Fate and Transport of Coronavirus Surrogate through Compacted Clays for Pathogenic Waste Disposal.

An increased pathogenic waste post-COVID-19 pandemic forced policymakers to treat biomedical waste (BMW) similar to municipal solid waste (MSW) to dispose into dumpsites and MSW landfills across the globe. The granular bentonite of geosynthetic clay liners (GCLs) does not completely seal the macro-voids upon saturation due to the loss of osmotic potential in the salt environment from the leachate. Such behavior of GCLs can lead to advection-dominant virus migration through the liner system. A knowledge of the fate and transport of coronavirus and other viral pathogens in compacted clays is essential for safe disposal of the viral pathogens in MSW landfills. Although the attenuation and transport parameters for coronavirus have been recently evaluated theoretically, experimental backup is currently lacking. The present work uses Newcastle disease virus (NDV) as a surrogate to coronavirus due to structural similarities for studying the fate and transport in the compacted natural clays. This study also implicitly addresses the waste management facilities for waste generated from NDV outbreaks through poultry litter and carcasses. The interaction of bentonite and kaolin clays with the NDV was studied by varying the virus concentration, interaction time, and clay dose using batch sorption tests. The studied clays showed excellent attenuation efficiency for the NDV. Design parameters, viz., the diffusion coefficient and retardation factor, were evaluated, affirming the suitability of these clays for exclusive pathogenic waste disposal protocols that are discussed in this article.

A review of the applicability of Environmental Management Systems in waste management in the medical sector of Zimbabwe.

Environmental Management Systems (EMS) are currently the cornerstone of achieving sustainability globally. Nevertheless, the question is applicability of EMS in the medical sector. Hence, the review focused on applicability of EMS in medical waste management Zimbabwe. EMS involves overall processes that facilitate reduction of dire impacts of company's activities while increasing performance. EMS framework consists of environmental policy, planning, implementation, checking, review and improvement stages. To examine applicability of EMS in management of medical sector waste, published secondary sources with information related to the topic were utilised. Analysis of strengths and opportunities of EMS was used as a base to examine its applicability in medical waste management. Zimbabwean medical sector consist of hospitals and primary healthcare facilities. Medical waste includes pathological, pharmaceutical, cytotoxic, radioactive, chemical, sharp, infectious and general waste. However, twenty-first century witnessed expansion of medical institutions to accommodate COVID-19 patients, resulting in generation of construction and demotion waste. Medical institutions in Zimbabwe are accountable for solid waste management at generation source although municipalities are responsible for conveying solid waste to landfills. Solid waste from medical sector is disposed through traditional strategies namely landfilling, incineration, open pits and open burning, resulting in water, air, and soil contamination. However, EMS can reduce quantity of solid waste disposed through waste reuse, recycle and recovery. Moreover, achievement of integrated approach, effective legislation, policies and inclusive participation in medical waste management is adopted through use of EMS. Therefore, EMS were utilised to develop an integrated sustainable medical waste management model to achieve sustainability.

Perspective: Multiomics and Machine Learning Help Unleash the Alternative Food Potential of Microalgae.

Food security has become a pressing issue in the modern world. The ever-increasing world population, ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, and political conflicts together with climate change issues make the problem very challenging. Therefore, fundamental changes to the current food system and new sources of alternative food are required. Recently, the exploration of alternative food sources has been supported by numerous governmental and research organizations, as well as by small and large commercial ventures. Microalgae are gaining momentum as an effective source of alternative laboratory-based nutritional proteins as they are easy to grow under variable environmental conditions, with the added advantage of absorbing carbon dioxide. Despite their attractiveness, the utilization of microalgae faces several practical limitations. Here, we discuss both the potential and challenges of microalgae in food sustainability and their possible long-term contribution to the circular economy of converting food waste into feed via modern methods. We also argue that systems biology and artificial intelligence can play a role in overcoming some of the challenges and limitations; through data-guided metabolic flux optimization, and by systematically increasing the growth of the microalgae strains without negative outcomes, such as toxicity. This requires microalgae databases rich in omics data and further developments on its mining and analytics methods.

Parent Perception of School Meals in the San Joaquin Valley during COVID-19: A Photovoice Project.

School-based nutrition programs are crucial to reducing food insecurity. The COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted students' school meal participation. This study seeks to understand parent views of school meals during COVID-19 to inform efforts to improve participation in school meal programs. Photovoice methodology was used to explore parental perception of school meals in San Joaquin Valley, California, a region of predominately Latino farmworker communities. Parents in seven school districts photographed school meals for a one-week period during the pandemic and then participated in focus group discussions and small group interviews. Focus group discussions and small group interviews were transcribed, and data were analyzed using a team-based, theme-analysis approach. Three primary domains emerged: benefits of school meal distribution, meal quality and appeal, and perceived healthfulness. Parents perceived school meals as beneficial to addressing food insecurity. However, they noted that meals were unappealing, high in added sugar, and unhealthy, which led to discarded meals and decreased participation in the school meal program. The transition to grab-and-go style meals was an effective strategy for providing food to families during pandemic school closures, and school meals remain an important resource for families experiencing food insecurity. However, negative parental perceptions of the appeal and nutritional content of school meals may have decreased school meal participation and increased food waste that could persist beyond the pandemic.

Rodent activity in municipal waste collection premises in Singapore: an analysis of risk factors using mixed-effects modelling.

Refuse storage and collection systems are potential sources of food and harbourage areas for rodents which transmit pathogens. We examined the factors associated with rodent activity in public housing municipal waste collection premises in a highly urbanized city-state. We analysed data from April 2019 to March 2020 in mixed-effects logistic regression models to examine the independent factors associated with rodent activity in central refuse chute rooms (CRCs), individual refuse chute (IRC) bin chambers and bin centres. We accounted for within-year patterns, repeated measures and nested effects. We observed a heterogeneous spatial distribution of rodent activity. Rodent droppings were strongly associated with rodent activity in CRCs (aOR: 6.20, 95% CI: 4.20-9.15), bin centres (aOR: 3.61, 95% CI: 1.70-7.64) and IRC bin chambers (aOR: 90.84, 95% CI: 70.13-117.67). Gnaw marks were positively associated with rodent activity in CRCs (aOR: 5.61, 95% CI: 3.55-8.97) and IRC bin chambers (aOR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.43-2.95), as were rub marks in CRCs (aOR: 5.04, 95% CI: 3.44-7.37) and IRC bin chambers (aOR: 3.07, 95% CI: 1.74-5.42). Each burrow increased the odds of rodent sightings in bin centres (aOR: 1.03, 95% CI: 1.00-1.06). The odds of rodent sightings in an IRC bin chamber increased with every additional bin chute chamber within the same block (aOR: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01-1.07). We identified several factors that well predicted rodent activity in waste collection premises. Municipal estate managers with limited resources can adopt a risk-based approach in tailoring the focus of their rodent control interventions.

Review on distribution, fate, and management of potentially toxic elements in incinerated medical wastes.

Medical wastes include all solid and liquid wastes that are produced during the treatment, diagnosis, and immunisation of animals and humans. A significant proportion of medical waste is infectious, hazardous, radioactive, and contains potentially toxic elements (PTEs) (i.e., heavy metal (loids)). PTEs, including arsenic (As), cadmium (Cd), lead (Pb) and mercury (Hg), are mostly present in plastic, syringes, rubber, adhesive plaster, battery wastes of medical facilities in elemental form, as well as oxides, chlorides, and sulfates. Incineration and sterilisation are the most common technologies adopted for the safe management and disposal of medical wastes, which are primarily aimed at eliminating deadly pathogens. The ash materials derived from the incineration of hazardous medical wastes are generally disposed of in landfills after the solidification/stabilisation (S/S) process. In contrast, the ash materials derived from nonhazardous wastes are applied to the soil as a source of nutrients and soil amendment. The release of PTEs from medical waste ash material from landfill sites and soil application can result in ecotoxicity. The present study is a review paper that aims to critically review the dynamisms of PTEs in various environmental media after medical waste disposal, the environmental and health implications of their poor management, and the common misconceptions regarding medical waste.

Determinants of Food Waste in Cluj-Napoca (Romania): A Community-Based System Dynamics Approach.

This study identifies the most relevant causes of food waste according to the perceptions of key stakeholders in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. Community-Based System Dynamics (CBSD), a qualitative approach, was used to reveal the determinants of food waste. CBSD was intended to encourage the system thinking of participants in the field of food waste. Consequently, CBSD helped us map and visualize the role of each identified cause in the system and the nature of their interactions. For the present study, four categories of stakeholders were involved: consumers, public administration, food waste business, and the NGO sector involved in food waste reduction. The result of each modeling session was a loop diagram of the main food waste determinants. A common perception reflected within each stakeholder group was that food waste could be minimized through upstream actions. The participants highlighted pro-environmental knowledge, awareness, and values as the prerequisites for fighting food waste. It was found that the lack of education and awareness of food waste directly impacted food waste generation. In addition, the role of education was underlined by participants as a contributor to changing individual and household practices, such as overbuying. The lack of connection between consumers and the food production process, coupled with consumerist practices and the rejection of 'ugly food', contributed to the decrease in the overall value people attributed to food. Governmental intervention, through legislation, was indicated by the CBSD participants as being key to increasing societal awareness and shaping the behavior of food chain actors. We concluded that food waste is a 'wicked problem' and the interlocking of the economic, social, political, and environmental spheres and the multitude of stakeholders' interests, values, and perceptions should be considered in designing sustainable solutions to combat food waste. Finally, this research testifies to the importance of engaging with diverse panels of stakeholders who, through the multitude of opinions and perspectives on the causes of food waste, can further create knowledge about the most appropriate ways to combat the food waste phenomenon.

Excessive Food Buying in Saudi Arabia Amid COVID-19: Examining the Effects of Perceived Severity, Religiosity, Consumption Culture and Attitude toward Behavior.

The current study builds on both the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and Protection Motivation Theory (PMT) to examine why consumers in Saudi Arabia engage in excessive food-buying behavior amid COVID-19. The study tests the direct impact of food consumption culture, perceived severity of COVID-19, and religiosity on excessive food-buying intentions and the indirect effect through attitudes toward excessive food buying. The results of the inner model using SmartPLS4 showed that the perceived severity of COVID-19 has a direct significant positive effect on attitudes toward excessive food buying and excessive food-buying intention. Despite food consumption culture being found to have no direct significant effect on excessive food-buying intention during the pandemic, it has a direct effect on attitudes toward excessive food buying. Surprisingly, religiosity was found to have a positive effect on consumers' attitudes and excessive food-buying intentions. The results confirm that consumers misunderstood Islamic religious principles regarding food consumption, which does not accept excessive buying or food waste. Attitudes toward excessive food buying were found to mediate the relationship between food consumption culture, perceived severity of COVID-19, religiosity, and excessive food-buying intention. The results of the study are discussed and implications are highlighted for academics and policymakers.

Environmental assessment of casual dining restaurants in urban and suburban areas of peninsular Malaysia during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Food waste has been considered a global problem due to its adverse impacts on food security, the environment, and the economy; hence needs urgent attention and action. Its generation is expected to increase as the world population grows rapidly, leading to more global waste. This study sought the impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the 1-week operation of selected casual dining restaurants in urban (Ampang, Kuala Lumpur) and suburban areas (Kota Bharu, Kelantan and Jasin, Melaka) of Peninsular Malaysia, as the local community adjusted to life with COVID-19. The food waste in this study was classified into three categories: preparation loss, serving loss, and customer's plate waste. Our material flow analysis revealed that the highest food loss at these locations came from preparation loss (51.37%), followed by serving loss (30.95%), and preparation loss (17.8%). Meanwhile, the total average electricity consumption and its carbon footprint for Ampang were 127 kWh and 13.87 kgCO2e, Kota Bharu 269.8 kWh and 29.47 kgCO2e, and Jasin 142.2 kWh and 15.54 kgCO2e, respectively. As for water, Ampang exhibited 22.93 m3 total average consumption and 7.91 kgCO2e greenhouse emissions from this source, Jasin consuming 17.11 m3 of water and releasing 5.88 kgCO2e of carbon footprint, while Kota Bharu emitted 20.21 kgCO2e of greenhouse gases from its 58.71 m3 water consumption. Our findings indicate a major 'food leak' at the preparation stage, from which the waste could be utilised as livestock feed, and that electricity consumption is a greater carbon emitter than water consumption, suggesting a need for improvement to the kitchen practices and equipment.

Drivers of Solid Waste Segregation and Recycling in Kampala Slums, Uganda: A Qualitative Exploration Using the Behavior Centered Design Model.

Solid-waste management is a challenge in many cities, especially in low-income countries, including Uganda. Simple and inexpensive strategies such as solid-waste segregation and recycling have the potential to reduce risks associated with indiscriminate waste management. Unfortunately, these strategies have not been studied and adopted in slums in low-income countries. This cross-sectional qualitative study, therefore, used the behavioral-centered design model to understand the drivers of recycling in Kampala slums. Data were coded using ATLAS ti version 7.0, and content analysis was used for interpreting the findings. Our findings revealed that the study practices were not yet habitual and were driven by the presence of physical space for segregation containers, and functional social networks in the communities. Additionally, financial rewards and awareness related to the recycling benefits, and available community support were found to be critical drivers. The availability of infrastructure and objects for segregation and recycling and the influence of politics and policies were identified. There is, therefore, need for both the public and private sector to engage in developing and implementing the relevant laws and policies on solid waste recycling, increase community awareness of the critical behavior, and create sustainable markets for waste segregated and recycled products.

Has the COVID-19 pandemic changed household food management and food waste behavior? A natural experiment using propensity score matching.

Household food management behavior changed considerably during the COVID-19 pandemic. A growing body of work has quantified the impact of lockdowns on household food waste. Yet, previous studies used a retrospective study design which undermines the accuracy of the causal effect on household food waste. This paper investigates the causal impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on household food management and food waste using a natural experiment approach. Using two large national-scale longitudinal data sets (n = 8157), this study quantifies the impact of COVID-19 on food waste and food behavior of Australian households. Propensity score matching (PSM) was carried out to address potential endogeneity issues and to select control and treatment groups for analysis. Findings reveal that Australian households reduced food waste by 9% on average in 2020 (during COVID-19) compared to the pre-pandemic (2019) level. The use of a grocery list, discount purchases, and 'just-in-case' purchases, and food refrigeration have recorded a marked increase during the pandemic compared to pre-pandemic times. The changes to food management and food discard behavior during the pandemic offer important insights for behavior change campaigns to reduce household food waste. Interventions to sustain good food planning and storage practices and involving food retailers are promising entry points in addressing household food waste. The study also highlights the considerable challenge in achieving SDG 12.3 target by 2030.

Does the creation of healthy cities promote municipal solid waste management? Empirical research in 284 cities in China.

In the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, the creation of healthy cities has become an important measure to deal with global public diseases and public health emergencies, and has had a profound impact on the management of municipal solid waste (MSW). This study exploits the Healthy Cities pilot (HCP) program established in 2016 as a natural experiment, and evaluates its impact on MSW management using the difference-in-difference (DID) method. The estimates show that the collection amount and harmless treatment capacity of MSW were increased by 15.66 and 10.75%, respectively, after the cities were established as pilot healthy cities. However, the harmless treatment rate was decreased by 3.544. This conclusion remains valid in a series of robustness tests, including parallel trend test, placebo test, propensity score matching (PSM)-DID, eliminating the interference of other policies, and eliminating the non-randomness of the policy. Mechanism analysis shows that the HCP program increased the collection amount and harmless treatment capacity of MSW by increasing the expenditure on MSW treatment. However, after a city was established as a pilot healthy city, the unsustainable high expenditure of local government on municipal sanitation led to the decrease in the harmless treatment rate of MSW. Moreover, heterogeneity analysis shows that the HCP program had a stronger impact on MSW management in cities with higher administrative levels, more obvious location advantages, and a larger size. Therefore, it is advisable to use the creation of healthy cities as an important tool to gradually improve MSW management, so as to realize the coordinated development of city construction and human health.

Systems Mapping of the New Zealand Free and Healthy School Lunch Programme: Perspectives from Lunch Providers.

As part of the COVID-19 economic recovery package, the Aotearoa New Zealand Government rolled out a universal free and healthy lunch programme to the 25% least advantaged schools nationwide. This study explored experiences of school lunch providers in the Hawke's Bay region. The aim was to create a systems map identifying points of intervention through which the lunch programme could be improved to meet the goal of reducing child food insecurity. Twelve lunch providers were interviewed to generate casual loop diagrams which were examined and integrated to form a single systems map. Seven themes arose during analysis: teacher support, principal support, nutrition guidelines and government support, supply chain, ingredient suppliers, student feedback and food waste. Teacher support was important for getting students to try new foods and eat the nutritious lunches. Principal support was a strong theme impacting opportunities for broader student engagement. This study employed systems science to highlight the importance of support from different stakeholders within the lunch programme to achieve the goal of reduced child food insecurity. Further work is needed to ensure the programme meets the wider goals of the government and community, and to determine the potential broader benefits of the programme.

Fermentative bioconversion of food waste into biopolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) using Cupriavidus necator.

Dependency on plastic commodities has led to a recurrent increase in their global production every year. Conventionally, plastic products are derived from fossil fuels, leading to severe environmental concerns. The recent coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has triggered an increase in medical waste. Conversely, it has disrupted the supply chain of personal protective equipment (PPE). Valorisation of food waste was performed to cultivate C. necator for fermentative production of biopolymer poly(3-hydroxybutyrate-co-3-hydroxyvalerate) (PHBV). The increase in biomass, PHBV yield and molar 3-hydroxy valerate (3HV) content was estimated after feeding volatile fatty acids. The fed-batch fermentation strategy reported in this study produced 15.65 ± 0.14 g/L of biomass with 5.32 g/L of PHBV with 50% molar 3HV content. This is a crucial finding, as molar concentration of 3HV can be modulated to suit the specification of biopolymer (film or fabric). The strategy applied in this study addresses the issue of global food waste burden and subsequently generates biopolymer PHBV, turning waste to wealth.

Quantification of Spent Coffee Ground Extracts by Roast and Brew Method, and Their Utility in a Green Synthesis of Gold and Silver Nanoparticles.

Nanotechnology has become increasingly important in modern society, and nanoparticles are routinely used in many areas of technology, industry, and commercial products. Many species of nanoparticle (NP) are typically synthesized using toxic or hazardous chemicals, making these methods less environmentally friendly. Consequently, there has been growing interest in green synthesis methods, which avoid unnecessary exposure to toxic chemicals and reduce harmful waste. Synthesis methods which utilize food waste products are particularly attractive because they add value and a secondary use for material which would otherwise be disposed of. Here, we show that spent coffee grounds (SCGs) that have already been used once in coffee brewing can be easily used to synthesize gold and silver NPs. SCGs derived from medium and dark roasts of the same bean source were acquired after brewing coffee by hot brew, cold brew, and espresso techniques. The total antioxidant activity (TAC) and total caffeoylquinic acid (CQA) of the aqueous SCG extracts were investigated, showing that hot brew SCGs had the highest CQA and TAC levels, while espresso SCGs had the lowest. SCG extract proved effective as a reducing agent in synthesizing gold and silver NPs regardless of roast or initial brew method.

Production efficiency of animal feed obtained from food waste in Japan.

Converting food waste into animal feed is highly useful for tackling the problem of food waste, which is particularly severe in developed countries. This study quantified the inefficiencies in converting food waste into animal feed and identified the sources of inefficiencies through a data envelopment analysis (DEA) of the monthly input-output data of two food waste-based animal feed producers in Japan. Our empirical analysis revealed that the producers of animal feed obtained from food waste (especially those treating food waste from retail and service industries) demonstrated inefficiencies in production technology and scale; moreover, expanding the production scale and improving the quality of food waste could enhance production efficiency. Based on the empirical results, specific policy implications were provided for the widespread use of animal feed obtained from food waste in Japan and elsewhere, globally. Furthermore, it was suggested that the COVID-19 pandemic contributed to a severe reduction in the production efficiency of animal feed producers treating food waste obtained from retail and service industries.

Chromatographic-Based Platforms as New Avenues for Scientific Progress and Sustainability.

Chromatography was born approximately one century ago and has undergone outstanding technological improvements in innovation, research, and development since then that has made it fundamental to advances in knowledge at different levels, with a relevant impact on the well-being and health of individuals. Chromatography boosted a comprehensive and deeper understanding of the complexity and diversity of human-environment interactions and systems, how these interactions affect our life, and the several societal challenges we are currently facing, namely those related to the sustainability of our planet and the future generations. From the life sciences, which allowed us to identify endogenous metabolites relevant to disease mechanisms, to the OMICS field, nanotechnology, clinical and forensic analysis, drug discovery, environment, and "foodprint", among others, the wide range of applications of today's chromatographic techniques is impressive. This is fueled by a great variability of powerful chromatographic instruments currently available, with very high sensitivity, resolution, and identification capacity, that provide a strong basis for an analytical platform able to support the challenging demands of the postgenomic and post COVID-19 eras. Within this context, this review aims to address the great utility of chromatography in helping to cope with several societal-based challenges, such as the characterization of disease and/or physiological status, and the response to current agri-food industry challenges of food safety and sustainability, or the monitoring of environmental contamination. These are increasingly important challenges considering the climate changes, the tons of food waste produced every day, and the exponential growth of the human population. In this context, the principles governing the separation mechanisms in chromatography as well the different types and chromatographic techniques will be described. In addition, the major achievements and the most important technological advances will be also highlighted. Finally, a set of studies was selected in order to evince the importance of different chromatographic analyses to understand processes or create fundamental information in the response to current societal challenges.

Collection and transportation system construction of potentially viral municipal solid waste during the COVID-19 pandemic in China.

The transmission route of COVID-19 through municipal solid waste (MSW) has been confirmed and receives increasing attention. Potentially viral municipal solid waste (PVMSW) refers to the domestic waste generated by risky areas and epidemic-related populations under a major epidemic in their daily lives or in activities that provide services for their daily lives. For its potential infectivity, PVMSW should be properly collected and transported. This study aimed to standardize the collection and transportation of PVMSW and proposed specific construction schemes of PVMSW collection and transportation systems for three situations which were city-wide lockdown status, medium and high-risk area, and home quarantine separately. In the cases of city-wide lockdown status and home quarantine, PVMSW collection and transportation systems were constructed qualitatively with the examples of Wuhan and Shanghai respectively, and in the case of medium and high-risk area, the systems were constructed quantitatively through the development of a waste collection and transportation costs model. To reduce the risks of virus transmission during the collection and transportation process, the collection and transportation links should be minimized. For the disposal of PVMSW, medical waste treatment facilities and MSW incineration plants should be prioritized. Furthermore, the results showed that the total number of people and the transfer capacity of MSW transfer facility were the two main influencing factors for the selection of PVMSW collection and transportation systems in medium and high-risk area. This article could help manage MSW for preventing virus transmission during the COVID-19 pandemic or similar future epidemics.

Statistical Analysis of the Long-Term Influence of COVID-19 on Waste Generation-A Case Study of Castellón in Spain.

Existing research recognizes the COVID-19 impact on waste generation. However, the preliminary studies were made at an early pandemic stage, focused on the household waste fraction, and employed descriptive statistics that lacked statistical support. This study tries to fill this gap by providing a reliable statistical analysis setting inferential confidence in the waste generation differences found in Castellón. Repeated measures ANOVA were carried out for all the waste fractions collected and recorded in the city landfill database from 2017 to 2020. Additionally, Bonferroni's multiple comparison test (p < 0.05) was used to assure confidence level correction and identify which pairs of years' differences appeared. The longitudinal study identified trends for each waste fraction before the pandemic and showed how they changed with the advent of the crisis. Compared to 2019, waste collection in 2020 significantly grew for glass and packaging; remained unchanged for beaches, paper and cardboard, and dropped substantially for households, streets, markets, bulky waste, hospitals, and recycling centres. Total waste showed no differences between 2017 and 2019 but dropped significantly in 2020. These findings may help us better understand the long-term implications of COVID-19 and improve municipal solid waste management in a similar crisis.