends in potentially abused medications returned during medication take-back days.

OBJECTIVE: To observe rates of returns and to identify trends in returns of potentially abused medications during medication take-back events. METHODS: A retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted of returned medications during medication take-back days from 2013 to 2016 based on a partnership between local law enforcement and a school of pharmacy in a rural South Carolina town. Data collected on returned items included active ingredients, estimated quantity, and prescription fill date if available. The medications were classified by therapeutic class and further identified drugs of potential abuse according to National Institute of Drug Abuse classifications. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data collected. RESULTS: In 2013, 742 different medications were returned, and 64 (8.63%) were potential drugs of abuse. In the years 2014-2016, 117 (11.43%) returned medications were potential drugs of abuse. In 2017, 40 (13.27%) returned medications were potentially abused drugs. Opioid analgesics were the most common potentially abused medication returned, accounting for 51.6%, 62.4%, and 65% of potentially abused medications returned in 2013, 2014-2016, and 2017, respectively. The other most common potentially abused returned medications were benzodiazepines (10.9%, 12.8%, 7.5%). The return of hypnotic medications increased over the study period from 0% in 2013 to 12.5% of potentially abused medications in 2017. The return of other medications such as loperamide and dextromethorphan varied over the study period. CONCLUSION: The rate of potentially abused medications returned steadily rose over the period of the study. Heightened awareness and increased opportunities for proper disposal including the placement of permanent drug disposal locations may account for the decreased number of prescriptions returned following 2013.

Asking Sensitive Questions Using the Randomized Response Approach in Public Health Research: An Empirical Study on the Factors of Illegal Waste Disposal.

A survey study is a research method commonly used to quantify population characteristics in biostatistics and public health research, two fields that often involve sensitive questions. However, if answering sensitive questions could cause social undesirability, respondents may not provide honest responses to questions that are asked directly. To mitigate the response distortion arising from dishonest answers to sensitive questions, the randomized response technique (RRT) is a useful and effective statistical method. However, research has seldom addressed how to apply the RRT in public health research using an online survey with multiple sensitive questions. Thus, we help fill this research gap by employing an innovative unrelated question design method. To illustrate how the RRT can be implemented in a multivariate analysis setting, we conducted a survey study to examine the factors affecting the intention of illegal waste disposal. This study demonstrates an application of the RRT to investigate the factors affecting people's intention of illegal waste disposal. The potential factors of the intention were adopted from the theory of planned behavior and the general deterrence theory, and a self-administered online questionnaire was employed to collect data. Using the RRT, a covariance matrix was extracted for examining the hypothesized model via structural equation modeling. The survey results show that people's attitude toward the behavior and their perceived behavioral control significantly positively affect their intention. This paper is useful for showing researchers and policymakers how to conduct surveys in environmental or public health related research that involves multiple sensitive questions.

United States Congressmen support the legalization of environmental health injustice in Puerto Rico.

OBJECTIVES: Analyze the role of two members of the United States Congress, two private enterprises, and the government of Puerto Rico in the approval of the counterproductive law "Ban on the Deposit and Disposal of Coal Ash or Coal Combustion Residuals in Puerto Rico" (Law No. 40) in the framework of the four principles for environmental policy making. METHODS: The gathered text documents were structured, reviewed, and coded using a content analysis protocol to produce coding categories and the final analysis. RESULTS: Two US congressmen, apparently influenced by private enterprises, had a decisive role in the approval of Law No. 40 which failed to comply with any of the four principles for environmental public policy making. CONCLUSIONS: Puerto Rico's Government succumbed to the extortion strategy of two US congressmen and private economic interests, and finally approved Law No. 40 which mistreats the general public and the environmental health of two low socioeconomic status communities in the municipalities of Guayama and Peñuelas. This law has the potential to negatively affect public health and the environment island-wide.

Electronic Waste Governance under "One Country, Two Systems": Hong Kong and Mainland China.

China is one of the largest e-waste dumping sites in the world, and Hong Kong, a semi-autonomous territory in China, is also affected by illegal e-waste disposal and transfer. While the Chinese government implemented a waste import ban in January 2018, Hong Kong has not enforced Chinese policies under the "One Country, Two Systems" framework. Drawing on a policy network approach, this paper provides an explanatory framework for e-waste governance in Hong Kong and China, and identifies the major obstacles to shaping effective transboundary e-waste control and prevention. The paper argues that institutional arrangements play a dominant role in governing e-waste policy networks at the local level of governance in Hong Kong and China; however, a lack of accountability and capacity at the transboundary level can explain the different waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management strategies in these two places.

Predictors of illegal dumping at charitable collection points.

Cleaning and disposal of illegal dumping at charitable collection points costs charities and diverts funds from their charitable programs. However, there is no published literature that attempts to better understand this problem. The current study assesses site-specific characteristics, community level indicators and sociodemographic factors as predictors of both charity stores and collection bin dumping in the metropolitan area of Perth, Australia. Multiple regression analyses revealed that higher levels of dumping at stores were predicted by being open on Sundays, the presence of gates/fencing, bringing bins in at night, greater 5-year mobility and lower levels of education and occupation in the area. The analysis also suggests that preventative measures have not necessarily been effective at reducing the amount of illegal dumping at stores. For charity bins, significant predictors of higher levels of dumping included private land ownership, if the site is shared with bins from another charity, the number of bins at the site, the number of days serviced per week, if the bin/s are located at a park/reserve and greater 5-year mobility. These results indicate that there is a combination of site-specific characteristics and community level indicators that play a role in illegal dumping at charitable collection points and indicate the type of interventions which may be successful in reducing illegal dumping. These may include improved maintenance, better placement of bins and signage and collaborations with real estate agents.

Variance in State Protection from Exposure to NORM and TENORM Wastes Generated During Unconventional Oil and Gas Operations: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go.

Radioactive materials for the medical, technological, and industrial sectors have been effectively regulated in the United States since as early as 1962. The steady increase in the exploration and production of shale gas in recent years has led to concerns about exposures to Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (NORM) and Technologically Enhanced Naturally Occurring Radioactive Materials (TENORM) in oil and gas waste streams. This study applied policy surveillance methods to conduct a cross-sectional fifty-state survey of law and regulations of NORM and TENORM waste from oil and gas operations. Results indicated that seventeen states drafted express regulations to reduce exposure to oil and gas NORM and TENORM waste. States with active oil and gas drilling that lack regulations controlling exposure to NORM and TENORM may leave the public and workers susceptible to adverse health effects from radiation. The study concludes with recommendations in regard to regulating oil and gas NORM and TENORM waste.

Heavy Environmental Pressure in Campania and Other Italian Regions: A Short Review of Available Evidence.

The area of Naples and Campania region, in Italy, are experiencing the dramatic consequences of diffuse and illegal waste dumping, resulting in possible threats to human health. This area has been referred to as the "Land of Fires" because of the common practice of waste burning. International interest in the Campania "waste emergency" has triggered several epidemiological studies. This article is aimed at highlighting the body of evidence available concerning human and environmental contamination in the Campania region, and considers the possible lack of comparable knowledge about the situation in other areas suffering from high environmental pollution. We analyzed the results of studies addressing environmental pollution and population health in the Campania region, starting from the most recent reviews on this topic, and compared their findings with those concerning other regions. We reviewed 18 studies of epidemiological/cancer surveillance and human or animal biomonitoring. These studies show worrying results, which could be considered comparable to those available for other Italian areas impacted by heavy industrial activities. The release of environmental contaminants associated with waste incineration and waste disposal in landfills poses a risk to public health, as shown by a number of studies (although not conclusively). The current knowledge available for the Campania region is better than that available for other areas which are facing similar problems due to anthropic activities, including illegal waste trafficking. Thus, Naples and Campania could represent a valuable setting to develop general models for studies of environmental and human contamination.

Food contamination by PCBs and waste disposal crisis: Evidence from goat milk in Campania (Italy).

AIM: The study aims at investigating whether, and if so, to what extent the strong presence of urban and industrial waste in a territory may cause PCB contamination in goat milk produced therein. METHODS: We compared PCB concentrations in goat milk from three different locations in the Campania region (Italy). One of the three locations, together with its surrounding area, has long suffered from illegal waste disposal and burning mainly by the so-called Ecomafia. The other locations, not involved in these illegal activities, allowed us to create a control group of goats with characteristics very similar to those of main interest. RESULTS: In milk from the waste contaminated area we identified high PCB concentrations (six indicator PCBs amounted to 170 ng g-1 on lipid weight, on average), whereas there was an almost total absence of such pollutants in milk from the control group. Concentrations of the six indicator PCBs were above the current European maximum residue limit fixed by the EU. At the same time, we found a lower average value of lipid content and a negative relationship between lipid content and PCB concentrations. CONCLUSION: Evidence indicates the potential health risk for consumers living in areas involved in illegal dumping of waste.

Wastewater and sludge management and research in Oman: An overview.

It is well recognized that management of wastewater and sludge is a critical environmental issue in many countries. Wastewater treatment and sludge production take place under different technical, economic, and social contexts, thus requiring different approaches and involving different solutions. In most cases, a regular and environmentally safe wastewater treatment and associated sludge management requires the development of realistic and enforceable regulations, as well as treatment systems appropriate to local circumstances. The main objective of this paper is to provide useful information about the current wastewater and sludge treatment, management, regulations, and research in Oman. Based on the review and discussion, the wastewater treatment and sludge management in Oman has been evolving over the years. Further, the land application of sewage sludge should encourage revision of existing standards, regulations, and policies for the management and beneficial use of sewage sludge in Oman. IMPLICATIONS: Wastewater treatment and sludge management in Oman have been evolving over the years. Sludge utilization has been a challenge due to its association with human waste. Therefore, composting of sewage sludge is the best option in agriculture activities. Sludge and wastewater utilization can add up positively in the economic aspects of the country in terms of creating jobs and improving annual income rate. The number of research projects done on wastewater reuse and other ongoing ones related to the land application of sewage sludge should encourage revision of existing standards, regulations, and policies for the management and beneficial use of sewage sludge in Oman.

Standardized characterization procedures: a necessary support to regulations.

Sustainable procedures for sludge/biosolids management require the development of strategies to reduce the amount of sludge to be handled and to produce higher quality biosolids. Therefore, realistic and enforceable regulations adapted to local situations must be developed, defined outlet procedures established and good quality products guaranteed. To this end, the definition of standardized characterization procedures and guidelines for good practices becomes a necessary support to regulations. To contribute to the development of the EU directives dealing with sludge, the European Committee for Standardization (CEN) has established Technical Committee 308 (TC 308) whose scope is the standardization of methods for sludge characterization and the production of guidelines of good practice. In this paper, the most recent developments of the CEN/TC 308 work for the chemical, biological and physical characterization of sludge/biosolids are discussed in relation to the main different treatment and outlet options.

Prevention policies addressing packaging and packaging waste: Some emerging trends.

Packaging waste is a major issue in several countries. Representing in industrialized countries around 30-35% of municipal solid waste yearly generated, this waste stream has steadily grown over the years even if, especially in Europe, specific recycling and recovery targets have been fixed. Therefore, an increasing attention starts to be devoted to prevention measures and interventions. Filling a gap in the current literature, this explorative paper is a first attempt to map the increasingly important phenomenon of prevention policies in the packaging sector. Through a theoretical sampling, 11 countries/states (7 in and 4 outside Europe) have been selected and analyzed by gathering and studying primary and secondary data. Results show evidence of three specific trends in packaging waste prevention policies: fostering the adoption of measures directed at improving packaging design and production through an extensive use of the life cycle assessment; raising the awareness of final consumers by increasing the accountability of firms; promoting collaborative efforts along the packaging supply chains.

Assessment of collection schemes for packaging and other recyclable waste in European Union-28 Member States and capital cities.

The Waste Framework Directive obliged European Union Member States to set up separate collection systems to promote high quality recycling for at least paper, metal, plastic and glass by 2015. As implementation of the requirement varies across European Union Member States, the European Commission contracted BiPRO GmbH/Copenhagen Resource Institute to assess the separate collection schemes in the 28 European Union Member States, focusing on capital cities and on metal, plastic, glass (with packaging as the main source), paper/cardboard and bio-waste. The study includes an assessment of the legal framework for, and the practical implementation of, collection systems in the European Union-28 Member States and an in depth-analysis of systems applied in all capital cities. It covers collection systems that collect one or more of the five waste streams separately from residual waste/mixed municipal waste at source (including strict separation, co-mingled systems, door-to-door, bring-point collection and civic amenity sites). A scoreboard including 13 indicators is elaborated in order to measure the performance of the systems with the capture rates as key indicators to identify best performers. Best performance are by the cities of Ljubljana, Helsinki and Tallinn, leading to the key conclusion that door-to-door collection, at least for paper and bio-waste, and the implementation of pay-as-you-throw schemes results in high capture and thus high recycling rates of packaging and other municipal waste.