International Experience
- Development of Metrics to Ascertain the Materials Circularity of the Economy at the City-Level Scale. Under a grant from the International Solid Waste Association and in conjunction with the City of Rotterdam NL. As a placeholder for testing a product/materials circularity assessment methodology, bicycles were chosen to determine the lifecycle based on product durability and reparability and the reuse and recyclability of component materials. The analysis necessarily included a calculation of the avoided carbon emissions from extending the useful lifetime of the product and recyclability of its component materials. Researcher, Co-Author.
- Solid Waste Management in the World's Cities. For United Nations Habitat program, a twenty cities worldwide analysis, documenting current integrated solid waste management approaches framed through the lens of collection, driven by a commitment of authorities to protect and improve public health and reduce deaths and illnesses related to the presence of waste; disposal, driven by the need to decrease the adverse environmental impacts of solid waste management; and prevention & recovery, driven by both the resource value of waste and by wider considerations of sustainable resource management. Trainer, Researcher, Co-Author.
- Economic Impact of Informal Sector Scavenging in the Developing South. Under a grant awarded from Deutsche Gesellschaft fur Technische Zusammenarbeit (The German Ministry for Economic Development) and in conjunction with WASTE Netherlands, conduct research on efforts to manage waste for rapidly expanding cities within six countries in the developing world. Modeling economic impacts to determine the value provided by the scavenger community, both to the solid waste system and to the local economy as a whole. Scenario analyses will project the costs if these informal sector waste handling activities ceased and the formal sector expanded their efforts to provide a similar service. The analysis includes costs of environmental impacts quantified by carbon equivalents. Lead Researcher and Co-Author.
- Initiation of a National Solid Waste Policy Planning Process, conducted under a US EPA ECO-links grant for the Bulgarian Ministry of Planning and the Environment. Expanding stakeholder capacity beyond central government control; including NGOs, local government officials, news media and educators. Researching appropriate technology and strategies applicable for Bulgaria, developing associated training materials, facilitation and training and final framing of objectives to incorporate into a national waste management policy. Co-Trainer and Co-Facilitator.
- Economic Development for the Informal Sector by Expansion of Materials Recovery Micro-enterprises, for the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India, at the Training Program on Urban Solid Waste Management. To present an approach to overcome institutional challenges to the integration of informal sector micro-enterprises, which recover recyclables, into a formal waste management strategy so to reduce waste disposal and extend landfill life. Co-author and Co-Presenter
- Carbon and Nitrogen Greenhouse Gas Impacts from Integrated Waste and Wastewater Management in the Developing South, for WASTE, Advisers on Urban Environment and Development, Netherlands, under the UWEP initiative. To assess the approach developed to quantify the net reduction in the release of the greenhouse gases, in CO2 and N2O equivalents, as the result of instituting and integrated solid waste management strategy and decentralized wastewater treatment approaches in four countries in the developing South. The final analysis also critiques a strategy for creating a Clean Development Mechanism (Kyoto Protocol) for instituting an integrated solid waste management approach at the city level. Research Reviewer and Co-Author
- Multi-year MSW Urban Compost Development Project, for the Indonesian Center for Policy Implementation Studies, Jakarta, Indonesia in conjunction with the Harvard Institute of International Development (HIID). To develop an implementation model for informal sector recycling micro-enterprises to interface with the formal solid waste management system to develop marketable compost products. Including public sector planning support, micro-financing, development of a permanent school for compost operations and marketing; establishment of 5 pilot facilities, with subsequent economic analysis and compost market assessment. Technical Specialist, Trainer.
- Recycling Reclamation Study, for Pikitup, Johannesburg, South Africa. To assess waste generation and composition, which includes commercial sector waste sorts; research of informal sector recycling infrastructure to ascertain how street and dump collectors can be integrated into the formal waste management system. Focus group research on willingness-to-participate in an expanded recycling effort and an economic analysis of collection and processing options. Field Researcher and Co-Author.
- Waste Management Capacity Building in Post-Conflict Liberia, under a grant from Collaborative Working Group and in collaboration with the International Rescue Committee and DUCOR, Liberia. To assess points of intervention for the development of micro-enterprises to remove waste and clean streets in the greater Monrovia area. Specific work-products include: materials handling strategy, cash-flow analysis and a business plan for expansion of services to the 31 markets within the City. Research Director and Author
- Landfill Assessment and Organics Recovery Feasibility Study, for WASTE Netherlands, to evaluate the current state of the Blagoevgrad, Bulgaria municipal landfill operation and assess the potential for landfill mining. Includes a future landfill design combined with feasibility study of diverting organic material to a composting alternative by the informal sector micro-enterprises already established to capture recyclables. Technical Specialist and Trainer.