People and their waste in an emergency context: The case of Monrovia, Liberia

Liberia has gone through civil crisis for over a decade which has resulted in the destruction of infrastructure and disruption of basic services delivery particularly in Monrovia, the capital city. Most of the 1.3 million people living in Monrovia are without adequate environmental sanitation and waste management services which situation poses a serious health risk to the residents. The current waste management service coverage is less than 20% and disposal is by indiscriminate open dumping. In 2003, there were series of outbreaks of cholera epidemics in the city during which time a total of 26,651 cases were reported with many dying.The waste management plan was initiated as an exit strategy of UNICEF following an intervention response programme to assist the Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) whose capacity in this area had been crippled as a result of years of war, through the provision of support in solid waste collection and disposal.The objectives of the plan were to:

(a) Improve waste management services delivery in the city.

(b) Strengthen the ability of the MCC to plan and manage the waste services delivery.

(c) Enhance cooperation of service beneficiaries through comprehensive and effective health education and service promotional campaign.

(d) Enhance revenue generation and community participation through the promotion of private sector and CBOs/NGOs active involvement in the waste management service delivery.

The general methodology adopted for the assignment entailed the following:Desk study and review of existing reports on Water and Environmental Sanitation (WES) in Monrovia and other relevant literature, consultation with stakeholders, site visits and participatory planning which aimed at soliciting the opinions of the various stakeholders involved with the respective components to capture their aspirations and experiences. It also covered collection and analysis of available information and data to facilitate the plan preparation and facilities design.The three-phased strategy (short, medium and long term) covering a period of 10 years (August 2004–December 2014), recommended a combination of technical options for collection based on the pursuit of staged development to allow for the adoption of realistically attainable standards within a framework of continuous and systematic improvements as economic conditions improved and new knowledge gained through practice. The plan sought to blend the capacity within the City Corporation with that of the private sector and NGOs/CBOs to respond to the diverse service demands of the city taking into consideration housing and infrastructural conditions, service costs and cost recovery to ensure sustainability. It also identified sources of financing and allocated financing responsibilities to facilitate effective plan implementation.     

Community-based household waste management: Lessons learnt from EXNORA's ‘zero waste management’ scheme in two South Indian cities

This paper presents two case studies on the efforts by a community-based organisation to promote a sustainable integrated waste management system in Indian mega cities. This effort was initiated in 1989 by a local non-governmental organisation (NGO) called EXNORA and is based on a ‘zero waste management scheme’ set up, run and financed by the residents themselves. As this model has been widely quoted as successful, the study aims at learning from two communities implementing this model.Results are reported from a survey of the two schemes that used various tools to assess both their performance and sustainability in selected residential areas of two Indian cities, Chennai and Hyderabad. The results indicate limited success of the schemes both in saving a significant fraction of the generated waste from dumping, and in rehabilitating the local poor. However, they show that motivated individuals can successfully set up and manage waste collection systems that lead to overall environmental improvements. The differences in the two schemes reflect how the local assets and contexts impact on the success of the scheme. The scheme in a rich neighbourhood of Hyderabad was less ambitious in its overall objectives and focussed on the provision of a waste management service, using the opportunity to provide local employment to a socially deprived fraction of the population. The scheme in a middle-class area of Chennai, although pioneering in its approach, suffered from diseconomies of scale and lack of social integration, making it less viable in the medium to long term. Both schemes suffered from a lack of community involvement, motivation and political support, which threatens the long-term sustainability of the enterprise. The research concludes that the role that communities can realistically play in management of their own waste depends on the local context. The system advocated by EXNORA seems to require significant local resources, and political and technical support which are hard to find and sustain without strong local leaders. Another model set up in the city of Visakhapatnam is finally introduced as an alternative. This is based on triangular contracts between the municipality, the residents and micro-enterprises and may provide a good solution in dealing with the technical and commercial aspects which communities find difficult.     

Role of informal sector recycling in waste management in developing countries

Many thousands of people in developing country cities depend on recycling materials from waste for their livelihoods. With the focus of the Millennium Development Goals on poverty reduction, and of waste strategies on improving recycling rates, one of the major challenges in solid waste management in developing countries is how best to work with this informal sector to improve their livelihoods, working conditions and efficiency in recycling.The general characteristics of informal recycling are reviewed, highlighting both positive and negative aspects. Despite the health and social problems associated with informal recycling, it provides significant economic benefits that need to be retained. Experience shows that it can be highly counterproductive to establish new formal waste recycling systems without taking into account informal systems that already exist. The preferred option is to integrate the informal sector into waste management planning, building on their practices and experience, while working to improve efficiency and the living and working conditions of those involved. Issues associated with integrating informal recycling into the formal waste management sector are discussed.     

论英国公众共用物进入法律制度及启示

公众共用物起源于古罗马法,其在英美法系国家之英国得到专门化规定。英国公众共用物法律不仅对其共用物进行明确定义,并构建公众共用物进入制度,从法律层面明确公众进入共用物的权利。这种公众进入权不仅是一种法律权利,更是一种习惯权利,是公众共同使用的权利。英国公众共用物进入法律制度启发我国公众共用物法治构建应突破传统私法的规制,在构建使用制度时应符合我国现实需求与法律文化的内涵与价值取向,有效缓解公众共用物悲剧的发生,保障公众的使用权利。     

城市餐厨垃圾分级回收处理模式探索

餐厨垃圾在给环境带来污染的同时又具备较高的回收利用价值,因此资源化回收利用是解决餐厨垃圾问题的发展方向。在对餐厨垃圾回收现状进行分析后,指出餐厨垃圾在回收方式、回收渠道、收费管理等方面存在的问题,进而推导出建立完善的餐厨垃圾回收体系是实现餐厨垃圾资源化利用的前提。根据不同质量的资源化产品对回收的餐厨垃圾质量的要求不同,制定了餐厨垃圾分级回收质量标准,从而达到促进餐厨垃圾有效回收的目的,为其资源化利用提供有效的保证。     

农村生活垃圾分类长效机制建设的社会基础

农村生活垃圾分类长效机制建设是农村人居环境整治的重要组成部分。当前生活垃圾分类越来越成为全国各地农村尝试开展与实施的环境治理工程,但如何建立生活垃圾分类长效机制一直困扰着地方环境管理者。通过对浙北码头村的案例分析,总结该村在长期实践中的生活垃圾分类长效机制建设经验以及不同主体参与垃圾分类的行动策略,并深入挖掘长效机制建设背后的社会结构、社会关系、地方文化等社会基础。最后,基于理论分析与实地调查的互动联系,提出内生于村庄社会的制度规范、有效的组织动员结构、可适用的治理技术手段是当前农村生活垃圾分类长效机制建设的社会基础,以此来反映符合农村社会特点、多元主体共同参与的环境治理长效机制建设的理论内涵与实践路径。     

气浮综合改进设施处理高浓度造纸废水

本文报道了气浮综合改进设施处理高浓度造纸废水的流程和改革，结果表明：改进后的气浮设施COD去除率由60％提高到75％，SS去除率由51％提高到71％，气浮出水河直接回用于造纸的主要过程，处理效果明显优于单纯的气浮处理。而且改进部分投资少，动力消耗少，是处理高浓度造纸废水的简便易行、值得推广的方法。     

基于按排计费费用核算的城市生活垃圾付费模式研究

当前中国城市生活垃圾收费还是以人为单位进行核算,存在着征费率低、费用被占用、挪用现象严重等问题.为了彻底改变这种状况,必须要借鉴发达国家的城市生活垃圾按排付费模式,从经济刺激视角出发,运用边际成本理论,系统地分析按排计费费用核算中的固定费用和变动费用具体构成.同时,根据管理区域,基础设施状况、人口数量和人均收入的差别,设计出适合中国城市复杂多样性特点的按箱付费模式、按袋付费模式、按量付费模式和混合付费模式四种具体城市生活垃圾按排付费模式,并对这四种具体付费模式的实施维度进行比较分析.     

服装制板、打板在实践应用中的探索

从服装企业生产的角度,阐述了服装制板、打板在生产实践中的具体应用。并结合实践经验,分析总结了针对不同情况与要求如何快速、准确、合理地制板、打板,以便为服装生产企业提供优质、方便、快捷的技术服务,促进服装企业的快速发展。     

建筑垃圾资源化利用实证研究

鉴于日益严峻的垃圾围城现象,以西咸北环线高速公路建设工程为依托,调研了该项目的企业用地、所缴纳税额、建筑垃圾原料来源等内容,对建筑垃圾综合利用的应用政策、应用技术、典型示范效应的现状和存在问题进行分析,讨论了依托工程在项目管理、建厂成本、企业免税、原材料获取、运输成本、社会认知度方面的相关政策。研究认为,应借鉴国内外比较全面系统的建筑垃圾分类管理办法,制定国家层面的法律法规体系,规范建筑垃圾的资源化利用;省市层面要根据各地实际,合理规划布局并支持建筑垃圾综合利用;国家和地方管理部门应建立建筑垃圾综合利用的行业标准并参与到政府循环经济发展规划中;还可以通过政策支持、税收优惠、支持技术研发等方式,以管理带动建筑垃圾资源化利用事业的发展。