Category Archives: Waste Management

Al-Ghabawi Landfill in Jordan: Progress and Challenges

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Every day, 4,000 tons of waste, mostly municipal solid waste (MSW), is transported to Jordan’s largest and most modern landfill, Al-Ghabawi. Situated in a semi-arid desert area 40 km from Amman, the site encompasses a 2000 km2 area of land unsuitable for cultivation  with the nearest residential area 7 km away. Most of the waste  originates from Amman, with smaller quantities coming from Russeifa and Zarqa, collectively accounting for 50% of the country’s total waste. Specialized steel-wheeled tractors drive over  the waste heaps, compacting the material and removing oxygen, which subsequently  facilitates anaerobic decomposition. Of the nine landfill’s cells, cells … Continue reading →

How to Convert Scrap Tires into Biofuel

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Waste disposal is a serious concern these days, especially with the increasing public awareness of the need to protect the environment. Solid wastes like old tires present complicated disposal problems. Large, hollow, durable, and non-biodegradable, old tires can take up substantial space in landfills. Leaving tires to nature can also be problematic as mosquitoes and other pests may thrive on them. In the United States, an estimated 300 million scrap tires are produced every year. Around the world, the number jumps to about 2 billion. Fortunately, there are several ways to recycle scrap tires including conversion into biofuels. What is … Continue reading →

Things to Know About Recycling of Fluorescent Light Bulbs

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All fluorescent light bulbs contain mercury. In fact, the standard fluorescent bulb has about 20 milligrams of mercury. It is clear that these lamps must be managed properly to protect human health and the environment. The risk of leaving mercury deposits in landfill is high; therefore, recycling seems the most conscientious and environmentally safe recourse. A comprehensive fluorescent light bulb recycling strategy will not only help in environment protection but can also promote new business growth and job opportunities. An analysis of the lighting industry shows a trend shifting from the usage of incandescent lights bulbs to fluorescent bulbs and … Continue reading →

The Use of Drilling Wastes in the Cement Industry

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During the exploration and production of oil, huge amounts of drilling wastes are produced in the form of mud and cuttings.  As per conservative estimates, around 0.37 kg of drilling wastes is generated for every barrel of oil produced. The American Petroleum Institute (API) has estimated that approximately 1.21 barrels of total drilling wastes are generated for every foot drilled. The Middle East oil and gas industry has made a lot of effort in order to reduce the environmental impact of their activities; modern drilling methods such as horizontal drilling, navigating the drill bits three dimensionally through the earth, contacting … Continue reading →

تحسين الوضع الاقتصادي للمجتمعات عن طريق تعزيز مشاريع إعادة التدوير

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   تعتبر البلديات و المجالس المحلية المسئول المباشر عن إدارة ملف النفايات الصلبة في المدن حول العالم للحفاظ على المدن نظيفة. ففي الوقت التي تحتل فيه التكنولوجيا المتوفرة (جمع النفايات، النقل، إعادة التدوير، التخزين، المعالجة)، تزداد النداءات الدولية لإعادة النظر إلى مجال إدارة النفايات الصلبة كأداة لحل العديد من المشاكل الاقتصادية، الإجتماعية، و البيئية. و من هذه الأصوات الرئيس الأمريكي السابق "بيل كلينتون" عندما صرح في المؤتمر السنوي لمبادرة كلينتون العالمية عام 2010 " إذا أردتم محاربة التغير المناخي، تحسين الصحة العامة، إيجاد فرص عمل للفقراء و خلق مناخ مناسب للروّاد، فإن أفضل الطرق للوصول لهذا الشيئ هو إغلاق مكبات النفايات" … Continue reading →

Working of a Modern Biogas Plant

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Biogas plants are decentralized energy system that can lead to self-sufficiency in heat and power requirements, and at the same time reduces environmental pollution. A biogas plant stabilizes organic waste through natural biological process in the absence of air and transforms waste into biogas and biofertilizer. Biogas facilities are well-suited to wet organic material and are commonly used for treating biodegradable waste materials such as waste paper, grass clippings, leftover food, sewage and animal waste. The components of a modern biogas plant includes manure collection, anaerobic digester, effluent treatment plant, gas storage, and CHP or electricity generating equipment. Working of … Continue reading →

Medical Wastes in GCC

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There has been a growing awareness of the need for safe management of medical waste all over the world. Medical Waste are generated by all health sectors including hospitals, laboratories, diagnostic and research centers, dental and medical clinics, blood banks, mortuaries and autopsy centres, veterinary hospitals, industrial laboratories etc. Medical wastes which pose the greatest risk to human health are infectious waste (or hazardous medical waste) which constitutes 15 – 25 percent of total healthcare waste. Infectious wastes may include all waste items that are contaminated with or suspected of being contaminated with body fluids such as blood and blood products, used catheters … Continue reading →

Thermal Technologies for MSW-to-Energy Conversion

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Thermal (or thermochemical) MSW-to-energy conversion systems consist of primary technologies which convert the municipal waste into heat or gaseous and liquid products, together with secondary conversion technologies which transform these products into more useful forms of energy, such as heat and electricity. A wide array of thermal waste-to-energy technologies are available to convert the energy stored in solid wastes into more useful forms of energy. These technologies can be classified according to the principal energy carrier produced in the conversion process. Energy carriers are in the form of heat, gas, liquid and/or solid products, depending on the extent to which … Continue reading →

The Concept of Generalised Extended Producer Responsibility

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The notion of Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) has been part of the waste policy for a long time, particularly within the OECD countries. According to the OECD, EPR “aims to make producers responsible for the environmental impacts of their products throughout the product chain, from design to the post-consumer phase” [1]. EPR alleviates the burden of Public Administrations for managing end-of-life products, while -if properly designed- incentivising waste prevention and recycling. Current Limitations of EPR After years of implementation it can be argued that Extended Producer Responsibility has not in fact been so extended. Several limitations are common: a) producer … Continue reading →

Tips to Make the Most of Your Scrap Metal Recycling Business

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Scrap metal is a valuable commodity in high demand by small and large corporations. This is why many people have become interested in recycling scrap metal. It can be good for the environment because when the metals are recycled, they’re less likely to end up in landfills, thereby reducing environmental pollution. Moreover, recycling scrap metal can help conserve energy used in manufacturing. Instead of making new metals from scratch, people and businesses can use recycled ones, reducing energy consumption and reliance on new resources. Yet aside from the ones mentioned, scrap metal collection can be a great way to earn … Continue reading →

التأثير البيئي لمعالجة مخلفات زيت الزيتون

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تعد زراعة الزيتون وإنتاج زيت الزيتون جزءاً من التراث المحلي والاقتصاد الريفي في كافة أنحاء منطقة الشرق الأوسط وشمال أفريقيا وأكثر ما يشتهر به هذا المحصول هو استخدامه في الطبخ وفي الاستعمالات الطبية. في عام 2012، قدر إنتاج العالم من زيت الزيتون بنحو 2903.676 طن، وتعد إسبانيا وإيطاليا واليونان من أكبر منتجي زيت الزيتون في العالم، تليها في الترتيب تركيا وتونس ثم البرتغال والمغرب والجزائر. في الاتحاد الأوروبي وحده يوجد حوالي 2.5 مليون منتِج في قطاع الزيتون، يشكلون مجتمعين حوالي ثلث مزارعي الاتحاد الأوروبي. توفر صناعة زيت الزيتون فرصًا قيمة للمزارعين من حيث التوظيف الموسمي بالإضافة إلى توفير فرص عمل مهمة خارج نطاق … Continue reading →

Medical Waste Management: An Infographic

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Healthcare sector in the Middle East is growing at a very rapid pace, which in turn has led to tremendous increase in the quantity of medical waste generation by hospitals, clinics and other healthcare establishments. The growing amount of medical waste in the Middle East is posing significant public health and environmental challenges across the region. The situation is worsened by improper disposal methods, insufficient physical resources, inefficient medical waste treatment technologies and lack of research on healthcare waste management. This infographic will provide more insights into medical waste management situation in the Middle East.