Cleaner Waste Systems最新文献

{"title":"Legal analysis of the EU regulatory framework on circular economy and sustainability principles in plastic food packaging","authors":"Barbara Bokor","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100412","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100412","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The pervasive use of plastic food packaging (PFP) generates significant environmental, social, and economic challenges, including pollution, resource depletion, and health risks. Despite efforts by the European Union (EU) to address these challenges through regulatory instruments grounded in circular economy (CE) principles, persistent gaps remain in effectively mitigating the negative externalities associated specifically with PFP. This article undertakes a comprehensive legal analysis of EU regulatory frameworks, focusing on their ability to internalize negative externalities across the lifecycle of PFP and align with CE and sustainability principles. The analysis reveals that current regulations, while ambitious in addressing waste management and promoting recycling, emphasize downstream solutions rather than holistic upstream interventions, such as reducing plastic production, promoting safer alternatives, and addressing complex multilayer composites. These limitations highlight a disconnect between the EU’s CE aspirations and the realities of persistent environmental and social harms caused by PFP. The study's novelty lies in its integration of sustainable circular economy (SCE) principles as an evaluative framework. These principles, encompassing environmental, social, and economic dimensions, serve to assess the coherence and effectiveness of EU policies and provide actionable recommendations for legal reform. By critically examining regulatory gaps, misalignments, and trade-offs, the article contributes to the ongoing discourse on advancing a genuinely sustainable CE for PFP in the EU.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100412"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-13","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094734","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Carbonation for enhancement of fine recycled aggregate applied to mortar","authors":"Henrique Comba Gomes ,&nbsp;Augusto Cesar da Silva Bezerra ,&nbsp;Conrado de Souza Rodrigues ,&nbsp;Flavia Spitale Jacques Poggiali ,&nbsp;Boksun Kim","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100413","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100413","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Some of the challenges faced by the construction industry related to sustainability are the generation of construction and demolition waste (CDW), environmental impacts caused by the demand for natural aggregates, and associated carbon (CO₂) emissions. One potential solution is recycling CDW as recycled aggregates (RA). Though, RA generally performs poorly compared to natural aggregates (NA) in concretes. Researchers suggest that CO₂ curing via accelerated carbonation may improve the properties of RA. However, further investigation is needed to understand the impact of CO₂ curing on mortar made with fine recycled aggregates (FRA). This study explores the effects of CO₂ curing on FRA under three different moisture content conditions (0 %, 30 %, and 50 %) in combination with accelerated carbonation. The CO₂ curing was then tested in five mortar mixes: 0 % RA, 50 % FRA, 100 %FRA, 50 % CO₂-cured FRA, and 100 % CO₂-cured FRA. The aggregate physical properties were analysed while CO₂ curing was assessed through mass gain, differential thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy. The mortar mix performance was evaluated through physical, mechanical and durability properties. The results revealed the 30 % moisture condition produced the highest carbonation results, leading to a reduction in FRA porosity. Also, mortars with CO₂-cured FRA demonstrated better overall performance compared to non-carbonated RA, and in some cases even outperformed mortars made with NA. These findings suggest that CO₂ curing could be an effective strategy to enhance the properties of FRA, expanding their potential applications in the construction industry.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100413"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-12","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Performance evaluation of bamboo reinforced concrete slab: A comparative study between fibre reinforced mix and shape optimised composite","authors":"Balamurali Kanagaraj ,&nbsp;Arkishembha Sohliya ,&nbsp;G. Jayakumar ,&nbsp;N. Anand ,&nbsp;Eva Lubloy","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100409","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100409","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The demand for sustainable alternatives to conventional steel reinforcement in concrete remains a major challenge, particularly due to steel’s high cost, energy-intensive production, and susceptibility to corrosion in aggressive environments. While bamboo has been explored as a renewable reinforcement, its performance within advanced geopolymer matrices and optimised slab configurations remains underexplored. This study addresses this gap by experimentally evaluating the structural behaviour of four types of bamboo reinforced slabs: cement concrete (BCC), geopolymer concrete (BGC), fibre-reinforced geopolymer concrete (BFRGC), and topology-optimised geopolymer concrete (TBGC). The slabs were tested under uniformly distributed loading, and their compressive strength, bond performance, stiffness, ductility, deformability factor, and energy absorption capacity were assessed. Results revealed that BFRGC exhibited superior performance, achieving 13.6 % higher compressive strength, 32 % greater ductility, and 33.7 % higher energy absorption capacity compared to BGC, while BCC demonstrated the most brittle response. TBGC, although material-efficient, showed reduced stiffness (7.9 % lower than BGC) and energy absorption (24.6 % lower). These findings highlight the potential of hybrid fibre-reinforced geopolymer concrete with bamboo strips to enhance load-carrying capacity and post-cracking behaviour, thereby advancing the use of natural, sustainable reinforcement in structural applications.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100409"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-11","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094735","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Towards greener mortars: Blended cementitious systems using waste eggshell powder","authors":"K. Nandhini ,&nbsp;M.S. Shyam Sundar","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100408","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100408","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The use of ordinary Portland cement in the construction industry greatly adds to environmental problems, such as excessive energy use and CO₂ emissions. This study explores the viability of using waste eggshell powder (EP) as an additional cementitious ingredient in cement mortar in order to allay these worries. Packed with calcium carbonate, EP is tested as a partial cement substitute in weight percentages ranging from 5 % to 20 %. Traditional supplemental cementitious materials (SCMs), including fly ash (FA), ground granulated blast furnace slag (GS), and silica fume (SF), are also added at the same replacement amounts for comparison. Using each material, mortar specimens are prepared, and their compressive strength, workability, and durability qualities are thoroughly evaluated. It is anticipated that the findings will encourage more environmentally friendly and resource-efficient building techniques by offering comparative insights into the effectiveness, benefits, and drawbacks of EP use in conjunction with well-established SCMs.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100408"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-09","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145094733","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring waste sorting behavior and its antecedents among university students in the UAE using an extended theory of planned behavior","authors":"Marie-France Waxin ,&nbsp;Hasnan Baber ,&nbsp;Aaron Bartholomew ,&nbsp;Aaliya Ahammed","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100402","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100402","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>This study quantitatively examines waste sorting behavior (WSB) and its antecedents among university students in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), a Middle Eastern Gulf country. Using an extended version of the Theory of Planned Behavior, this research investigates the impacts of attitudes, subjective norms and perceived behavioral control on waste sorting intention (WSI), and the impacts of WSI, personal norms, perceived knowledge, trust in the waste management process and convenient infrastructure on WSB. We collected data using a self-administered research questionnaire on a sample of 353 students and used partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) to analyse the data.</div><div>The results revealed that attitudes (β = 0.433, p &lt; 0.001), subjective norms (β = 0.163, p = 0.002) and perceived behavioral control (β = 0.137, p = 0.017) significantly positively impacted students’ WSI. Moreover, WSI (β = 0.444, p &lt; 0.001), perceived behavioral control (β = 0.153, p = 0.001), perceived knowledge (β = 0.144, p = 0.003) and personal norms (β = 0.182, p &lt; 0.001) significantly positively impacted students’ WSB. However, trust in the local waste management system and convenient infrastructure were not significant variables for predicting students’ WSB. The R-squared values for WSI and WSB are 0.376 and 0.527, respectively. Practical implications of this study include actionable recommendations for policymakers and educational institutions aimed at enhancing sustainable waste sorting practices.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100402"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048812","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Determinants of improper versus proper waste disposal practices by households: Evidence from greater Cairo’s urban slums","authors":"Michael Ibrahim Fheili ,&nbsp;Walid Marrouch","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100410","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100410","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>With ambitious plans to enhance municipal solid waste management as part of Egypt’s Vision 2030 plan, it becomes increasingly important for policymakers to consider all relevant stakeholders. No study to date evaluates the determinants of waste disposal practices across Egyptian households, let alone those in urban slums. Accordingly, this study investigates the determinants of household solid waste disposal practices in the urban slums of Greater Cairo using data from the Survey of Young People in Informal Urban Areas of Greater Cairo (SYPE-IGC) in 2016. We use a multinomial logistic regression to determine the probability of a household adopting various disposal practices over strictly improper ones, given certain demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The main results indicate that household wealth, the educational attainment of its head, and the availability of waste services are positively associated with proper household disposal practices. The results from the subsamples reiterate the uneven distribution of waste services.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100410"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-08","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048815","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Enhancing the performance of pervious geopolymer concrete incorporated coated biomass aggregate: A mathematical modeling approach","authors":"Salaheddin A. Arafa ,&nbsp;Abdalrhman Milad ,&nbsp;Mohamed.M. Mustafa ,&nbsp;Ahmed A. Elgadi ,&nbsp;Tan Huy Tran","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100406","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100406","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Researchers have investigated diverse approaches to developing sustainable construction materials, with particular attention to enhancing the mechanical performance and water permeability of pervious geopolymer concrete (PGC). PGC has been introduced as an alternative to conventional Portland cement (OPC) and natural aggregates (NA), offering both structural improvements and environmental benefits. In this study, biomass aggregate (BA) was produced from incinerated palm oil biomass, while coated biomass aggregate (CBA) was synthesized by combining BA with alkaline liquid (AL) and fly ash (FA), followed by curing at 80 °C for 24 h. Experimental results demonstrated that PGC incorporating CBA achieved a maximum compressive strength of 13.7 MPa, representing a 121 % increase compared with the OPC–NA reference mix (6.2 MPa) and a 65 % improvement over PGC containing BA (8.3 MPa). Importantly, this strength enhancement was obtained without reducing permeability. The CBA–PGC mixtures exhibited permeability values up to 2.1 cm/s, closely comparable to OPC–NA (2.15 cm/s) and higher than the 1.81–1.98 cm/s range recorded for BA–PGC. The optimum mixture was achieved with a FA:CBA ratio of 1:7, NaOH concentration of 10 M, an AL/FA ratio of 0.5, and curing at 80 °C for 24 h. These findings indicate that incorporating CBA into PGC significantly improves compressive strength while maintaining adequate water permeability, thereby highlighting its potential as a sustainable aggregate alternative. Furthermore, multiple linear regression models were developed to predict compressive strength (fc’) and permeability (k) across different pervious concrete mixes. The models achieved R²values above 0.9, confirming their predictive accuracy and reliability. Overall, this study demonstrates the viability of utilizing industrial by-products such as BA and CBA to produce high-performance, eco-efficient PGC, contributing to the advancement of sustainable construction materials.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100406"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-06","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145018741","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assessment of cement paste properties using seawater: Early-age behavior, mechanical and microstructural analysis","authors":"Shekhar Saxena,&nbsp;Mohammad H. Baghban","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100407","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100407","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Freshwater scarcity is an increasing challenge for the construction industry, which uses large volumes of potable water for concrete production. This study evaluates seawater as a sustainable alternative to tap water in cement paste, focusing on fresh properties, mechanical performance, and microstructural characteristics. Results showed that seawater accelerated hydration, with the peak heat flow reaching 3.42 mW/g at 9 h compared to 2.45 mW/g at 11 h for tap water, and reduced initial setting time by ∼60 min. Early-age strengths improved substantially, with compressive and flexural strengths increasing by 49.6 % and 46.4 % at 1 day, respectively, although 28-day strengths declined (-2.3 % compressive, −22.4 % flexural). XRD confirmed Friedel’s salt formation in seawater specimens, while SEM-EDS revealed higher chloride-bound phase and a greater presence of micropores in seawater paste. CT scanning quantified a higher void volume fraction in seawater paste (1.16 %) than in tap water paste (0.67 %). The integration of quantitative setting time and heat of hydration data with strength measurements, and their linkage to porosity characteristics derived from SEM–EDS and the relatively less explored CT analysis in this context, establishes a coherent microstructure-to-property framework. This combined approach paves the way for sustainable and time-efficient construction, with challenges in workability and durability mitigated by careful scheduling and admixture use.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100407"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048813","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Exploring different Pseudomonads strains with efficient cellulolytic, pectinolytic, proteolytic, and lipolytic activity in consortia for bioaugmentation of sustainable urban organic waste composting","authors":"Sayak Dolai ,&nbsp;SK Rejaul ,&nbsp;Mahadev Bera ,&nbsp;Debojyoti Moulick ,&nbsp;Gautam Chatterjee ,&nbsp;Shilajit Barua ,&nbsp;Sudipta Tripathi","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100405","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100405","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>The rapid urbanization of megacities has increased the challenge of managing household and municipal waste. Composting is a sustainable alternative to conventional organic waste management, but its efficiency is often limited by the slow decomposition of complex organic materials. This laboratory-based study investigates physiological variants of Pseudomonads exhibiting cellulolytic, pectinolytic, proteolytic, and lipolytic activities, aiming to formulate and assess consortia for bioaugmentation. The objective is to enhance composting efficiency, promote sustainable organic waste management, and improve plant growth-promoting traits in mature compost through the synergistic activity of these microbial communities. Pseudomonas strains were selectively isolated from immature vermicompost and screened for different enzymatic activities. The most efficient strains were combined into a bacterial consortium, which demonstrated enhanced biodegradation potential. Quantitative assays revealed that the mixed consortia released considerably higher reducing sugars from cellulose (0.944 mg/ml) and pectin (0.314 mg/ml) than individual isolates. Proteolytic and lipolytic activities were also enhanced, with increased tyrosine release and free fatty acid production, indicating efficient protein and lipid degradation. Phylogenetic analysis identified the isolates as different strains of <em>Pseudomonas aeruginosa</em>. The consortium exhibited optimal growth at pH 7 and temperatures up to 44°C, suggesting its potential for mesophilic to thermophilic composting. Additionally, the consortium displayed plant growth-promoting properties, including increased indole-3-acetic acid (IAA) production (6.23 µg/ml) and enhanced phosphate solubilizating (2.72 mg/l) activities, further enhancing compost quality. These findings highlight the potential of Pseudomonas-based bioaugmentation for accelerated composting and improved waste management.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100405"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145018847","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Reverse vending machines in the circular economy: A bibliometric analysis of an underexplored enabler (2003–2023)","authors":"Maria Eduarda Fernandes,&nbsp;João Maurício C.","doi":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100404","DOIUrl":"10.1016/j.clwas.2025.100404","url":null,"abstract":"<div><div>Deposit Refund Systems (DRS), particularly Reverse Vending Machines (RVM), have emerged as promising tools to foster recycling and close material loops, thus advancing the principles of the circular economy. Yet, the evolution of academic discourse concerning such incentives within the framework of circular economy practices remains an underexplored gap, which justifies a comprehensive analysis such as the one conducted in this study. Through a bibliometric approach, this research explores the evolution of the theme over time (from 2003 to 2023). Drawing on a sample of 755 articles, the results indicate a growing academic interest in the subject, particularly after 2017, driven by global policy shifts and the increasing relevance of circular economy principles. Results also underscore the interdisciplinary nature of sustainable waste management, advocating for the integration of policy frameworks, technological innovations, and financial incentives to achieve long-term sustainability goals. However, the potential of RVM as key enablers in closing material loops, due to their role in material recovery and sustainable waste management, is not sufficiently treated. This highlights not only a gap in the existing literature, but also a missed opportunity to fully explore the transformative potential of RVMs in advancing circular economy goals.</div></div>","PeriodicalId":100256,"journal":{"name":"Cleaner Waste Systems","volume":"12 ","pages":"Article 100404"},"PeriodicalIF":3.9,"publicationDate":"2025-09-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"145048814","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}