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Substantial quantities of toner cartridges are produced and used in photocopiers and printers every year. Spent toner cartridges are classified as hazardous waste because they contain toner powder with specific chemical composition, making a recovery of waste toner cartridges a very important issue from the aspect of waste management and environmental protection. Spent toner cartridges are mechanically processed to exploit valuable materials such as metals, plastics and magnets and to separate toner powder as a toxic waste. In this work, the use of waste toner powder as an additive in concrete was studied. The toner powder was mixed with calcium-based additive in ratio 50:50 immediately after the mechanical treatment. The resulting mixture (hereafter: WTP) was added to concrete at different percentages (1%, 3,%, 5% and 10%) as a replacement for fine aggregate. All processes were performed on industrial scale. The addition of 1% and 3% of WTP lead to a concrete with the optimal properties. The possible impact on the environment was studied by the means of leaching test using valid regulations for a landfill. The modified concrete with 1%, 3%, 5% WTP can be classified as inert waste.

The usage of old equipment (over 10-year-old diesel-fuelled waste collection vehicles, WCVs) for municipal solid waste (MSW) collection in Ludbreg for longer than a decade has had a negative environmental impact, which has been reduced by replacing an old diesel WCV with a new diesel WCV. This study aims to assess the share of air emissions of two old WCVs (FAP 1990 and MAN 2003) and one new (MAN 2015), expressed in CO emissions. In addition, these vehicles have been found easily to reach the limit of 100 dB, which can cause hearing damage in their surroundings. Furthermore, their average fuel consumption is more than 80 l per 100 km, which makes them ineffective in terms of fuel consumption. Generally, higher fuel consumption results in more emissions and for a more eco-friendly operation, the MAN 2003 from Ludbreg WCV fleet should be technically amended and adjusted, and the FAP 1990 should be retired. Although the MAN 2015 is diesel fuelled, the best solution for replacement, according to Maimoun et al. (Waste Management 33: 1079-1089, 2016), would be the use of hydraulic-hybrid vehicles, which provide the best environmental benefits over other alternatives. According to Maimoun et al., hybrid is better environmentally, diesel is the best environmental-economical option and landfill gas-sourced natural gas is the best alternative when accessible because it significantly (up to 80%) reduces emissions of hazardous gases as well as noise levels (50-98%).

The aim of this paper was to investigate the possibility of incorporation non-metal fraction (NMF) in concrete products as a substitute for aggregate on industrial scale, while other studies are mostly based on NMF incorporation in concrete only on laboratory scale. Mineral filler was supplemented with 5, 10, 15 and 20 wt.% NMF from waste printed circuit boards (WPCBs) and its influence on concrete quality was assessed based on compressive and tensile strength conducted on laboratory and industrial scale samples. The efficiency of pollutants encapsulation from NMF incorporated in concrete products was determined by eluted elements, ions and chemical compounds such as As, Cd, Cl-, Cu, Pb, Zn, SO4 2-, DOC and TDS. Based on obtained results, it was determined whether is possible to incorporate NMF in concrete products on industrial scale. Finally, results showed positive outcome. Leaching test results imply that the procedure is acceptable from the environmental point of view, while at the same time, technical aspects showed loss in some mechanical properties.

In this paper are presented challenges that countries of European Union face when recycling ships and composite boats. European ship owners control over 40 % of the world’s merchant ship fleet, with Greece as the top ship-owning country globally. Nowadays, ship recycling is being regulated and positive progression was made towards it since steel industry belongs in world’s top five and stable market and makes recycling of scrap metals from ships attractive. On the other hand, yachts, sailing boats and small boats are mainly made from composite materials because of their favourable properties, making them great investment, but end-of-life management is more complicated and not quite regulated by the law yet. Unlike commercially oriented ships, which are constantly in move and disposed when the maintenance costs of the vessel start to exceed possible revenue, old boats for recreational and tourism-oriented purposes most rarely move. Hundreds of thousands lie in marinas and are abandoned due to the maintenance costs thus discouraging the owners from keeping it. Hence, a growing number of marinas worldwide will have the problem of boat disposal in a sustainable way in the future. In this paper is given short summary on waste ships and boats management issues. The emphasis is on waste management of small composite boats