Measuring the willingness to pay for hazard-free e-waste management in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Measuring the willingness to pay for hazard-free e-waste management in Dhaka city, Bangladesh

Abstract:
Electronic waste is becoming a serious threat for our surrounding environment. We need integrated initiatives to fight this growing concern in Bangladesh. On this background, this paper is the second in the series, aimed at calculating the willingness to pay for hazard-free e-waste management system in Dhaka city, the capital of Bangladesh. Contingent Valuation Method (CVM) was used with direct face-to-face interview technique and
double bounded dichotomous-choice (DC) format for eliciting willingness-to-pay (WTP). From the results of the study we had found that, the aggregate value of the WTP of the respondents in Dhaka was BDT 1.1 billion (USD 16.16 million). The results of the study provided us a guideline regarding the concern of the residents on e-waste and will help us to formulate e-waste management policy.

International Year of Natural Fibres 2009

International Year of Natural Fibres 2009

Eco-Friendly, GREEN, Healthy, Responsible, Sustainable, High-tech, choice...

When is a fibre "natural"?

The International Year of Natural Fibres celebrates fibres produced by plants and animals. It does not include modern man-made artificial and synthetic fibres such as rayon, nylon, acrylic and polyester. Tree fibres are not covered by the International Year, but will be one focus of the International Year of Forests in 2011.

Natural fibres

Ancient fabrics, high-tech geotextiles

Profiles of 15 of the world's major plant and animal fibres - many of them fundamental to human society since the dawn of civilization

Natural fibres are greatly elongated substances produced by plants and animals that can be spun into filaments, thread or rope. Woven, knitted, matted or bonded, they form fabrics that are essential to society.

Like agriculture, textiles have been a fundamental part of human life since the dawn of civilization. Fragments of cotton articles dated from 5000 BC have been excavated in Mexico and Pakistan. According to Chinese tradition, the history of silk begins in the 27th century BC. The oldest wool textile, found in Denmark, dates from 1500 BC, and the oldest wool carpet, from Siberia, from 500 BC. Fibres such as jute and coir have been cultivated since antiquity.

While the methods used to make fabrics have changed greatly since then, their functions have changed very little: today, most natural fibres are still used to make clothing and containers and to insulate, soften and decorate our living spaces. Increasingly, however, traditional textiles are being used for industrial purposes as well as in components of composite materials, in medical implants, and geo- and agro-textiles.

In this section we present profiles of 15 of the world's major plant and animal fibres. They range from cotton, which dominates world fibre production, to other, specialty fibres such as cashmere which, though produced in far smaller quantities, have particular properties that place them in the luxury textiles market.

Plant fibres

Plant fibres include seed hairs, such as cotton; stem (or bast) fibres, such as flax and hemp; leaf fibres, such as sisal; and husk fibres, such as coconut.

Abaca - Once a favoured source of rope, abaca shows promise as an energy-saving replacement for glass fibres in automobiles

Coir - A coarse, short fibre extracted from the outer shell of coconuts, coir is found in ropes, mattresses, brushes, geotextiles and automobile seats

Cotton - Pure cellulose, cotton is the world's most widely used natural fibre and still the undisputed "king" of the global textiles industry

Flax - One of nature's strongest vegetable fibres, flax was also one of the first to be harvested, spun and woven into textiles

Hemp - Recent advances in the "cottonization" of hemp fibre could open the door to the high quality clothing market

Jute - The strong threads made from jute fibre are used worldwide in sackcloth - and help sustain the livelihoods of millions of small farmers

Ramie - Ramie fibre is white, with a silky lustre, and is one of the strongest natural fibres, similar to flax in absorbency and density

Sisal - Too coarse for clothing, sisal is replacing glass fibres in composite materials used to make cars and furniture


Animal fibres

Animal fibres include wool, hair and secretions, such as silk.

Alpaca wool - Alpaca is used to make high-end luxury fabrics, with world production estimated at around 5 000 tonnes a year

Angora wool - The silky white wool of the Angora rabbit is very fine and soft, and used in high quality knitwear

Camel hair - The best fibre is found on the Bactrian camels of Mongolia and Inner Mongolia, and baby camel hair is the finest and softest

Cashmere - Cashmere is exceptionally soft to the touch owing to the structure of its fibres and has great insulation properties without being bulky

Mohair - White, very fine and silky, mohair is noted for its softness, brightness and receptiveness to rich dyes

Silk - Developed in ancient China, where its use was reserved for royalty, silk remains the "queen of fabrics"

Wool - Limited supply and exceptional characteristics have made wool the world's premier textile fibre.


- Visit the site: http://www.naturalfibres2009.org

- Help promote the Year

Media resources - http://www.naturalfibres2009.org/en/iynf/media.html

Download from this page the IYNF poster, brochures, factsheets, and T-shirt and bag designs

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Earth Promise - Welcome to Earth Promise

Earth Promise - Welcome to Earth Promise

Welcome to Earth Promise

Today's Blog Entry
It's Time To Change The World

Earth Friendly Products
Got any you'd like us to review or write about?
Tell us about it and we can see what we can do!

Earth Promise is an online community dedicated to bringing people together who want to take better care of the environment. We provide an easy way for people to make, track and keep promises about actions that will benefit the earth. Together, we will be a caring and positive voice for the environment.


Join Earth Promise: http://www.earthpromise.com/

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Renewable Energy Investors Are Cautiously Optimistic - Renewable Energy World

Renewable Energy Investors Are Cautiously Optimistic - Renewable Energy World

by Stephen Lacey, Staff Writer

New York, United States [RenewableEnergyWorld.com]

In just five months, the U.S. government has gone from being a casual supporter of renewable energy to the one of world's biggest investors in the space. Now the private sector is trying to figure out what role it will play in this new era of government involvement.

Public policies in the form of incentives and procurement targets have historically provided the necessary base-level demand for clean energy. Acting on those signals, the private sector has brought clean energy close to the mainstream.

According to a report released by New Energy Finance (NEF) last month, renewables brought in more investment than fossil energy technologies in 2008 and represented 40% of global power capacity additions, making the industry a real player on the global stage.

=> Read More: Renewable Energy World

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"Capitalism didn't break and it will sort this out...Competition will return and there will be innovation and creativity."
-- Michael Liebreich, CEO of New Energy Finance

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