The transformation from waste to resource

Waste is one of the biggest challenges faced by our society today. If not handled correctly, waste pollutes our natural environment with devastating results. Waste management can be expensive and much of the waste that we generate today can be reused or recycled is still thrown as residual waste. This means a large number of resources are thrown away as residual waste that has to be handled at an unnecessarily high cost. In this context, unused waste represents a potential loss.

What if we decide to use this waste as a resource and thereby scale down the demand for extraction of new resources? This means we will extract fewer materials and use existing resources that will help avert some of the impacts created along the chain.

Since the late 1980s, across Western Europe view on waste, has changed and increased awareness of environmental issues has been given more attention. Turning waste into a resource by 2020 is one of the key objectives of the EU’s Roadmap to a Resource Efficient Europe. The roadmap also highlights the need to ensure high-quality resource extraction, recycling, eliminate landfilling, limit energy recovery to non-recyclable materials, and stop illegal shipments of waste.

Unlike in European countries, developing countries face difficulties affording sophisticated industrial machinery. With current uncertainties predicting low economic growth finding funding in future is not just going to be an easy task. But that doesn’t mean we should not take steps to reduce the amount of waste entering into the waste stream every day. To arrive at a sustainable solution all we need to change from a mindset of managing waste to one of increasing resource productivity.

The “waste management” reality in most places of the world equals no separation, no controlled collection. Earth's resources are no longer enough to extract new raw materials for production. This means we have to take advantage of the resources available in our waste and start recycling starting from waste sorting. Our waste generally consists of materials such as plastic bottles, drinks cans and paper that can be recycled; or food and garden waste that can produce compost. Although generally captured in the ‘waste system’, these materials are not waste they are resources, because their value has not yet been exhausted.

Segregating the waste

Experience proves segregating the waste at the source where it is being generated is the key to successful waste management. Once it is segregated resource value can be extracted and it can be properly treated. Mixed waste always creates a problem as the organic and inorganic materials are mixed they cannot be utilised or recycled. Therefore waste segregation should be included in law because it is much easier to reuse and recycle. With effective segregation of wastes, there will be less waste that goes to landfill making waste management process cheaper and better for people and the environment.

The municipal solid waste consists of recyclables, organic waste and some inert. Currently, the main environmental threat from biowaste (and other biodegradable waste) is the production of methane from such waste decomposing in landfills, which accounted for some 3% of total greenhouse gas emissions.

Kitchen and gardening waste (Organic Waste) constitutes the biggest fraction of municipal solid waste in all most all developing countries. This type of waste, when collected separately, can be easily turned into an energy source or fertiliser. Striking improvements in the management of municipal waste has resulted in significantly reduced landfill area lowering greenhouse gas emissions across Europe, which has significantly contributed to the EU’s climate change mitigation efforts.

Organic waste can be made converted into compost and can be used in gardens. This can be done by individuals or communities. Basically, composting denotes to natural recycling of organic wastes such as food leftovers, fruits and vegetable peels, dried leaves, dung, etc. It involves breaking down of organic wastes by micro-organisms, mainly fungi and bacteria, present in the soil into nutrient-rich humus. Humus is supplied with inorganic nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which help improve the quality and texture of the soil and also work as the chief ingredients for plant food. Based on the outside temperatures of an area, the whole process can be completed within a time period of six months to twelve months. Advance decomposing methods such as vermicomposting, fly larvae composting, aerobic decomposition combining microbial growth are more used for reducing the cycle period as well as improved products with increased value.

Turning growing volumes of solid waste into income-generating resources has been identified by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) as an important opportunity for developing countries provided they are able to improve the efficiency of waste management services, with the help of the private sector and communities.

The lack of knowledge and experience in solid waste management situations in developing countries and tendency adopt practices, technologies available in the developed nations regardless of their applicability to the developing country situation has resulted in many failures and waste in financial resources. Based on our experience, some of the most critical needs include, lack of political will to deal with the problem, lack of coordinated national policy related to solid waste management, absence of rules and regulations, insufficient funds dedication to solving this problem, a severe absence of educational programmes at all levels and last but not least no policies related to preserving or creating a ‘circular economy’ all contribute towards not being able to find a sustainable solution to this problem. Strengthening solid waste management can result in the creation of several co-benefits such as job creation, reduced pollution, increases in crop yields, and cost savings.

Inspired by the cyclical mode of production and degradation of biological materials by organisms, Sus Consulting Services, together with its collaborators, focus on translating those principles in urban ecosystems for effective waste management with developing economies. This new development we propose will transform the way we manufacture, enabling an alternative model where materials are produced and consumed using locally available resources.