An Action Research Study for Elaborating and Implementing an Electronic Waste Collection Program in Brazil

A review of various strategies in e-waste management in line with circular economics

Waste management of electrical and electronic equipment has become a key challenge for electronics manufacturers due to globalization and the rapid expansion of information technology. As the volume of e-waste grows, legal departments lack the infrastructure, technology, and ability to collect and manage it environmentally soundly. Government laws, economic reasons, and social issues are important considerations in e-waste management. The circular economy concept is built on reusing and recycling goods and resources. A novel idea called the circular economy might prevent the negative consequences brought on by the exploitation and processing of natural resources while also having good effects such as lowering the demand for raw materials, cutting down on the use of fundamental resources, and creating jobs. To demonstrate the significance of policy implementation, the necessity for technology, and the need for societal awareness to build a sustainable and circular economy, the study intends to showcase international best practices in e-waste management. This study uses circular economy participatory implementation methods to provide a variety of possible approaches to assist decision-makers in e-waste management. The purpose of this article is to review the most accepted methods for e-waste management to emphasize the importance of implementing policies, technology requirements, and social awareness in creating a circular economy. To conclude, this paper highlights the necessity of a common legal framework, reform of the informal sector, the responsibility of different stakeholders, and entrepreneurial perspectives.

Transitioning towards a sustainable circular city: How to evaluate and improve urban solid waste management in Brazil

A circular city (CC) promotes circular economy (CE) principles. Efficient urban solid waste management (USWM) strategies are essential for promoting a CE at the municipal level. New tools are needed to evaluate waste management (WM) and increase the reuse and recycling of materials to accelerate the transition towards a CC. These tools could assist decision and policymakers in adopting, implementing, and monitoring circular practices. This study proposes creating an index (USWM-index) to evaluate WM in urban areas and discuss how it could be better managed in future sustainable circular cities in Brazil. The index allows city managers to integratively and sustainably assess their USWM. Decision-makers can also use the index to set goals and objectives for recycling and reusing generated waste in cities. The index comprises 19 indicators and 51 sub-indicators. These elements were divided into five groups: Operational, Environmental, Political-economic, Educational, and Social. Cities can assess their performance in each group by using the USWM-index. The index was applied to four Brazilian cities. All cities had their USWM classified as average, and they did not have initiatives to transition to sustainable circular cities regarding WM. This study presents guidelines for transitioning from a linear city to a sustainable circular city in terms of WM.

Closing the loop: Establishing reverse logistics for a circular economy, a systematic review

Reverse Logistics (RL) of end-of-use/end-of-life products has become a vital part of circular economy practices for manufacturers. However, significant quantities of resources are still landfilled instead of being recovered. With mounting pressure on businesses to address the sustainability crises (resources, climate change, waste, toxicity) on account of the take-make-dispose-based linear economy, companies today realise the importance of RL but face several barriers to implementing it, including a lack of knowledge. Although several studies have investigated different aspects of RL in various industries in different country settings, less attention has been devoted to developing a systematic and holistic approach for designing and implementing RL. To address these gaps, this paper reviews 116 scholarly articles published between 2011 and 2021 to identify attributes related to the design and implementation of RL systems. Based on a systematic literature review, a conceptual framework is presented covering the key activities, drivers and barriers, stakeholder engagement and performance management in RL. Such a framework can support companies evaluate different approaches and strategies, as well as the opportunities and challenges of designing and implementing RL and transitioning towards a Circular Economy.

Consumer perceptions and actions related to circular fashion items: Perspectives of young Brazilians on circular economy

The fashion industry is one of the most important industries for the world economy, but is also one of the most polluting. Some fashion companies have been adopting circular economy initiatives to combat this. Circular fashion (CF) results in cleaner production and reduces textile waste, but depends on consumer collaboration. Several studies analysing consumer CF issues worldwide have been recently published, but these studies are not common in emerging countries. This paper seeks to investigate the relationships between Brazilian consumers and CF. The methodology comprised a systematic literature review and survey. The main results show that, although young consumers are willing to change their clothing consumption habits and believe that fashion companies should be more sustainable, most of them never get involved in circular actions in the fashion chain. This paper seeks to fill a research gap on Brazilian CF, and contribute to both literature and the fashion industry in developing countries.

A Perspective of the COVID-19 Pandemic in the Plastic Waste Management and Cooperatives of Waste Pickers in Brazil

Brazil is the fourth largest producer of plastic waste in the world. Among all the challenges the country had faced in the development of public policies for the banning of single-use plastics, the new coronavirus pandemic scenario determined the suspension of these laws indefinitely. In 2020, Brazil became the global epicenter of COVID-19. This scenario changed the habit and behavior of Brazilian consumers, who increased the consumption of plastics due to their importance in applications as protective material. The country also has social problems related to waste management that depend mainly on waste pickers. These workers need social visibility and protection not only to face the current health crisis but also to guarantee their income and survival. This work aims to discuss the increase in single-use plastics that are not intended for recycling and the respective environmental, economic, and social impacts for the country. We demonstrate the lack of data on waste management in Brazil and highlight the importance of the social inclusion of waste pickers for a circular economy. Especially after the change of scenario with the COVID-19 pandemic, the country must have adequate planning and improvements in waste management, recycling programs, and political intervention to raising awareness among the population and guaranteeing social rights for waste pickers.

An assessment tool for healthcare waste management in Brazilian municipalities during the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has put healthcare waste management (HCWM) systems under pressure worldwide. In Brazil, where municipalities routinely experience challenges in ensuring suitable disposal of healthcare waste (HCW), the pandemic has made this even more challenging. Therefore, the creation of tools and methods to help in municipal HCWM during the COVID-19 pandemic is of utmost importance. This article presents the development of a tool to evaluate HCWM in Brazilian municipalities during the pandemic. Following guidelines of health agencies, 56 indicators and 18 criteria were selected to create a tool called the municipal healthcare waste management assessment index (iMHWaste). These indicators and criteria were divided into operational, environmental, political-economic, educational and social groups. Each group considers essential aspects for sustainable management, safety and reduced spread of coronavirus. The analytic hierarchy process was used to assign the weights attributed to the groups and criteria. The indicators can be measured according to a standardized rating scale proposed for each one. These elements were aggregated with a weighted linear combination, into an equation that allows the calculation of the iMHWaste. The index is rated on a scale of 0-1. The index was applied in a Brazilian municipality considering a pre-pandemic HCWM. With the identification of the municipality's management weaknesses, it was possible to identify the main actions that should be prioritized in the transition from traditional HCWM during the pandemic.

Collecting Small-Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment in Poland—How Can Containers Help in Disposal of E-Waste by Individuals?

The effectiveness of e-waste collection depends on organizational and social factors. Individuals should have easy access to collection points and be aware of proper methods of e-waste disposal. This article investigates the availability, usability, and occurring irregularities of the container collection of small-waste electrical and electronic equipment. The study explores the attitude and behavior of individuals when disposing of small-waste equipment in the South of Poland. The results show that ninety-five percent of supermarkets’ managers responsible for waste management find a growing interest in the disposal of small e-waste by individuals. An increasing number of collection containers encourages residents to dispose of small-waste appliances. More than eighty-three percent of respondents are aware of proper methods of e-waste disposal. Additional information campaigns addressed to residents are required to prevent mixing electrical and electronic waste with other waste and to encourage the disposal of small e-waste. The intention to dispose of small e-waste was declared by only thirty-two percent of respondents. Containers with discarded easy breakable items, such as lamps, should be removed more frequently. The collection containers’ noticeability is evaluated by individuals as of average difficulty. The containers in supermarkets have simple designs and labels indicating the category of waste for disposal. The containers installed in residential areas have attractive designs and advertising slogans. The individuals expect the containers should be available in more locations that are easily accessible from households. The results of this study should be helpful for local authorities, waste collection companies, and waste electrical and electronic organizations, to support design, location selection, and information campaigns for small e-waste container collections.

Can Fashion Be Circular? A Literature Review on Circular Economy Barriers, Drivers, and Practices in the Fashion Industry’s Productive Chain

Circular economy (CE) principles have gained prominence in the fashion industry since it is a highly polluting industry and requires sustainable changes. Even though there are several CE initiatives already in place within the fashion production chain, changes towards CE are still slow. This study seeks to identify the drivers, barriers, and practices that influence implementing circular economy concepts in the fashion industry production chain using a systematic literature review. The results show that some more barriers and criteria keep consumers away from circular fashion concepts than drivers. These barriers include fast fashion consumer culture, even though more consumers are environmentally conscious. This is because awareness has not reached large-scale populations, despite the world being more aware of social and environmental issues. Consumers still do not see ethical and ecological problems associated with the fashion industry and continue to be targeted for large fast fashion retailers that sell a misguided version of consumerism. This study contributes to both academia and new fashion business models that seek to become more sustainable since it presents opportunities for investments and the obstacles that must be overcome for reaching CE within this sector.

Healthcare waste management assessment: Challenges for hospitals in COVID-19 pandemic times

With the spread of the new Coronavirus, there was an increase in the generation of contaminated waste. Thus, healthcare waste management (HCWM) became even a greater challenge in hospitals due to Coronavirus easily spread. In this context, it was necessary to create tools that could aid healthcare facilities in evaluating their HCWM. Therefore, the objective of this article was to elaborate a support tool that helps in identifying the shortcomings of hospitals' HCWM. For this purpose, the Health Service Waste Management Index was developed based on the selection of indicators in the area. The index was applied to six hospitals in the state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Its application meet the purpose of this research, since the results in the form of an index objectively summarize the reality of the HCWM in healthcare facilities. From the six hospitals investigated, four were classified as highly efficient. However, even though most of them were well evaluated, they still have difficulties with properly training their employees, which can be even a worse problem during a pandemic, when every precaution is extremely important to reduce the spread of the disease. Therefore, beyond this article contribution related to sustainability by demanding the hospitals to check which points of HCWM should be improved, it also adds academically by developing a tool with indicators that evaluate operational, human, economic and environmental factors in an innovative way.