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Any comments are welcomed on the Discussion page (tab on top left corner) including additional resources/papers/links etc. Papers can be added to relevant sections if done in chronological order with all citation information and short synopsis or abstract. Thank You.
LITERATURE REVIEW[edit | edit source]
Innovative Use of Plastic for a Clean and Sustainable Environmental Management: Learning Cases from Ghana, Africa[edit | edit source]
Citation[edit | edit source]
Debrah, J. K., Vidal, D. G., & Dinis, M. A. P. (2021). Innovative Use of Plastic for a Clean and Sustainable Environmental Management: Learning Cases from Ghana, Africa. Urban Science, 5(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/urbansci5010012
Abstract[edit | edit source]
Addressing the plastic problem requires rigorous attention and practical education for sustainability. Due to the common effective waste management practices in some parts of the world, the plastics' menace is generally well recognized and controlled worldwide. However, some developing countries do not have acceptable waste management practices, resulting in significant environmental, social, and health cross-cutting issues. Plastic is a significant threat to the environment in Ghana, specifically the urban environment and oceans. The new paradigm shift of virtually using non-biodegradable plastics in all daily products sold increases plastic waste in the environment, which creates problems, such as choked drainage system and breeding places for insects. The scale of these issues requires innovative and practical ideas to help solve this problem. The paper shows how plastic waste is innovatively and creatively converted to artifacts and pavement blocks in Ghana. These innovative ideas have contributed to reduce the volume of plastic waste and enhance environmental sustainability in Africa. The community's benefits involving friendly environmental activities are identified and represent learning cases from Ghana to the world, particularly to Africa
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- Causes of plastic pollution in West Africa (especially Ghana)
- Environmental impact of plastic
- Case study of projects that reuse plastic (fashion + pavement)
- Economical and environmental benefit of repurposing plastic.
Estimation of packaged water consumption and associated plastic waste production from household budget surveys[edit | edit source]
Citation[edit | edit source]
Wardrop, N. A., Dzodzomenyo, M., Aryeetey, G., Hill, A. G., Bain, R. E. S., & Wright, J. (2017). Estimation of packaged water consumption and associated plastic waste production from household budget surveys. Environmental Research Letters, 12(7), 074029. https://doi.org/10.1088/1748-9326/aa751f
Abstract[edit | edit source]
Packaged water consumption is growing in low- and middle-income countries, but the magnitude of this phenomenon and its environmental consequences remain unclear. This study aims to quantify both the volumes of packaged water consumed relative to household water requirements and associated plastic waste generated for three West African case study countries. Data from household expenditure surveys for Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia were used to estimate the volumes of packaged water consumed and thereby quantify plastic waste generated in households with and without solid waste disposal facilities. In Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia respectively, 11.3 (95% confidence interval: 10.3–12.4), 10.1 (7.5–12.5), and 0.38 (0.31–0.45) Ml day−1 of sachet water were consumed. This generated over 28 000 tonnes yr−1 of plastic waste, of which 20%, 63% and 57% was among households lacking formal waste disposal facilities in Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia respectively. Reported packaged water consumption provided sufficient water to meet daily household drinking-water requirements for 8.4%, less than 1% and 1.6% of households in Ghana, Nigeria and Liberia respectively. These findings quantify packaged water's contribution to household water needs in our study countries, particularly Ghana, but indicate significant subsequent environmental repercussions.
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- Statistics on drinking water plastic sachets in African countries.
- Statistics of plastic sachets waste in African countriues
Theoretical Framework for Plastic Waste Management in Ghana through Extended Producer Responsibility: Case of Sachet Water Waste[edit | edit source]
Citation[edit | edit source]
Quartey, E. T., Tosefa, H., Danquah, K. A. B., & Obrsalova, I. (2015). Theoretical Framework for Plastic Waste Management in Ghana through Extended Producer Responsibility: Case of Sachet Water Waste. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 12(8), 9907–9919. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph120809907
Abstract[edit | edit source]
Currently, use and disposal of plastic by consumers through waste management activities in Ghana not only creates environmental problems, but also reinforces the notion of a wasteful society. The magnitude of this problem has led to increasing pressure from the public for efficient and practical measures to solve the waste problem. This paper analyses the impact of plastic use and disposal in Ghana. It emphasizes the need for commitment to proper management of the impacts of plastic waste and effective environmental management in the country. Sustainable Solid Waste Management (SSWM) is a critical problem for developing countries with regards to climate change and greenhouse gas emission, and also the general wellbeing of the populace. Key themes of this paper are producer responsibility and management of products at end of life. The paper proposes two theatrical recovery models that can be used to address the issue of sachet waste in Ghana.
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- Origin of plastics and plastic waste in Ghana
- Type of plastic commonly found in West Africa
- Different methods used for sachet waste transformation
- Expand on the role of the informal sector
- Proposed two scenarios for plastic waste stream management (could be used to reinforce discussion section)
- Cited sources for increase of plastic waste in Sub-Saharan Africa
Improved but unsustainable: accounting for sachet water in post-2015 goals for global safe water[edit | edit source]
Improved but unsustainable: accounting for sachet water in post-2015 goals for global safe water
Citation[edit | edit source]
Stoler, J. (2012). Improved but unsustainable: Accounting for sachet water in post-2015 goals for global safe water. Tropical Medicine & International Health, 17(12), 1506–1508. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-3156.2012.03099.x
Abstract[edit | edit source]
The advent and rapid spread of sachet drinking water in West Africa presents a new challenge for providing sustainable access to global safe water. Sachet water has expanded drinking water access and is often of sufficient quality to serve as an improved water source for Millennium Development Goals (MDG) monitoring purposes, yet sachets are an unsustainable water delivery vehicle due to their overwhelming plastic waste burden. Monitoring of primary drinking water sources in West Africa generally ignores sachet water, despite its growing ubiquity. Sub-Saharan Africa as a region is unlikely to meet the MDG Target for drinking water provision, and post-2015 monitoring activities may depend upon rapid adaptability to local drinking water trends.
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- Importance of plastic sachet water in attaining the MDG (known now as SDG)
- Statistics on water sachets in Ghana
- Consequences of water sachet waste on the environment (drainage system etc.) and human health
- Sachet water is unsustainable because of the nature and disposal of the waste (opportunity for discussion)
Classify plastic waste as hazardous[edit | edit source]
Classify plastic waste as hazardous
Citation[edit | edit source]
Rochman, C. M., Browne, M. A., Halpern, B. S., Hentschel, B. T., Hoh, E., Karapanagioti, H. K., Rios-Mendoza, L. M., Takada, H., Teh, S., & Thompson, R. C. (2013). Classify plastic waste as hazardous. Nature, 494(7436), 169–171. https://doi.org/10.1038/494169a
Abstract[edit | edit source]
Policies for managing plastic debris are outdated and threaten the health of people and wildlife, say Chelsea M. Rochman, Mark Anthony Browne and colleagues.
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- Consequences of plastic on environment, animals, and their habitat
Sachet drinking water in Ghana's Accra-Tema metropolitan area: past, present, and future[edit | edit source]
Sachet drinking water in Ghana's Accra-Tema metropolitan area: past, present, and future
Citation[edit | edit source]
Stoler, J., Weeks, J. R., & Fink, G. (2012). Sachet drinking water in Ghana's Accra-Tema metropolitan area: Past, present, and future. Journal of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene for Development, 2(4), 223–240. https://doi.org/10.2166/washdev.2012.104
Abstract[edit | edit source]
Population growth in West Africa has outpaced local efforts to expand potable water services, and private sector sale of packaged drinking water has filled an important gap in household water security. Consumption of drinking water packaged in plastic sachets has soared in West Africa over the last decade, but the long-term implications of these changing consumption patterns remain unclear and unstudied. This paper reviews recent shifts in drinking water, drawing upon data from the 2003 and 2008 Demographic and Health Surveys, and provides an overview of the history, economics, quality, and regulation of sachet water in Ghana's Accra-Tema Metropolitan Area. Given the pros and cons of sachet water, we suggest that a more holistic understanding of the drinking water landscape is necessary for municipal planning and sustainable drinking water provision.
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- History of the advent of sachet water in Ghana
- Description of the sachet industry (value chain)
- environmental impact of the sachet waste
Plastic wastes to pavement blocks: A significant alternative way to reducing plastic wastes generation and accumulation in Ghana[edit | edit source]
Citation[edit | edit source]
Tulashie, S. K., Boadu, E. K., Kotoka, F., & Mensah, D. (2020). Plastic wastes to pavement blocks: A significant alternative way to reducing plastic wastes generation and accumulation in Ghana. Construction and Building Materials, 241, 118044. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.conbuildmat.2020.118044
Abstract[edit | edit source]
This study explored the conversion of plastic wastes into pavement blocks in Ghana. The physical and chemical properties of the pit sand, sea sand, plastic wastes, and pavement block were determined. The FTIR identified Quartz and Kaoline minerals as the main components of the sand samples, whereas those of the plastic wastes were polyethylene and polypropylene. The SEM showed that the plastic-pit sand pavement block (PPPB) had fibrous surface with smaller pore volume and grain size than the plastic-sea sand pavement block (PSPB). At 20% plastic composition, the water absorptivity of PPPB and PSPB maximized at 3.98% and 4.60%, respectively. Larger quantity of plastic decreased the block water absorptivity but improved the compressive strength. The maximum compressive strengths of the PPPB and PSPB were 36.96 N/mm2 and 27.81 N/mm2, respectively. The maximum tensile strength of PPPB (8.2 N/mm2) exceeded the PSPB (6.1 N/mm2). Furthermore, increasing the plastic composition improved the average penetration resistance of both pavement blocks. The results suggest that converting plastic wastes into pavement blocks is feasible, and can help reduce the rapid accumulation of plastic wastes in Ghana.
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- Analyzed the use of plastic waste as pavement block in Ghana
- Used mix of plastic from the waste stream (no sorting) (use this as a difference point to our own study)
- Plastic was made of PE PUR
- Performed tensile strength, compression strength, water absorption, penetration tests on the samples
- Used industrial equipment for melting and extruding (which might be more expensive) (another point of difference with our study)
Reusing Plastic Waste in Paver Blocks[edit | edit source]
Reusing Plastic Waste in Paver Blocks
Citation[edit | edit source]
Kazi, B., Manihar, S., Shaikh, S., & Quadri, S. A. (2021). Reusing Plastic Waste in Paver Blocks. International Journal of Engineering Research & Technology, 9(4). https://www.ijert.org/research/reusing-plastic-waste-in-paver-blocks-IJERTCONV9IS04009.pdf, https://www.ijert.org/reusing-plastic-waste-in-paver-blocks
Abstract[edit | edit source]
Reusing Plastic Waste in Paver Blocks - written by Bushra Kazi, Sabrin Manihar, Shamsher Shaikh published on 2021/03/10 download full article with reference data and citations
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- Analyzed the use of LDPE plastic in paver blocks
- Plastics collected locally in India
- Compressive strength and density analysis
Reusing plastic waste in the production of bricks and paving blocks: a review[edit | edit source]
Reusing plastic waste in the production of bricks and paving blocks: a review
Citation[edit | edit source]
Uvarajan, T., Gani, P., Chuan, N. C., & Zulkernain, N. H. (2021). Reusing plastic waste in the production of bricks and paving blocks: A review. European Journal of Environmental and Civil Engineering, 0(0), 1–34. https://doi.org/10.1080/19648189.2021.1967201
Abstract[edit | edit source]
The environmental concern of plastic waste (PW) generation has escalated to an alarming level due to the versatility and high demand in various applications. In order to search for an effective way to utilise PW, reusing them for the production of construction material appears as an environmentally-friendly approach. This is also because conventional construction materials often consume high energy during production has caused many environmental impacts. This review paper summarises the previous studies on reusing various PW as raw material and aggregate for construction and its properties with special attention to bricks and paving blocks. This paper begins by illustrating on the properties of plastics and the impacts of PW to the environment. Followed by discussion on reusing PW and its impacts on the overall properties of construction material. This review found that limited studies had been conducted on the usage of PW in the production of the paving block. Besides, most of the studies focused predominantly on compressive strength and water absorption as the main parameters to evaluate the characteristics of bricks and paving blocks. It is concluded that the use of PW in construction material could possibly serve as a sustainable source for construction material in the future.
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- Reviewed previous studies on use of plastic as bricks and pavement block
- Most studies focused on water absorption and compressive strength
- Stated plastic features and challenges related to plastic recycling
- Negative effects of plastics on human, environment, and animals
Repurposing waste plastics into cleaner asphalt pavement materials: A critical literature review[edit | edit source]
Repurposing waste plastics into cleaner asphalt pavement materials: A critical literature review
Citation[edit | edit source]
Wu, S., & Montalvo, L. (2021). Repurposing waste plastics into cleaner asphalt pavement materials: A critical literature review. Journal of Cleaner Production, 280, 124355. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.124355
Abstract[edit | edit source]
Current practice of recycled waste plastics includes 7 major types: polyethylene terephthalate (PETE), high-density polyethylene (HDPE), polyvinyl chloride (PVC), low-density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP), polystyrene (PS), and others such as acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS), ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA), polycarbonate (PC), and polyurethane (PU). This paper provides a comprehensive and in-depth literature review on the feasibility and the state-of-art repurposing waste plastics into cleaner asphalt pavement materials. Optimum dosage of waste plastics should be identified based on appropriate engineering performance parameters such as viscosity of asphalt, and rutting, fatigue cracking, thermal cracking, and moisture resistance of asphalt mixtures. If the appropriate amount of plastic is not determined, adverse impacts on the performance of the pavement could occur. Plastic wastes are incorporated into asphalt mixes by the dry (aggregate substitute) or wet (binder modifier, extender, or substitute) methods. In general, the incorporation of plastic wastes into asphalt mixes showed improvements in performance parameters such as stiffness, and rutting and fatigue resistance. However, HDPE, PVC, LDPE, PP, and PS yielded conflicting performance measures. Overall, the capability of recycling waste plastics into asphalt mixes would minimize landfilling, reduce dependence on nonrenewable resources, and diversify asphalt pavement building options. Additional research is needed to fully understand the effects of various plastics on the performance of the pavement, and potential environmental and economic impacts this process could implicate. Another area where further study is needed are methods to improve the compatibilization between plastic and asphalt.
Key Takeaways[edit | edit source]
- Review of studies that analyzed the incorporation of different types of plastic into asphalt production
