waste

 The valuable activity of informal recyclers, or salters, itinerants in the direction of sustainability and environmental protection is not hidden from anyone. Unfortunately, this occupational group has been neglected, and organizational, support, and health institutions pay less attention to these people, so we felt it necessary to investigate the threats related to the occupation of these people in Kerman City.

 This is a cross-sectional descriptive study. The statistical population in the form of a census includes 232 informal recycling centers and 294 informal recyclers who entered the study voluntarily and with their consent at first, field research collecting information and completing questionnaires through observation and interviews with a face-to-face referral from 2021 to 2022, and then the data were collected. In the end, the necessary analysis and interpretation were done using SPSS software version 19 and the Chi-score test.

Results showed that 51.4% of the participants declared health and health problems as the most important threat to their jobs, and there was a significant relationship between job threats and gender (p-value=0.003).About 20% of people did not use any personal protective equipment. There was a significant relationship between the lack of use of personal protective equipment and the number of visits to health centers (p-value=0.048). The most occupational threats of the recyclers were sharp objects, contact with chemicals and vapors and smoke from waste fuel, musculoskeletal problems, especially back and leg pain, bites by stray animals, and skin dermatitis.

 The government and the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education should pay more attention to the threats related to the job of informal recyclers, the most obvious of which is health and safety.

Nowadays, recycling is one of the ways to save mankind from the mass of waste it produces, and waste separation from the source is the first and most important link in the field of urban waste recycling. Since the necessity and basis of recycling is people's participation in separation plans from the source, the present study was conducted to investigate the awareness, attitude, and performance of the people of Mazandaran province regarding the source separation of household waste in 2021.

The present study was a descriptive-analytical and cross-sectional study, and the tool used in it was a researcher-made questionnaire including three dimensions of knowledge, attitude, and performance, the link of which was provided online to qualified people. The qualitative content validity of this questionnaire was confirmed by 8 environmental health experts in the field of the research subject. The reliability of the tool was also estimated through the Retest Method. Furthermore, the values of Cronbach's alpha coefficient for the three dimensions of awareness, attitude, and performance were calculated. In the following, the samples were selected in virtual groups based on the available sampling method and through the distribution of the questionnaire link online. Analysis of variance was used to compare the mean scores in the levels of variables, Pearson's correlation test was used to examine the relationship between the scores of awareness, attitude, and performance dimensions, and linear regression was used to examine the effect of independent variables. Finally, the data was analyzed in SPSS software (version 22).

For the entire study population (305 people), the range and mean score of awareness were 0-6, and 5.03±1.18 respectively, the range and mean score of attitude were 17-85 and 61.01± 9.45, and the range and mean score of performance were 6-30 and 11.43±5.19, respectively. Also, there was a significant correlation between the mean scores of the dimensions of awareness and attitude (correlation coefficient=0.70), awareness and performance (correlation coefficient=0.68), and attitude and performance (correlation coefficient=0.63).

The results of this study, which was conducted to measure the knowledge, attitude, and performance of the people of Mazandaran province regarding the separation of household waste from the source and waste recycling, and with a survey of 305 households in this province, showed that although the most of people have a piece of proper knowledge and attitude related to the importance of separation and recycling of solid waste, they have not participated much in the plans of waste separation from the source. Therefore, in order to increase the level of people's performance, it is recommended to develop incentive programs in the field of source separation, including awarding prizes or applying discounts on waste charges, as well as providing suitable containers for waste separation to households for free by the municipality to encourage waste separation.

Vermicomposting is a promising, cost-effective, and environmentally friendly technology in organic waste management. In this study, the production of vermicompost by Eisenia Foetida earthworm from agricultural residues and sheep manure has been discussed.

In this study, sheep manure, straw and grape leaves wastes were used in different proportions to produce vermicompost. Perforated plastic boxes were used to support the growth of earthworms. After adjusted different proportions of these residues, their humidity was controlled and a number of earthworms of Eisenia Foetida species were introduced to each box. The pH and EC parameters were measured every two weeks and C/N ratio three times during the experiment. The duration of experiment was 120 days. The ANOVA test was used to compare the averages and Tukey and Kruskal-Wallis post-tests were also used to identify the source of differences in the mentioned variables.

The results showed that the pH increased during vermicomposting process and was acidic again at the end of the process. The highest C/N decrease ratio and the highest EC increase were observed in the 100% sheep manure bed (b1) and the lowest C/N decrease was observed in the 100% straw bed (b6).

Using vermicomposting is effective in waste management. It is recommended to use sheep manure in combination with other wastes to produce high quality fertilizer as well as increase the rate of vermicomposting process.

 barbershops are one of the most important public places for beauty activities, which requires attention to health issues (personal and environmental), and non-compliance with health standards and procedures can be a threat to public health. The level of awareness and performance of employees can affect the management of waste production. This study aimed to investigate the level of knowledge of personnel about waste production and performance in southern Tehran in 2021.

 This descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted in southern Tehran with a statistical sample of 330 places. In this study, a questionnaire was used which comprised of three sections; demographic information, the level of awareness and performance of personnel, and the information was completed after interviews with hairdressers. Data were analyzed by Kolmogorov-Smirnov, Chi-square, Pearson correlation coefficient, one-sample t-test, and Mann-Whitney using SPSS software (IBM-v.26).

 The average scores of awareness and performance of individuals in waste management were 43.18 and 48.27, respectively, and based on the results of qualitative analysis, the scores of awareness and optimal performance of individuals in waste management were 53.6% and 72%, respectively. Also, 46.6% and 28% of the participants obtained unfavorable scores on knowledge and practice in waste management, respectively. People's knowledge about the management of waste produced in hairdressers had a significant relationship with gender, history of health education, history of health crimes, education and performance of people about the management of waste produced in hairdressers with gender and history of health education. There was no significant relationship between knowledge and practice with other variables.

 Barbershop is a place where paying attention to environmental health is effective in promoting community health and disease control. Ignoring this issue can lead to the spread of various diseases. In general, the results of this study showed that the level of awareness is effective in the performance of barbers regarding the management of waste production. Additionally, health education was known effective in the level of awareness and performance of hairdressers in this field, so the improtant roles of these variables should taken into consideration.

Pesticides are the major components of production in modern agriculture, however, as their widely usage, the hazards associated with their wastes have become of increasing concern. The aim of this study is to investigate orchard farmers’ attitudes toward proper disposal of pesticide wastes.

The statistical population of the study includes all orchard farmers in Meshkinshahr County (N=32,300). A total sample size of 300 farmers was selected and the data were collected. The research instrument was a questionnaire which was validated by a panel of university staff. A pilot study was conducted with 30 farmers outside the sample villages and Cronbachchr('39')s alpha showed high reliability of the instrument.

Due to the pesticides use, significant amounts of wastes are produced annually. Farmers do not properly dispose pesticide wastes. They leave the wastes on the farm, dump it in canals or river flow, or burn it. Farmers were not well informed about triple rinsing of containers before disposal. Most farmers used masks, hats, and gloves, 53% used boots and 7.7% used goggles, though none of them used coverall during pesticides’ handling. Respondents took negative to moderate attitudes towards proper wastes disposal. Age, education, and participation in extension programs were the most important determinants of the attitudes.

Considering the relatively negative attitude and improper waste disposal, it is necessary to establish centers for waste collection, to inform and encourage farmers to dispose of waste properly. Relevant organizations, such as health and the environment should plan for pesticide waste management.

Increasing wastewater production and increasing waste production are major threats to human health and the environment; therefore, wastewater treatment and waste reuse should be done. This study aimed to determine the efficiency of plastic, rubber, and electronic wastes for municipal wastewater treatment by the microbial electrochemical method.

This experimental-practical research was done on a pilot scale. Impacts of time and initial characteristics (temperature, pH, and EC) on the treatment efficiency were investigated. During the research, sampling (twice a week) was done from the input and output of the reactor, and BOD   , COD, TSS, pH, and EC parameters were measured according to the standard methods. The results were analyzed by Excel 2010 software.

Mean BOD 5 , COD, and TSS in raw sewage were 227, 302, and 274 mg/l. BOD5 removal efficiencies by electronic, rubber, plastic and control wastes were 72.46, 69.74, 60.82, and 62.17%, respectively. Electronic wastes with 55.52% and 79.96% had the highest removal efficiencies of TSS and COD, respectively.

Bed material affects BOD 5 removal efficiency. Substrates with electronic wastes and crumb rubber had a higher efficiency in removing BOD 5 , TSS, and COD, which shows the superior characteristics of wastewater treatment by these wastes.

Waste accumulation has very negative impacts on human health and the environment, but if managed properly, it can help in increasing food safety of the community. Agricultural extension and education as one of the main pillars of modern agriculture can play an effective role in agricultural productivity and waste and in general improve the living conditions of farmers. The purpose of this study was to investigate the role of education on rice waste management in Sari, Iran with emphasis on environmental protection and health.

This structural equation-based correlational survey was performed in 290 rice cultivators in Sari, north of Iran. The participants were selected based on Cochranchr('39')s formula. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. Based on the average variance extracted (0.506 >AVE< 0.581) and composite reliability (0.946 >CR < 0.953), the questionnaire had convergent validity and appropriate reliability. SPSS V16 and SmartPLS 2.0.M3 were used to analyze the data.

The study showed that trainings on the use of straw and other residues of rice positively affects rice waste management operations and is linked to environmental protection and better health status.

Without knowledge of rice waste management operations and proper trainings, rice cultivators cannot be expected to succeed in waste management while considering environmental protection and health.

Microplastics (MPs) pollution are considered as a major growing global environmental problem in the past few decades. Dams could be an important reservoir for microplastics accumulation, therefore, in this study the presence of microplastics in sediments of Taleqan Dam and its upstream river was investigated in order to: 1) determine the local status of microplastic pollution and 2) determine the abundance and characteristics of the identified microplastics.

Sediment sampling was performed at 15 stations in the upstream of the river and the dam reservoir. After the sample preparation, separation method based on density difference was used for separation of the microplastics from the sediment, and stereo microscope and SEM-EDX were used for counting microplastics and investigation of their characteristics.

Based on the results, maximum of the counted microplastic particles were observed in Taleqan City area with 2050 particles/300 g and minimum number was observed in the dam reservoir with 478 particles/300 g of sediment. The dominant shape, color, and size of the counted particles were polyhedral, colorless (transparent), and 100-250 μm, respectively.

The results showed that the concentration of microplastics in the stations near the urban and rural areas were higher due to the entry of sewage and the release of municipal solid wastes. Also, their concentrations were high in the stations close to the dock area of the dam due to the greater traffic of the locals and tourists and dumping of wastes in the shoreline of the lake.

 one of the major challenges in urban management in human societies is related to the collection, recycling and disposal of solid waste and sewage. Poor waste management causes pollution of water, soil and air. It will have a major impact on public health. The aim of present study was to investigate the current status and select the best options of management of municipal solid waste in Noor city (Mazandaran, Iran) using life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology.

This research considered with five scenarios: 1) Recycling, composting and unsanitary landfilling; 2) Recycling, composting and sanitary landfilling; 3) Recycling, incineration and sanitary landfilling; 4) Recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion, incineration, sanitary landfilling; 5) Recycling and unsanitary landfilling. The required data for life cycle assessment inventory were collected through reviewing resources, preparing of questionnaires, completing the questionnaire by staff, and field inspections.The life cycle inventory was approved by the IWM model.

The scenario 5, which is the current situation in the region, had the highest environmental impact in terms of toxic emissions and ecological indicators among all the scenarios. Energy consumption in the scenarios 1 and 5 was higher than the unsanitary landfilling in comparison to the other scenarios. Accordingly, the scenarios 5 and 4 had the most and the least impact on methane gas production.

According to the ecological index, the fourth scenario including recycling, composting and anaerobic digestion, and sanitary landfilling was the best scenario.  Fifth scenario with the highest pollution load was the worst scenario evaluated.