The environmental impact of people-oriented MSW management
by Manfred Fehr
International Journal of Environment and Waste Management (IJEWM), Vol. 1, No. 4, 2007

Abstract: The author's research and practical experience with municipal solid waste management have shown the urgent need for new thinking models. Present paradigms are stalemate. They do not allow for flexible approaches to solving an extremely dynamic problem. This paper discusses the basic flaws in present thinking models of residents, municipal administrators and even scholars. Fundamental arguments presented on municipal solid waste relate to nomenclature, destinations, definitions, logistics, social dynamics, social assistance programs, education and employment philosophies. In each case, the consequences of the stalemate are explained in terms of the unsustainable situation of constantly growing landfills. In sequence, proactive thinking models are presented and explained that lead to drastic reduction of landfill size. Several of these models have been tested successfully in small communities and are now available for scale-up. Although of necessity the arguments and models apply directly to Brazil, the basic ideas behind the reasoning may be extrapolated.

Online publication date: Wed, 07-Nov-2007

The full text of this article is only available to individual subscribers or to users at subscribing institutions.

 
Existing subscribers:
Go to Inderscience Online Journals to access the Full Text of this article.

Pay per view:
If you are not a subscriber and you just want to read the full contents of this article, buy online access here.

Complimentary Subscribers, Editors or Members of the Editorial Board of the International Journal of Environment and Waste Management (IJEWM):
Login with your Inderscience username and password:

Username:        Password:          Forgotten your password?

Want to subscribe?
A subscription gives you complete access to all articles in the current issue, as well as to all articles in the previous three years (where applicable). See our Orders page to subscribe.

If you still need assistance, please email subs@inderscience.com