Coloured Plastic Bags for Kerbside Collection of Waste from Households—To Improve Waste Recycling

Abstract

Today, considerable amounts of resources are landfilled or incinerated, and recyclable materials such as metal, glass, plastic, and paper are disposed of as residual waste instead of being sorted into recyclable fractions. Recycling is one way of transitioning towards a circular economy and a more resource-efficient society. However, in many older cities there is insufficient space for waste bins, which makes waste sorting difficult. The aim of the study was to test how the introduction of a new kerbside collection system, using different-coloured plastic bags, would influence the amounts of residual waste and separately collected food waste. Coloured plastic bags were introduced in an old city centre in Kalmar, in the southeast of Sweden. This type of kerbside collection was applied to 38 apartments with a total of 87 residents for four weeks. Results show that residual waste decreased directly by 15 percent and the collected amount of food waste increased directly by 35 percent. The residents perceived that the sorting system facilitated sorting and that the sorting of recyclable materials increased. Kerbside collection, close to properties, seemed to be an important factor in reducing the amount of residual waste, leading to increased sorting, and hence improved recycling.

3D Printing PLA Waste to Produce Ceramic Based Particulate Reinforced Composite Using Abundant Silica-Sand: Mechanical Properties Characterization

“…However, 3D printing can incorporate raw materials effectively in a way that can reduce waste and conserve energy. Additionally, since household waste accounts for at least 31% of the residual waste, 3D printing can include recycling systems at a household-scale level which can be considered as a good alternative to centralize the recycling [1,38].…”

Analysis of waste management system reform in Russia

“…An analysis of the morphology of solid waste in Sweden showed that about 31-36% is plastic packaging and paper that has not been sorted [9,10]. Thus, there is great potential for reducing tailings and sorting packaging and food waste.…”

Comprehensive Characterization of Polymeric Composites Reinforced with Silica Microparticles Using Leftover Materials of Fused Filament Fabrication 3D Printing

“…Once the Tc, Tg, and Tm values are determined, the range of processing temperatures can be identified, providing a reasonable estimation of the suitability of the materials for industrial applications. The most common industrial processing temperature is ±40 °C [46,49]. In addition, when the Tc and Tm values of the materials are known, the enthalpies of the materials can be estimated, providing an understanding regarding how much energy and heat would be required in the manufacturing process for such composite materials, which is an important consideration from the industrial manufacturing per- The obtained DSC data were used to characterize the intrinsic thermal properties of the materials.…”

“…Fortunately, 3D printing can also be performed using waste raw materials, effectively conserving energy. A more centralized recycling approach could benefit from the usage of 3D printing technology because household waste constitutes approximately 31% of the residual waste [ 1 , 46 ]. Moreover, the waste of 3D printed composite material can also be easily recycled, making this method an eco-friendly disposal method as well for a wide range of composites [ 37 ].…”