Hospital waste containing antibiotics is toxic to the ecosystem. Ciprofloxacin is one of the essential, widely used antibiotics and is often detected in water bodies and soil. It is vital to treat these medical wastes, which urge new research towards waste management practices in hospital environments themselves. Ultimately minimizes its impact in the ecosystem and prevents the spread of antibiotic resistance. The present study highlights the decomposition of ciprofloxacin using nano-catalytic ZnO materials by reactive oxygen species (ROS) process. The most effective process to treat the residual antibiotics by the photocatalytic degradation mechanism is explored in this paper. The traditional co-precipitation method was used to prepare zinc oxide nanomaterials. The characterization methods, X-Ray diffraction analysis (XRD), Fourier Transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR), Ulraviolet-Visible spectroscopy (UV-Vis), Scanning Electron microscopy (SEM) and X-Ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) have done to improve the photocatalytic activity of ZnO materials. The mitigation of ciprofloxacin catalyzed by ZnO nano-photocatalyst was described by pseudo-first-order kinetics and chemical oxygen demand (COD) analysis. In addition, ZnO materials help to prevent bacterial species, S. aureus and E. coli, growth in the environment. This work provides some new insights towards ciprofloxacin degradation in efficient ways.

Over the last few decades, demographic growth combined with poorly controlled urbanization has confronted African cities with a variety of environmental protection challenges. As part of a gradual awareness-raising process, African countries have ratified conventions and adopted a series of laws to protect the environment. Since independence (1960), Gabon has adopted legal instruments to provide a better framework for environmental protection. Despite the existence of well-developed legislation, the Libreville conurbation faces difficulties in waste management. This situation contributes to the degradation of the coastal zone. This study aims to analyse stakeholders’ perceptions of environmental protection regulations in solid waste management practices along the coastline of the Libreville metropolitan area in Gabon. The methodology includes documentary research, field observations, and surveys of 300 study area participants. The results show that the degradation of the coastline is due to a lack of awareness and compliance with the laws governing environmental protection and waste management. As a result, waste disposal practices such as dumping in nature, waterways, illegal dumps, and gutters are commonplace among the population. To achieve sustainable coastal zone management, it is essential to apply regulatory texts and involve stakeholders in improving planning and the quality of the coastal environment.

Ce⁴⁺-doped nanometer ZnO powder was synthesized by so-l gel method. The microstructures and properties of the samples were characterized through XRD, UV-Vis and FTIR. The results indicated that the Ce⁴⁺ was successfully incorporated into ZnO, and the diameter of the nanometer was about 10.7nm. It induced the redshifting in the UV-Vis spectra. The photocatalytic activity of the samples was investigated using methylene blue (MB) as the model reaction under irradiation with ultraviolet light. The results showed that the doping of Ce⁴⁺ could increase the photocatalytic activities of ZnO nanopowders and that the best molar ratio of Ce⁴⁺ was n(Ce)/n(Zn) = 0.05, that the surfactant was sodium dodecyl sulfate, and that the nanometer ZnO was calcinated at 550 ℃ for 3 hours. Meanwhile, it inspected the effect of photocatalytic efficiency through the pH of MB, the amount of catalyst, and illumination time. The experimental results revealed that the initial mass concentration of MB was 10 mg/L, that the pH value was 7-8, that the dosage of Ce⁴⁺/ZnO photo-catalyst was 5 g/L, that the UV-irradiation time was 2 h, and that the removal rate of MB reached above 85%. Under the optimized conditions, the degradation rate of real dye wastewater was up to 87.67% and the removal efficiency of COD was 63.5%.

This paper proposes an incentive model to involve communities and industries in effectively managing coastal waste in Makassar, Indonesia. The model seeks to incentivize stakeholders to invest in waste management solutions and enable public stakeholders to monitor and evaluate the progress of waste management activities. The model actively encourages participation from all stakeholders and builds upon existing efforts to promote environmental accountability. The proposed model includes several key components. It focused on public and private partnerships that should be fostered to coordinate stakeholder approaches and provide capital investment. It also focused on a financial reward scheme that should be adopted to incentivize businesses and individuals that invest in waste management initiatives. Performance bonus awards and tax incentives are proposed as possible incentive schemes. Lastly, a regulatory framework should be developed to ensure environmental standards are met and regulated. The framework should include regular reporting and auditing requirements and the implementation of penalties for those who fail to comply. The proposed incentive model seeks to engage stakeholders in effectively managing coastal waste in Makassar, Indonesia, through public and private incentive schemes.

The urban solid waste (USW) emanating from the increasing urbanisation calls for concern. Integrating cart pushers into the private sector participation (PSP) may bridge the lacuna in sub-urban planning and PSP truck inefficiencies, especially in developing countries. There is a paucity of studies concerning cart pushers’ role in sub-urban and issues hindering them from achieving Sustainable Development Goals (1 and 11) in developing countries. Thus, the study seeks to appraise cart pushers’ role in Nigeria’s sub- and urban areas, investigate their challenges, and propose measures to improve the achievement of the Goals by integrating them into PSP waste management systems. The researchers utilised a qualitative approach using face-to-face interviews and observation. The study covered seven of Nigeria’s major cities, including Lagos, Kano, and Abuja. Forty semi-structured interviews were conducted. The participants include selected waste managers, NGOs in waste-related matters, cart pushers, legislators, households, environment and housing experts, and solid waste government agencies/regulators. The researchers adopted a thematic approach to analyse the collected data and presented it in a theme pattern. Findings reveal that despite the significance of cart pushers to the three pillars of sustainable development, including stimulating support for potential employment creation and sustainable cities and communities in Nigeria, they face challenges in their daily operation. The study proposed a revised USWM policy, where the informal waste sector should be embraced and recognised with specific rules and regulations. This is germane to improve achieving SDGs 1 and 11. This study holds significant implications for USWM policymakers and other stakeholders in embracing and integrating cart pushers into the formal waste collection process supported by statutory regulations to enhance practice. Also, this concept will increase employment opportunities and improve achieving Goals 1 and 11 in Nigeria.

This paper aims to systematically analyze the current state of plastic waste legal supervision in China and to propose a vision for future governance frameworks. In recent years, along with the vigorous rise of emerging industries such as the express delivery industry and takeaway services, the consumption of plastic products has increased sharply. This trend has triggered profound reflection and high vigilance on the issue of plastic waste supervision. This trend has triggered profound reflection and acute vigilance regarding the regulation of plastic waste. Although the Chinese government has initiated multiple regulatory measures and achieved certain outcomes, from a macroscopic perspective, the issue of plastic waste pollution remains grave, and the relevant legal and regulatory system presents a complex situation with limited enforcement efficacy. Hence, it is exceptionally urgent and significant to deeply explore and formulate legislative strategies aimed at alleviating and regulating plastic waste pollution. This paper is dedicated to systematically analyzing the current state of plastic waste legal supervision from both international and domestic dimensions, and meticulously outlining the regulatory framework for plastic waste governance in China. Through the application of legal norm research methods, this paper dissects the flaws and challenges existing in the current governance mechanisms and further conducts a comparative study of the successful practices in this field in developed countries like the United States, with the intention of drawing valuable experiences. On this basis, this paper not only offers a forward-looking outlook on China’s future legislative tendencies in plastic waste pollution but also innovatively proposes a series of new insights and recommendations. These explorations aim to provide a more solid theoretical foundation and practical guidance for the governance approach to plastic waste pollution in China, promote the improvement and enhancement of the enforcement effectiveness of environmental regulations, and thereby effectively confront the global challenge of plastic pollution.