We reviewed the current state of waste management practices in Nigeria using examples from different parts of the country. Commonly practiced waste disposal methods in Nigeria, such as burial, open-air burning, and open dumping, were found to be ineffective and detrimental to public health and the environment. It was also shown that waste management cannot be successfully operated as a social service. Rather, the generator of waste must be held responsible. Problems confronting efficient waste management in Nigeria include the proliferation of unplanned settlements, traffic congestion, insecurity, and ignorance. An experimental model being used in Lagos State for the management of wastes may be the solution. Given the rate of population growth, industrialization, and urbanization, forward-looking and effective waste management plans need to be set in motion for the protection of public health. Such plans must involve all stakeholders, including the waste generators, the private sector, the informal sector, and regulatory agencies.

The University of Missouri–Kansas City (UMKC) has been offering educational programs in waste management and environmental science for ~25 yr and has recently added a sustainability minor to its bachelor’s degree in environmental science and environmental studies. With collective input from students, faculty, administrators, and staff, the university has established a highly successful sustainability program geared toward attaining zero waste. Students enrolled in the Introduction to Waste Management class are required to work on a term project that involves performing a waste audit. For the past several years, students have been conducting waste audits at various buildings on the campus. The term project not only allows students to gain familiarity with the principles of waste audits, but it also provides valuable hands-on experience with the procedures used for conducting a waste audit, data collection, analyses, interpretation, and preparing a written report followed by an oral Power-Point presentation. These reports have played a key role in designing a successful recycling program at UMKC that led to its earning first place among 523 colleges and universities in the annual RecycleMania competition in 2013, as well as its inclusion in Sierra magazine’s listing of top 100 “green schools” in the country. This paper includes a profile of the university and a detailed discussion of the waste audit project, recycling program, and sustainability efforts, along with suggestions on how to implement successful recycling programs elsewhere.

Abstract Residual sludge from dimension-stone working plants, both from gangue saws with abrasive shot and frame saws, is classified as waste and presents a number of problems for the stone industry. These problems include a fine size distribution, heavy metals and total petroleum hydrocarbon (TPH) content, all of which impede recovery and reuse. Residual sludge, management of which is administered in accordance with the Italian Legislative Decree 152/06, can be used in waste form for environmental restoration or for cement plants. However, it is also possible that sludge applications could go beyond these limited uses with incorporation of systematic treatment for the production of secondary raw materials (SRM), for example, filler, or for ‘new products’, for example, artificial loam. Such new products or SRM have to be certified not only on the basis of their technical and physical characteristics but also by means of appropriate chemical analyses to guarantee that the products are not contaminated. This paper outlines the results from laboratory and in situ characterization of residual sludge. In particular, three potential applications of sludge either by itself or mixed with other materials were evaluated: landfill waterproofing material, filler material for civil works and artificial soil for land rehabilitation.

A reconnaissance team documented the geotechnical and geological aspects in the epicentral region of the M w (moment magnitude) 5.8 Mineral, Virginia (USA), earthquake of 23 August 2011. Tectonically and seismically induced ground deformations, evidence of liquefaction, rock slides, river bank slumps, ground subsidence, performance of earthen dams, damage to public infrastructure and lifelines, and other effects of the earthquake were documented. This moderate earthquake provided the rare opportunity to collect data to help assess current geoengineering practices in the region, as well as to assess seismic performance of the aging infrastructure in the region. Ground failures included two marginal liquefaction sites, a river bank slump, four minor rockfalls, and a ~4-m-wide, ~12-m-long, ~0.3-m-deep subsidence on a residential property. Damage to lifelines included subsidence of the approaches for a bridge and a water main break to a heavily corroded, 5-cm-diameter valve in Mineral, Virginia. Observed damage to dams, landfills, and public-use properties included a small, shallow slide in the temporary (“working”) clay cap of the county landfill, damage to two earthen dams (one in the epicentral region and one further away near Bedford, Virginia), and substantial structural damage to two public school buildings.