Knowledge Agora



Scientific Article details

Title Exploratory compositional analysis of street bin litter: Empirical study in a regional city in Belgium
ID_Doc 7500
Authors Verstegen, A; De Bruyn, E; Soers, F; Van Renne, R; De Greef, J; Vanaenroyde, B; Van Caneghem, J
Title Exploratory compositional analysis of street bin litter: Empirical study in a regional city in Belgium
Year 2023
Published
DOI 10.1016/j.resconrec.2022.106817
Abstract Street bin litter (SBL) is an overlooked waste stream and its composition has barely been studied. In a first characterization attempt, five sorting experiments were performed on SBL collected in Leuven, Belgium. The waste was sampled and sorted into 8 main and 39 subfractions. The largest main fractions found were illegally dumped waste (33 +/- 3%), organics (17 +/- 4%) and paper and cardboard (16 +/- 2%). On a functional level, the street bins were estimated to contain about 35% packaging, of which beverage and food packaging constituted 46% and 38-44%, respectively. SBL is in relative terms too small a waste stream for economically viable material recovery. However, in order to make a full transition to a circular economy and due to its high visibility, SBL cannot be neglected. Preventive measures and the full application of Extended Producer Responsibility schemes can help to achieve SBL reduction.
Author Keywords Street bin litter; Public waste; Waste characterization; Packaging; Extended producer responsibility
Index Keywords Index Keywords
Document Type Other
Open Access Open Access
Source Science Citation Index Expanded (SCI-EXPANDED)
EID WOS:000901586100006
WoS Category Engineering, Environmental; Environmental Sciences
Research Area Engineering; Environmental Sciences & Ecology
PDF
Similar atricles
Scroll