Welcome to the November 2007 issue of Waste and Resource Management, part of the Proceedings of the Institution of Civil Engineers. This issue contains five papers, covering a variety of topics in waste and resource management.
The first two papers are associated, in different ways, with tools and strategies for the management of municipal solid waste. Zheng et al. investigate the assessment of the state of biodegradation (and hence the remaining biodegradation potential) of municipal solid wastes by means of biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests and fibre analysis. This is an important topic, as such tests will be needed to demonstrate the effectiveness of various treatments now being adopted or proposed in the context of meeting the targets set by the EU landfill directive for the diversion of biodegradable wastes away from landfill. The paper by Moghaddam et al. documents an interesting case study of solid waste management in two cities in Iran, on the basis of which they recommend the recovery of recyclable components at source and the composting of food wastes. I am sure that their findings will be of international interest and potential applicability.
The third paper, by Swift et al., addresses the engineering challenges presented by the design and construction of a landfill leachate lagoon on compressible substrata (waste and alluvial clay), in effect a major reservoir forming an essential part of the leachate management infrastructure at a large landfill site.
The last two papers are concerned with the possible use of waste products in the mining or construction industries. Tariq et al. investigate the potential for using sulphidic mine tailings, together with other industrial wastes such as cement kiln dust and fly ash, to make a durable paste for backfilling mined void spaces. Finally Rao et al. assess the effects on the engineering and environmental performance of stabilised mud building blocks, of incorporating fluoride contaminated magnesium oxide sludge (FCMOS; a residue of water defluoridisation) into the materials from which they are made.
Please do write in with a discussion point on one or more of the papers in this issue, and/or consider contributing a paper or technical note of your own. The journal aims to publish original contributions on research and practice relating to all civil engineering and construction aspects of the resource management cycle, from waste minimisation through the reuse and processing of waste materials to the management and disposal of residual wastes. Articles covering relevant legislation, standards, socio-economic and sustainability matters are welcomed.
