AWAY?...

Burying waste into history

Engineered Landfill with Gas CollectionAdvantages: Reduces fires, isolated, can generate energy

Problems: - Cost - Corruption- leachate - excludes wastepickers - increases methane generation- 20-80% capture of methane- incentivises methane generation- Incentivises disposal

Mass Burn Incinerator

Problems- Cost- Corruption- Air emissions- Fly and bottom ash- GHG emissions- Destroys resources- Competes with

recycling- Needs auxuliary

fuel

Advantages: no methane emissions, generates heat and power

Extraction ofVirgin

Materials

Production ofManufactured

itemsConsumption

DiscardedMaterials

Solid waste

Air pollution

Water pollution

Carbon dioxide

Solid waste

Air pollution

Water pollution

Carbon dioxide

ENERGY ENERGY

GLOBAL WARMING

A LINEAR SOCIETY

Extraction ofVirgin

Materials

Production ofManufactured

itemsConsumption

DiscardedMaterials

Solid waste

Air pollution

Water pollution

Carbon dioxide

Solid waste

Air pollution

Water pollution

Carbon dioxide

ENERGY ENERGY

GLOBAL WARMING

RECYCLING OF MATERIALS

Extraction ofVirgin

Materials

Production ofManufactured

itemsConsumption

DiscardedMaterials

Solid waste

Air pollution

Water pollution

Carbon dioxide

Solid waste

Air pollution

Water pollution

Carbon dioxide

ENERGY ENERGY

GLOBAL WARMING

REUSE OF OBJECTS

WHY WASTE?

Planned obsolescence

"Instilling in the buyer the desire to own something a little newer, a little better, a little sooner than is necessary.“ Brooks Stevens, 1954

Perceived obsolescence

SUSTAINABILITY?

Running constant deficit in the global ecological budget

In 2010 we used 150% of the resources that the earth produced.Source: Global Footprint Network

Source: EEA

As important as building a circular economy is to reduce the materials use

Changing the concept:From Recycling to Zero WasteThe real solution to the waste problem

SUMMARY10 steps to Zero Waste

SourceSeparation

Resources

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection

Evolution of separate collection

• Source: Catalan Waste Agency

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection Composting

Separate collection of organics is at the core of ZW!

Recycling

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection Composting

RecyclingReuse, Repair & Community

Center

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection Composting

Reusable items

Value of Los Angeles discarded materials

RecyclingReuse, Repair & Community

Center

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection Composting

Next to source separation and treatment we need to reduce residual fraction!

1) Waste reduction initiatives2) Economic incentives

Waste ReductionInitiatives

RecyclingReuse, Repair & Community

Center

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection Composting

Reduce food wastageIn time collection of food from supermarkets and restaurants

Plastic bag taxes (Ireland) or bans (Italy, Philipines...)

Desmaterialisation of presents

Promotion of reusable nappies

Workshop to train to self-repair...

effecorta

Waste ReductionInitiatives

RecyclingReuse, Repair & Community

Center

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection Composting

EconomicIncentives

1 2 $

free freeThe more

you waste,the moreyou pay!

“Pay as you throw” system

1 2 $

free freeThe less

you make,the moreyou save!

“Save as you throw” system

Waste ReductionInitiatives

RecyclingReuse, Repair & Community

Center

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection Composting

Residual Separation &

Research Center

EconomicIncentives

MORE TOXICS

NON-RECYCLABLE FRACTION

RESIDUAL SCREENING & RESEARCH FACILITY

MORE RECYCLABLES

DIRTYORGANIC FRACTION

INTERIM LANDFILL

BIOLOGICAL STABILIZATIONRESEARCH

CENTER

NON-RECYCABLE MATERIALS

Local University

Or Technical College

ZERO WASTE RESEARCH CENTER

Waste ReductionInitiatives

RecyclingReuse, Repair & Community

Center

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection Composting

Residual Separation &

Research Center

Better Industrial

Design

EconomicIncentives

The Message to Industry:

If a product can’t be reused, repaired, recycled or composted it should be redesigned or taken out of the system.

We need better industrial design for the 21st Century

Waste ReductionInitiatives

RecyclingReuse, Repair & Community

Center

SourceSeparation

Door to DoorCollection Composting

Residual Separation &

Research Center

Better Industrial

Design

EconomicIncentives

Temporary Landfill

Iniziative Riduzione

rifiutiRiciclaggio

Separazione alla

sorgente

RaccoltaPorta a Porta

Compostaggio

Residual Separation &

ResearchFacility

BetterIndustrial

Design

IncentiviEconomici

INTERIM LANDFILL2020

RiutilizzoRiparazione eCentro per la

Comunita’

70 - 80% COMMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY

Iniziative Riduzione

rifiutiRiciclaggio

Separazione alla

sorgente

RaccoltaPorta a Porta

Compostaggio

Separazione del residuo e

Centro di ricerca

migliore design

industriale

IncentiviEconomici

INTERIM LANDFILL 2020

RiutilizzoRiparazione eCentro per la

Comunita’

70-80%COMUNITY RESPONSIBILITY

20-30%INDUSTRIAL

RESPONSIBILITY

10. An interim landfill for biologically

stabilized dirty organic fraction

ZERO WASTE1) Is low tech - most of the facilities can be designed and built by local

companies2) Keeps most of the money spent on the system in the local area, creating

jobs and small business opportunities3) Every component is operating somewhere in the world4) It is better for health, better for the economy and better for the planet.5) Introduces “discipline” into the system via residual separation and

research6) Integrates higher education into solution7) Is positive8) Brings people together not drive them apart (zero waste is above

politics)9) Challenges the creativity of both citizens and decision makers10) Offers more hope about the future

What does it take?

San Francisco• San Francisco (1,5 millon hab)

set a Zero Waste goal for 2020.• Generates 1,8 million

tones/year• No incineration to avoid

competition with recycling and reduction.

• 2003 – 30%• 2010 – 75%• 2020 – 100%

Kovalam - IndiaThe implementation of Zero Waste

as a reaction to an incineration project allowed to:

- Compost more (less fertilisers needed),

- Reuse,- recicler,- Gas,- Generate jobs (especially for

women),- Change the production system

from linear to circular and bring in EPR and research,

- Increase tourism.

make lovenot war.

make lovenot waste!

Joan Marc SimonJm.simon@no-burn.org

www.zerowasteeurope.euwww.no-burn.org

www.zwia.org

References

• The European Environment - state & outlook 2010• The Global Footprint network• UNEP Waste and Climate Change report 2010• Eurostat – waste statistics• www.no-burn.org • www.storyofstuff.org • www.zerowasteeurope.eu• For pictures: www.seppo.net • Credit to Paul Connett for many slides.