Waste Management Sensor Technology and Supply Chain Archeology Research
Expanding the Supply Chain Management Process through Waste Sensing Technology;
Developing New Markets and Entrepreneurial Business Opportunities by Understanding the
History, Behavior, Movement and Business of Waste through Sensor Technology
Research Site:
The Burlington County Resource Recovery Facility (Landfill) Waste (Resource)
Identification and Classification Research Project; 69 Acre Active Landfill in Burlington County;
Research will be conducted within several quadrants of the landfill(TBD).
Fast Facts
NJ Pop: 17 Million, Disposal: 19 Million Tons/Yr., Burlco: 750K, Disposal: 1 Million Tons/Yr.,
Landfill 200 acres, 3 Capped, 1 active, 1 prepared
Overview
Currently, the State of New Jersey disposes of 19 Million Tons of waste each year. According to
the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection it is projected that New Jersey will be
disposing of approximately 33 Million Tons of waste in 10 years (NJDEP, 2004 Report). During
2005, New Jersey will be reissuing its Solid Waste Management Master Plan which will be the
blueprint for solid waste management and recycling for the next decade. Rutgers, The State
University of New Jersey (via the Rutgers EcoComplex) is an active participant in the
development and review of the State Solid Waste Master Plan (the Rutgers EcoComplex will host
the public hearings on the Solid Waste Master Plan).
Supply Chain Management
Supply chain management is an interdisciplinary field that emphasizes cross-functional links and
seeks to manage those links to enhance a company’s competitive advantage. It involves
forecasting, resource allocation, production planning, flow and process management, inventory
management, customer delivery, after-sales support and service, and a host of other activities and
processes familiar and basic to business. Competitive pressures are intense. Sophisticated
techniques have been devised to expedite information flow, including on-board computers for
trucks and ships, satellite tracking systems, and the electronic transmission of order and shipping
information.
Research
Similar to an archeological field study, this research project will involve a extensive two (2) year
study of the Burlington County landfill waste so that we can utilize the procurement/supply chain
management process and microchip sensor technology as mechanisms for determining up-to-
downstream waste impacts as well as identify potential technology alternatives to disposal.
Currently, products are derived from extracted raw materials or natural resources and at this point
the waste trail begins. All along the product development, manufacturer, packaging, logistics,
warehousing, and delivery, use and disposal process waste is being generated. However, with the
exception of recycling and limited re-manufacturing techniques, most waste is destined to be
delivered to the landfill. What we would like to do is collaborate with researchers from
WINLAB to identify and tag landfill waste and remotely examine waste degradation, temperature
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and environmental conditions of these waste items in an active landfill (as waste is being
delivered to the active landfill face). In addition to collecting waste data, I will also
simultaneously develop an educational and training program for New Jersey State, County and
Local Governmental Policy Makers (to provide data and feedback for the development and
monitoring of the NJ State Solid Waste Master Plan as well as economic development
opportunities), various academic partners (including the Oxford University Archeology
Department), various Higher Education institutions, the K-12 and higher education sector; Dr.
Lyons will also work with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and the EPA
to provide policy guidance and updates on the research being conducted at the landfill. We will
also collaborate and provide information to the corporate sector, the healthcare sector, the
insurance sector and NGO’s on this research. An active website will support all the research that
will be conducted. This website will have an active webcam, an educational question and answer
(chat room) section of the website, a work journal, collaborative requests from students (to create
experiments for me to work with them on); I will be reporting live from the landfill at least once a
month via the web.
Project Goals
The goal of this project and the associated research is to:
To record waste degradation characteristics in multiple waste categories;
o Develop labeling schemes and symbols which identify waste degradation and/or
alternative use (recycling) characterization of various products in the market
place;
Develop markets and business opportunities for waste materials (prior to landfilling);
Identify alternative biomass product development or biomass product packaging
developmental opportunities to replace traditional product or packaging schemes;
Identify opportunities to remove significant volumes waste items from the landfill waste
stream and re-categorize/identify new resource/feedstock classifications for recycling or
new technology development;
Accumulate data for the development of new economic and cost benefit analysis models
to justify diverting waste to reuse and remanufacturing versus landfill disposal and the
tipping fees associated with disposing of the waste;
Develop extended product responsibility programs for various manufacturers.
Expand the definition and actions of the Supply Chain Management process to include
extend product responsibility specifications and/or develop specifications for the
procurement and proper disposition of products during the initial contract/ specification
development process;
An additional goal of this project that we will work towards is the linking, integration and the
expansion of the supply chain management and waste management, recycling and waste
reclamation/diversion process into a one systems-thinking model/loop which could be understood
by the entire scientific community (locally, and globally). Where an economic model to identify
and remove significant waste items from the waste stream and/or replace traditional product or
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packaging items with biomass/biodegradable product alternatives can be unique and credibly
identified with the introduction of sensor technology. Also, the general public will be able to
identify how changes and modifications in consumption and purchasing patterns can be directly
linked to output/waste production and with the population knowing that it’s consumption
behavior ultimately has the power to modify and change our ecological footprint.
Secondary Project Benefits and Goals
Supply chain merging with waste management
New Technology development (feedstock for new waste management innovation)
Use of wireless microchip technology for tracking and identifying waste and
consumption patterns
Raw material-to-Procure-to-waste-to-Procure modeling
Modifying upstream critical thinking impacts downstream waste impacts
Organizational control of downstream waste costs based on upstream procurement
transactions
Consumption-behavioral pattern modeling
EMS Implementation Launch; Criteria for EMS system development (ISO 14001)
Activities
Daily landfill visits (K. Lyons)
Identify and tag (place microchip sensors) various waste items within a
Digital photographs/videos
Interactive Research Website
Question and Answer web interaction with students
Waste Sensors (location, depth, temperature, air sensors); e.g. Berkley Motts wireless sensors
Modify Supply Chain Diagram with waste offsets as we progress through the research
GPS Maps of Landfill (modified each week)
Artist rendering of Landfill face
Profiling of Residential Waste
Profiling of Commercial Waste
Development of waste profiles/labeling scheme for commodities
Education Program
Supply Chain Archeology Curriculum Development
Business School/MBA Curriculum integration
Supply Chain Management Curriculum integration and development
Continuing Professional Education Development and Delivery
Public Hearings/Press Announcements on Landfill Research
Multiple Academic Exercises
Waste Policy Curriculum
Product Labeling/Waste Profiling Development Scheme
Contact:
Kevin Lyons, Ph.D. Rutgers EcoComplex; 609-499-3600 ext 224; klyons@aesop.rutgers.edu
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