Suchergebnisse

In this paper we present the results of a project aiming to comparatively evaluate the perfor-mance of e-waste policies in four European countries (Belgium, Netherlands, France and Switzerland). Such a comparative analysis could help identify best policy practices used by governments when trying to solve the e-waste problem. The topic of e-waste is getting more and more attention from researchers and politicians given the range of problems at stake. However, it is an under-investigated field of research in social sciences, especially in public policy analysis. EU Member States offer interesting case studies because the Union is an early mover when it comes to addressing the e-waste problem, notably thanks to the Waste Electric-al and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) Directive. Since the e-waste problem is a transnational, partly global one, many other countries seek inspiration from European e-waste policies when trying to solve the e-waste problem. In order to understand how the policies of countries can be improved and the extent to which they can serve as an example for other countries, these policies need to be evaluated. Further-more, to understand which instruments work best in a given context, a comparative analysis needs to be carried out. To rate the performance of their e-waste policies and report the state of the e-waste problem to the European Commission, Member States have used a wide range of indicators. We introduce in this paper a methodology allowing us to construct the e-waste pro-file of a country capable of reporting all these indicators in a comparable way. We then com-ment the results and underline the limits of the approach. Finally, we suggest an alternative to the use of indicators to identify the factors conducive to best policy practices capable of solv-ing the e-waste problem.

Abstract The Solid Waste (SW) topic within the local sustainability assessment (LSA) system context remains little explored. This article is a literature review on this topic, with emphasis on the analysis of SW indicators and of systems they concern to. It assessed whether these indicators can represent SW complexity and sustainability aspects. Results in the present review have evidenced that 77.8% of system indicators use at most two SW indicators. Most of these indicators aim at indicating destination stages and the final SW management, environmental sustainability aspects and intermediate magnitude levels in SW management hierarchy. There was evidence of the positive impact of Public participation on the assessed matters. Final considerations present recommendations about SW indicators inclusion in LSA systems.

Waste information is necessary for proper management planning. However, data on waste generation and management are sometimes not reliable enough, do not exist or are not useful for the sector. This is due to the high number of waste types and flows, and actors (producers, managers and administrations),which make data collection and treatment difficult. Furthermore, data loss occurs because some waste flows have economic value and return to the second-hand markets without monitoring. The development of a waste information system for a region is more than just about establishing a routine data collection on waste. It is a way to support the challenges of decision-making on waste management. These challenges range from strategic issues of waste management in the national government to the basic challenges of running local governments. In the Cantabrian region, three indicator sets were defined to constitute the waste information system:(a) a Basic Indicator Set, which provides an overview of the status of the generation and management of the main waste streams, giving a national and international comparative analysis of the situation; (b) a Specific Indicator Set, which monitors the objectives of the different waste policies, and (c) a Transverse Indicator Set, which analyses the influence of different economic and social variables on the generation of specific waste streams. The Waste Information System of the Cantabrian Region has been created using a specific methodology for developing indicator sets with multiple objectives. This methodology consists of seven steps: (i) the synthesis, selection of the indicators sets; (ii) analysis of the system under study and data sources;(iii) evaluation of the indicators proposed; (iv) application and interpretation; (v) public review, dissemination and updating protocol; (vi) improvement of indicators sets using SWOT analysis; and (vii) aggregation of all indicators in an aggregated index. These indicator sets with a total of 27 indicators allow tracking the evolution of generation and management of waste streams and the achievement of the policy objectives, establishing a data record, evaluating the data and sources of data, monitoring proposed action and its effectiveness summarizing large amounts of data on waste in order to spread it to the public and finally, aggregate all information in a single index that allows the evaluation of the evolution of all waste sectors in time. ; This work has been supported by the Cantabrian Government R&D project entitled "Establishing the set of indicators for sustainable resource and waste flow in the region of Cantabria". Eva Cifrianwas funded by the University of Cantabria on a Ph.D. fellowship.

This paper proposes a performance assessment method (PAM) at urban scale, based on five specific waste indicators such as: population access to waste collection services (%), separate collection (%), reuse & recycle (%), landfilling (%) and amounts of waste uncollected (Qwu-%). Values of each indicator are correlated to an assessment table for three different years (2004, 2007, 2010) highlighting the disparities between urban localities from Neam County. The paper also examines the changes and dysfunctions of urban waste management systems between preaccession vs post-accession period. PAM should be a necessary tool for environmental authorities or decision-makers for monitoring process of municipal solid waste systems from various cities on regional scale particularly for new EU members.

The SDC's comments on sustainability indicators for waste, energy and travel for Scotland. ; Publisher PDF

In this paper the magnitude of waste production in the overdeveloped part of the world is discussed. The focus is on what is seen to be technically possible and not on the changes in affluent economies of the East and the West which may be seen to be politically realistic. As such, the paper may be seen to give one vision of a future Utopia, where no people are engaged in material production for non-essentials while others starve to death or go unclad. If limitations in resource use make it impossible for all to attain the material standard of the industrialized world and if we are aiming at a world community of approximate equality in coverage of material needs, there is no other solution for the affluent than to cut down or 'trim the fat', be it in terms of biology or economics. It is implicit in the paper that over consumption has something to do with underconsumption, that overdevelopment has come about as a consequence of exploitation and an unjust division of labor between people and countries, even by brute force. But overdevelopment may also be bad for the overdeveloped and not only for those deprived of the necessary minimum for survival. We have not, there fore, tried to separate one case from the other, but rather looked at the question of how much can be said to represent waste. Our first approach studies three less industrialized countries which today are considered to have solved the problem of covering basic material needs. We find that these countries' per capita energy use represents only 13 % of the energy used by an average citizen in 16 selected industrialized countries. Our second approach examines the possibilities of cutting down on energy use in industrialized countries without changing the level of material production. Altogether, we find that a 30-40 % reduction from the present level would be a realistic goal for many overdeveloped countries. In a third approach, by analysis of the different sectors of an overdeveloped economy, we conclude that the potential reduction in energy use would probably be closer to the 80-90 % estimated in the first example than the 30-40 % estimated in the latter. We then discuss how the work force could be reorganized, given that the industrialized countries want to reduce the use of energy and give up the production of luxuries or excesses. Of the alternatives presented, we favor increasing the intensity of labor, combining this with a less energy-intensive societal structure in general, i. e. to emphasize increased self-reliance. Finally, we relate the problem of overproduction/consumption to indicators, stressing that indicators should primarily be concerned with resources that 1) are in scarce supply, and 2) that have something to do with the coverage of basic material needs.