Bio-degradable municipal waste management: source-separation awareness campaign, composition analysis, verification of d2w plastics' decomposability
Abstract
The article presents the results of research devoted to bio-degradable municipal waste (bio-waste) separation and its subsequent composting. The report also summarizes a decomposability test of ox-biodegradable d2w plastics made by Symphony Environmental Ltd during composting process as well.
The empirical part focused on research done in order to monitor and evaluate the impact of public awareness campaign re volume and quality of separately collected bio-waste. An analysis of bio-degradable and mixed municipal solid waste (MSW) composition was made - while selected waste parameters such as mass, volume, volume weight, specific weight (per inhabitant per week), and composition, were measured - in three different locales.
The d2w plastics were also evaluated in regard to changes of their mechanical properties exhibited over the time (tensile strength, elastic modulus, and relative elongation at breaking) both in and off compost environment, since their possible utilization in the source separation, collection, and management of bio-degradable municipal waste, had been considered. The MSW composition analysis confirmed that the mass portion of municipal bio-waste in mixed waste fluctuates between 30% and 50% wt.
Where public awareness campaign was carried out, the pro rata volume of separated bio-waste in kilograms per inhabitant per week reached twice the size of that in the reference locale where the campaign was omitted. In spite of this, the recovery of separately collected bio-waste was generally low.
The d2w plastics decomposability test also showed that due to their overly slow decay in the compost environment, the d2w plastics do not comply with some of the regulations as established by ČSN EN 13432.