ABSTRACT
According to EU regulations, member states shall take measures to encourage the recycling of biowaste in a way that fulfils a high level of environmental protection. In Spain, the separate collection of biowaste is only implemented in some regions. For this reason, a pilot scheme based on an information campaign and the location of a specific brown container for biowaste in specific zones of the city was carried out in Castelló de la Plana (Spain) over a period of six months. In this period, the collection and composition of the biowaste was monitored in depth with the goal of determining the evolution of the efficiency of the new collection system over time. In the zones, the quality rate in the biowaste container increased as the pilot study progressed, finally reaching 90%. The rate of biowaste separation also increased in the three zones over time, although in different ways, which means that there is greater collaboration on the part of citizens. On the other hand, an analysis of the rate of net biowaste daily collection from zones 2 and 3 has shown that their value increases as the rate of containerization of biowaste decreases. Therefore, to obtain better results it will be necessary to increase the containerization of biowaste, that is, to reduce the distance from the citizen to the container. It can thus be said that there is a positive evolution of the experience, which boosts confidence when it comes to implementing the system throughout the city.
ABSTRACT
The characteristics and properties of waste in a landfill, and its evolution over time, are difficult to estimate because of the heterogeneity of materials, biomass degradation, density, cover material, and infiltration of water. In this work, a lysimeter was used to simulate how refuse from mechanical-biological treatment (MBT) plants evolved in a landfill over a 45-day period. Water was added as a way to imitate the effects produced during rainy seasons. Field capacity and changes in the physical and chemical properties (volatile solids, biomass, and heating value) were analyzed. The results of this research show that the percentage of biomass lowers, and the heating value increases, after bringing about infiltration and percolation of water in the waste mass. Therefore in order to stabilize waste in a landfill, employing irrigation or leachate recirculation could be advisable. As the heating value increases after percolation, it could also be a good idea to recover the fuel material after stabilization.
Subject(s)
Refuse Disposal , Water Pollutants, Chemical/analysis , Water Purification/methods , Garbage , Rain , Refuse Disposal/methods , Seasons , Waste Disposal Facilities , Water , Water Pollutants, Chemical/chemistryABSTRACT
Waste from construction and demolition activities represents one of the highest volumes of waste in Europe. 500 million tonnes are produced throughout the whole EU every year. In some EU members like Spain, approximately 83 per cent of such waste is disposed in landfills. The remaining part is classified and processed in treatment facilities so that it can later be used as recycled aggregates in the construction sector (sand, gravel, aggregates, etc.) but without much commercial success. The aim of this study is to use recycled aggregates from inert wastes (IW) in the different phases of a landfill (construction, operation and closure) with the aid of a new computer tool called LABWASTE.14. This tool incorporates the mathematical relationship among the activities of the landfill and provides as a result the economic viability of using recycled aggregates compared to aggregates from quarries. Therefore, knowing the needs of aggregates in landfills (dams, drainage layers, covering layers, collection wells, etc.) may determine the amount of IW that could be recovered. These calculations can be obtained from some of the data that is introduced (population, land physiography, etc.). Furthermore, the use of LABWASTE.14 makes it possible to reduce the demand for aggregates from quarries.
