• Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science
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• v.20 no.1
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• pp.59-69
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• 2010

Green or an environmental consciousness has been a major issue for businesses and government offices, as well as consumers, worldwide. In response to this movement, the Korean government announced, in the early 2000s, the era of "Green Growth" as a way to encourage green-related business activities. The Korean fashion industry, in various levels of involvement, presents diverse eco-friendly products as a part of the green movement. These apparel products include organic products and recycled clothing. For these companies to be successful, they need information about who are the consumers who consider green issues (e.g., environmental sustainability) as part of their personal values when making a decision for product purchase, use, and disposal. These consumers can be considered as eco-sumers. Previous studies have examined consumers' purchase intention for or with eco-friendly products. In addition, studies have examined influential factors used to identify the eco-sumers or green consumers. However, limited attention was paid to eco-sumers' disposal or recycling behavior of clothes in comparison with their green product purchases. Clothing disposal behaviors are ways that consumer can get rid of unused clothing and in clue temporarily lending the item or permanently eliminating the item by "handing down" (e.g., giving it to a younger sibling), donating, exchanging, selling, or simply throwing it away. Accordingly, examining purchasing behaviors of eco-friendly fashion items in conjunction with clothing disposal behaviors should improve understanding of a consumer's clothing consumption behavior from the environmental perspective. The purpose of this exploratory study is to provide descriptive information about Korean eco-sumers who have ecologically-favorable lifestyles and behaviors when buying and disposing of clothes. The objectives of this study are to (a) categorize Koreans on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors; (b) investigate the differences in demographics, lifestyles, and clothing consumption values among segments; and (c) compare the purchase intention of eco-friendly fashion items and influential factors among segments. A self-administered questionnaire was developed based on previous studies. The questionnaire included 10 items of clothing disposal behavior, 22 items of LOHAS (Lifestyles of Health and Sustainability) characteristics, and 19 items of consumption values, measured by five-point Likert-type scales. In addition, the purchase intention of two eco-friendly fashion items and 11 attributes of each item were measured by seven-point Likert type scales. Two polyester fleece pullovers, made from fabric created from recycled bottles with the PET identification code, were selected from one Korean brand and one US imported brand among outdoor sportswear brands. A brief description of each product with a color picture was provided in the survey. Demographic variables (i.e., gender, age, marital status, education level, income, occupation) were also included. The data were collected through a professional web survey agency during May 2009. A total of 600 final usable questionnaires were analyzed. The age of respondents ranged from 20 to 49 years old with a mean age of 34 years. Fifty percent of the respondents were males and about 58% were married, and 62% reported having earned university degrees. Principal components factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to identify the underlying dimensions of the clothing disposal behavior scale, and three factors were generated (i.e., reselling behavior, donating behavior, non-recycling behavior). To categorize the respondents on the basis of clothing disposal behaviors, k-mean cluster analysis was used, and three segments were obtained. These consumer segments were labeled as 'Resale Group', 'Donation Group', and 'Non-Recycling Group.' The classification results indicated approximately 98 percent of the original cases were correctly classified. With respect to demographic characteristics among the three segments, significant differences were found in gender, marital status, occupation, and age. LOHAS characteristics were reduced into the following five factors: self-satisfaction, family orientation, health concern, environmental concern, and voluntary service. Significant differences were found in the LOHAS factors among the three clusters. Resale Group and Donation Group showed a similar predisposition to LOHAS issues while the Non-Recycling Group presented the lowest mean scores on the LOHAS factors compared to the other segments. The Resale and Donation Groups described themselves as enjoying or being satisfied with their lives and spending spare-time with family. In addition, these two groups cared about health and organic foods, and tried to conserve energy and resources. Principal components factor analysis generated clothing consumption values into the following three factors: personal values, social value, and practical value. The ANOVA test with the factors showed differences primarily between the Resale Group and the other two groups. The Resale Group was more concerned about personal value and social value than the other segments. In contrast, the Non-Recycling Group presented the higher level of social value than did Donation Group. In a comparison of the intention to purchase eco-friendly products, the Resale Group showed the highest mean score on intent to purchase Product A. On the other hand, the Donation Group presented the highest intention to purchase for Product B among segments. In addition, the mean scores indicated that the Korean product (Product B) was more preferable for purchase than the U.S. product (Product A). Stepwise regression analysis was used to identify the influence of product attributes on the purchase intention of eco product. With respect to Product A, design, price and contribution to environmental preservation were significant to predict purchase intention for the Resale Group, while price and compatibility with my image factors were significant for the Donation Group. For the Non-Recycling Group, design, price compatibility with the factors of my image, participation to eco campaign, and contribution to environmental preservation were significant. Price appropriateness was significant for each of the three clusters. With respect to Product B, design, price and compatibility with my image factors were important, but different attributes were associated significantly with purchase intention for each of the three groups. The influence of LOHAS characteristics and clothing consumption values on intention to purchase Products A and B were also examined. The LOHAS factor of health concern and the personal value factor were significant in the relationships with the purchase intention; however, the explanatory powers were low in the three segments. Findings showed that each group as classified by clothing disposal behaviors showed differences in the attributes of a product, personal values, and the LOHAS characteristics that influenced their purchase intention of eco-friendly products. Findings would enable organizations to understand eco-friendly behavior and to design appropriate strategic decisions to appeal eco-sumers.

• Journal of the Korea Organic Resources Recycling Association
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• v.24 no.4
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• pp.39-48
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• 2016

An information management system for a solid waste landfill site was developed, in this study, to optimize the operation and management of solid waste landfill in real time in addition to provide the information of landfill status to the landfill operator, public official concerned and local residents. The landfill information management system is composed of two systems (Solid waste landfill history management system and landfill operation and performance management system). The solid waste landfill history management system based on automated RFID/LPR system allows landfill operators to provide information of waste collection vehicles and received waste. In addition, the system aids in the identification of 3-dimensional (3D) position for landfilled solid wastes. Using the landfill operation and performance management system based on 3D laser scanner delivers information about landfill volume, settlement, landfill density, and current landfill capacity to landfill operators in real time, resulting in optimum space utilization. Ultimately, this system would dramatically reduce exposure of landfill operators to hazardous materials and improve the productivity of landfill operations.

• Hwankyungkyoyuk
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• v.20 no.2
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• pp.93-107
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• 2007

Livestock agriculture plays an essential role Hongsung's economy. Unfortunately, if manure is manage properly it can contaminate water and pollute the air. The purposes of this study were to provide awareness of environmental impact and to design educational programs with sustainable agriculture. I used the specific steps of processes. First, collecting informations through survey on environmental awareness of livestock farmers in Hongsung-gun and recognizing the tendencies. Second, analyzing on educational status of livestock farmers. Third, finding objectives of environmental educational programs. At the end of processes, establishing programs which concerning on environmental education. I used two research methods to gather and analyze the data for developing an environmental education program. The first one is a general survey among 50 livestock farmers from Hongseong-gun, Chungcheongnam-do. The second one is the in-depth interviews with specialists in environmental education and government officials from the central government - the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry - and the local government - Hongsung-gun who are in charge of livestock farming. I found the following results from this research. First, most livestock farmers replied with 'highly likely' to the five items on the recognition of the necessity of environment preservation, whereas only 38.7% answered with 'likely' to the item on the environmental pollution caused by livestock farming. This shows the tendency that they have less recognition of the reality than necessary. Second, most of the contents among 5 areas(knowledge, recognition, function, attitude, and participation) are the knowledge areas. That results are analyzed training materials for livestock farmers made by Hongsung-gun in 2004 and in 2005 by using goal categories suggested in the Tbilisi Resolution. Third, after analyzing the survey and in-depth interviews, I found that the need for education to recognize the environmental pollution, environmental protection and recycling of the livestock waste. We can summarize conclusions from this research. First, we need on educational program improve the livestock farmers' recognition of importance in environmental protection. Second, it is necessary to develop educational program with the viewpoint that livestock waste is not one of the culprits of the environmental pollution, but a recyclable resource. Third, contents of the environmental education program, should include all the educational elements, namely, knowledge, recognition, attitude, function and participation. The education for livestock farmers requires a research on the environmental education program that can be used with crop farmers who can use the resources recycled from the livestock waste from the viewpoint of recycling resources. This research is focused on the collection and analysis of the basic data for developing an environmental education program and the composition of the program. A further research on the implementation and assessment of this program is required.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.21 no.2
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• pp.3-8
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• 2012

In the points of the environmental conservation and the recirculating utilization of limited resources, it is very important to recover valuable metals like Au, Ag, Pd, Cu, Sn, Ni, Co, and Li used as industrial raw materials from urban ores. From now, many processes have been developed for recovering the valuable metals contained in urban ores and some of them have been operated commercially. In the paper, pyrometallurgical processes developed for reclaiming valuable metals from urban ores will be briefly introduced.

• Resources Recycling
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• v.32 no.3
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• pp.3-8
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• 2023

This study discussed production, demand, and future prospects of rubidium, which is an alkali group metal that is highly reactive to various media and requires carefulness in handling, but no significant environmental hazard of rubidium has been reported yet. Rubidium is used in various fields such as optoelectronic equipment, biomedical, and chemical industries. Because of difficulty in production as well as limited demand, the transaction price of rubidium is relatively high, but its detail information such as market status and potential growth is uncertain. However, if the mass production of versatile ultra-high-performance equipment such as quantum computers and the necessity of rubidium use in the equipment are confirmed, there is a possibility that the rubidium market will expand in the future. Rubidium is often found together with lithium, beryllium, and cesium, and may be present in granite containing minerals such as lepidolite and pollucite, as well as in seawater and industrial waste. Several technologies such as acid leaching, roasting, solvent extraction, and adsorption are used to recover rubidium. The maximum recovery efficiency of the rubidium from the sources and the processing above is generally high, but, in many practices, rubidium is not the main recovery target, and therefore the actual recovery effects should depend on presence of other valuable components or impurities, together with recovery costs, energy consumption, environmental issues, etc. In conclusion, although the current production and consumption of rubidium are limited, with consideration of the possible market fluctuations according to the emergence of large-scale demand sources, etc., further investigations by related institutions should be necessary.

• Journal of Nuclear Fuel Cycle and Waste Technology(JNFCWT)
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• v.13 no.3
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• pp.219-227
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• 2015

Radioactive waste processing and disposal is a major problem that needs to be fully addressed by countries that use nuclear power. In recent years, only a few countries have made substantial progress on this issue, and the French stepwise legislative approach on radioactive waste management is evaluated as a successful case. For South Korea, it is still necessary to prepare an adequate national policy for dealing with radioactive waste so the French model has been suggested as a direction of policy making in Korea. Based on comparisons of technical status and sociopolitical indexes in both countries, then this study suggests that the French legislative model is a valid one which may be applicable to the Korean context, especially in relation to resource recycling and social acceptance enhancement strategies.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.18 no.6
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• pp.215-226
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• 2015

This study introduced food waste into re-vegetation base materials for surface loss recovery of carry-away highway cut slope. The object of this study is to derive the mixing ratio of food waste by conducting a test installation, monitoring, analysis and evaluation for recovery of carry-away highway cut slope. The following items were investigated and analyzed each experimental zone to draw mixing ratio of re-vegetation base materials and food waste : the physical and chemical properties of the vegetation base materials, soil-hardness, soil-humidity, left out and the collapsed point, established number of trees, species richness of grass species and tree species, coverage, pest status, and invasion of disturbance species. The re-vegetation method was evaluated by each experiment zone which has different mixing ratio. As a result, experiment zone A was rated 45 points out of 60 rating points as the best re-vegetation method. However, this study result has been derived from one construction and short-term monitoring. In order to derive the suitable and dependable mixing ratio, conducting an objective re-vegetation method evaluation and long-term experiment and monitoring is required.

• Journal of the Korean Society of Environmental Restoration Technology
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• v.19 no.4
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• pp.45-59
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• 2016

This study introduced wood waste into revegetation base materials for recovery of highway cut slope. The object of this study is to derive the mixing ratio of wood waste, kaoline and silica by conducting a test installation, monitoring, analysis and evaluation. The following items were investigated and analyzed each experimental zone to deduce the mixing ratio of wood waste, kaoline and silica on slope revegetation base materials: the physical and chemical properties of the vegetation base materials, soil-hardness, soil-humidity, collapse and eroded spots, established number of trees, existing species of grass and tree species, vegetation coverage ratio, pest status, and invasion of disturbance species. The revegetation method was evaluated in each experiment zone which had different mixing ratios. As a result, experiment zone C scored 47 points out of 60 as the best revegetation method. However, this result has been derived from just one construction and short-term monitoring. In order to derive the suitable and dependable mixing ratio, conducting an objective revegetation method evaluation and long-term experimenting and monitoring is required.

• Journal of Environmental Policy
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• v.14 no.1
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• pp.135-158
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• 2015

An efficient management system of mercury-containing waste was designed by reviewing the management and treatment of spent fluorescent lamp in Korea and foreign countries. According to Waste Management Act in Korea, mercury-containing wastes from households are classified as municipal solid wastes even though mercury-containing wastes pose hazardous risks. In general, hence, mercury-containing wastes from households are not being managed properly because those wastes from households were not classified as specific wastes (or hazardous wastes). Some mercury-containing wastes are managed as a mandatory target item in waste charge system and Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) system under Act on Promotion for Saving and Recycling of Resources. An efficient management plan of mercury-containing wastes can be derived with an improved collection system, designating disposal sites and advanced treatment facilities for spent fluorescent lamps. Finally, the role of each agent involved from collection to disposal of mercury-containing wastes was suggested to establish the efficient management system for mercury-containing waste.

• Journal of Energy Engineering
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.315-324
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• 2012

Waste reduce, recycle, energy recovery technology is one of 27 key green technology by 2012, the government should increase R&D investment, despite the period 2008 to 2010 average annual growth rate was decreased. Accordingly, this area of government investment in R&D status analyzed in detail and as a result, total government investment in R&D decreased, but in these fields to define strategic product services investment in technology is increasing centralization trend that appears to be investment in the quality of determined that the good is. In particular, in 2010, strategic product service of the technologies 3 technology groups ((1) waste energy equipment (2) waste resource recycling facilities (3) waste based materials production facilities) the proportion of 24-28% relatively evenly invested, government R&D is judged that adequate investment in quality.