The recycling of paper and board (PB) yields economic and environmental advantages compared to primary paper production. However, PB from lightweight packaging (LWP) waste is currently not comprehensively reintegrated into the paper value stream. To develop an adapted recycling process for PB from LWP, PB quantities, qualities, and fluctuations ranges in LWP are required. Currently, no sufficient database is available. Therefore, we developed a methodical approach and conducted a case study to access the PB potential in LWP sorting plants using manual analysis and sensor-based material flow monitoring. Differences resulting from seasonal variations, materials from different settlement structures, and fluctuation ranges in LWP composition over two weeks have been investigated. PB contents in the input of 6.5 wt% (ww) and 5.9 wt% (ww) were determined for winter and summer sampling campaigns, respectively. The PB product stream amounted to 5.7 wt% (ww, winter) and 4.8 wt% (ww, summer). Around 45 wt% (ww) of PB from the PB product stream was classified as misplaced by the consumer and should have been discarded in separate paper collections. Based on the determined PB quantities and qualities, a potential of usable and in the PB product stream available PB in LWP was determined. The technically available and usable PB potential in German LWP waste amounts to 89,000 to 100,000tons per year (average PB yield of around 65 wt% (ww)). The methodical approach can be adapted for sorting plant balances. The results can contribute to developing an adapted recycling process for PB from LWP.

Within the framework of the "EU Training Network for Resource Recovery through Enhanced Landfill Mining-NEW-MINE", around 374 Mg of waste were excavated from a landfill site in Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium. Parameters such as bulk density, water content, particle size distribution and material composition of the fine fractions (material <90 mm) were determined and analyzed. The present investigation has the main objective to document and disseminate the findings on the material characterization of the fine fractions obtained in this case study, since such information is of critical relevance for the design of an effective and efficient mechanical processing in (enhanced) landfill mining projects. Additionally, the potential of the fine fractions for material and energy recovery is discussed. The fine fractions in question were obtained through the implementation of a ballistic separation process with simultaneous screening directly after excavation, from which about 77 wt.% of the total amount of processed material in raw state corresponded to the fine fractions. These fractions presented an overall bulk density range of 720-1000 kg/m 3 in raw state and a total water content range of 25-30 wt.%. In dry state, the material showed a more uniform particle size distribution than in raw state, and results confirm that water content has a large impact on the particle size distribution of the fine fractions, as well as on the content of impurities in the material fractions "Combustibles", "Inert", "Total metals" and "Others" and on the presence of agglomerates. Results on the material composition in dry state reveal that amounts of 2.1-19.7 wt.% "Combustibles", 31.1-35.4 wt.% "Inert" and 0.6-1.8 wt.% "Total metals" could be recovered from the fine fractions 90-10 mm, while 37.8-55.6 wt.% "Fine fractions <10 mm" could be processed further in order to increase the recovery amounts of the previous material fractions and produce a substitute material for soil in construction applications.

(Enhanced) landfill mining ((E)LFM) projects have been mainly driven by land reclamation, environmental pollution mitigation and remediation of old landfills and dumpsites, among others. However, previous studies have also shown that these sites may be a relevant source of secondary raw materials. In this respect and within the framework of the "EU Training Network for Resource Recovery through Enhanced Landfill Mining-NEW-MINE", around 374 Mg of waste was excavated from a landfill site in the municipality of Mont-Saint-Guibert, Belgium, as part of a case study to evaluate the full implementation of ELFM. The excavated landfilled material was pre-processed with a ballistic separator onsite directly after excavation, with which the fine fractions (material <90 mm) were obtained. Subsequently, samples of the fine fractions were characterized in order to determine their main properties and material composition, which in turn were used to define the material and energy recovery strategies to be followed. According to these strategies a chain of mechanical processing steps was selected and tested in the processing of the fine fractions in the optimal water content (15 wt.% WC) and dry states. The mechanical processing consisted of particle size classification, ferrous and non-ferrous metals extraction, density separation and sensor-based sorting steps. For the recovery of materials (waste-to-material), fractions of a soil-like material (fine fractions <4.5 mm), inert, ferrous and non-ferrous metals were targeted. These fractions might be suitable for replacing soil in construction applications (e.g. embankments), substituting construction aggregates (e.g. construction gravel) and recycling, respectively. For the recovery of energy (waste-to-energy), a fraction composed of combustible materials was aimed for, which might be suitable for the production of an alternative fuel (e.g. refuse derived fuel). The mechanical processing in the dry state yielded total amounts of 41.9-43.9 wt.% DM fine fractions <4.5 mm, 35.9-39.0 wt.% DM inert materials, 7.4-10.0 wt.% DM combustible materials, 1.2-1.8 wt.% DM ferrous metals and 0.2-0.4 wt.% DM non-ferrous metals. These figures suggest that a significant share of the fine fractions could be recovered through the tested mechanical processing approach, which might contribute to the overall economic and environmental feasibility of the project in case of implementing full scale (E)LFM at the studied landfill site.

Nonferrous metals (NFMs) provide a major contribution to potential revenues generated by the implementation of landfill mining (LFM). However, metals present in landfills undergo stronger degradation than during regular use, likely resulting in a lower quality compared to conventional scrap. Nowadays, information relating to the most common metals found in LFM projects is readily available, although no consistent quality data can be attained. In general, excavated landfill material is processed mechanically through a series of different steps, including screening and metal separation by magnetic and eddy current separators. This study focuses on the characterisation of NFMs recovered from a specific landfill site in Belgium, with the aim of assessing the quality of each NFM for marketing purposes. The study also addresses the issue of metal concentration and defilements detected, with a preliminary evaluation indicating a total of 5 kg of NFMs per ton of excavated material processed at the Mont-Saint-Guibert landfill. In addition, the application of thermal treatment enabled the observation that, on average, only 70 wt% of the nonferrous fraction is metallic. The majority of surface defilements (30 wt%) are represented by a combination of organic and inorganic impurities that are strongly bound to NFMs. Consequently, the different scraps extracted and the eventual destination of each were technically assessed using two separate approaches. The first approach facilitated the potential recovery of seven types of scraps from NFMs, including two different qualities of Al scrap, two of Cu, one of Pb, one of Zn, and one of stainless steel. In line with the second, and perhaps more realistic approach, NFMs may be directly marketable from the landfill as mixed nonferrous scrap.

Automated quality assurance is gaining popularity across application areas; however, automatization for monitoring and control of product quality in waste processing is still in its infancy. At the same time, research on this topic is scattered, limiting efficient implementation of already developed strategies and technologies across research and application areas. To this end, the current work describes a scoping review conducted to systematically map available sensor-based quality assurance technologies and research based on the PRISMA-ScR framework. Additionally, the current state of research and potential automatization strategies are described in the context of construction and demolition waste processing. The results show 31 different sensor types extracted from a collection of 364 works, which have varied popularity depending on the application. However, visual imaging and spectroscopy sensors in particular seem to be popular overall. Only five works describing quality control system implementation were found, of which three describe varying manufacturing applications. Most works found describe proof-of-concept quality prediction systems on a laboratory scale. Compared to other application areas, works regarding construction and demolition waste processing indicate that the area seems to be especially behind in terms of implementing visual imaging at higher technology readiness levels. Moreover, given the importance of reliable and detailed data on material quality to transform the construction sector into a sustainable one, future research on quality monitoring and control systems could therefore focus on the implementation on higher technology readiness levels and the inclusion of detailed descriptions on how these systems have been verified.