1. A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Integrated Waste Management TREN 3P14: Sustainable Integrated Waste Management David T. Brown Dept. of Tourism and Environment, Brock University St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada L2S 3A1 dbrown@brocku.ca

2. http://www.brocku.ca/tren/ courses/tren3P14/2006/ Further information and course outline available through WebCT or at WebCT

3. A Conceptual Framework for Sustainable Integrated Waste Management Outline u Sustainability: principles ->policy -> practice u Implications for Waste Management u Waste Management Principles u Policy Implications

4. Sustainability Putting principles into practice... How do we move from rhetoric to reality?

5. Proximate Issues: Waste management problems at any scale or jurisdictional level Challenge: To effect positive change by applying generalized principles of sustainability

6. Proximate Issues: Waste management problems at any scale or jurisdictional level

7. principles

8. principles policy

9. principles policy practice

10. Some Principles of Sustainability in the literature: u Our Common Future (WCED 1987) u Principles defining sustainable development (OSEM 1989) u Defining a sustainable society (Robinson et al. 1990,1996) u Agenda 21 (1992) u Six principles of sustainable development (ORTEE 1992) u Guideposts for a sustainable future (Nickerson 1993) u Framework for Sustainable Development (CIDA 1994) u The Natural Step (Robert et al. 1994) u Sustainability Principles (ORTEE 1994), etc.

11. Recent compilation of Principles of Sustainability http://iisd1.iisd.ca/sd/principle.asp -IISD (Winnipeg) -IISD (Winnipeg)

12. Sustainable development: u meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. –World Commission on Environment and Development (1987): Our Common Future

13. u the concept of needs, particularly the essential needs of the world’s poor EQUITY u the idea of limitations (ecological, technological, and social) which affect the environment’s ability to meet present and future needs LIMITS TO GROWTH (quantitative and qualitative) -> living within the regenerative and assimilative capacities of the planet Two key sustainable development concepts: Two key sustainable development concepts:

14. Sustainable development... u considers future and present needs when making decisions about: –resource use –technological development –direction of investments –political & institutional change

15. ECONOMY ENV’T SOCIETY TRADITIONAL DECISION MAKING

16. ECONOMY ENV’T SOCIETY TRADITIONAL DECISION MAKING NON-PARTICIPATORY NON-PARTICIPATORY FRAGMENTEDFRAGMENTED

17. SOCIETY ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY ECONOMY ENV’T SOCIETY TRADITIONAL DECISION MAKING ECOSYSTEM-BASED DECISION MAKING ‘ECO- SYSTEM HEALTH’

18. SOCIETY ENVIRONMENT ECONOMY ECOSYSTEM-BASED DECISION MAKING PARTICIPATORY PARTICIPATORY INTEGRATED INTEGRATED ‘ECO-SYSTEMHEALTH’

19. To be useful, principles of sustainability must: u be easily understood u be applicable in many contexts u be transferrable across scales u translate well into applied policy and practical action u identify possibilities for radical transformative change AND positive incremental change

20. Sustainability: PROBLEMS u Depletion of finite resources –fuels, soil, minerals, species u Over-use of renewable resources –forests, fish & wildlife, fertility, public funds u Pollution –air, water, soil u Inequity –economic, political, social, gender u Species loss –endangered species and spaces

21. Sustainability: SOLUTIONS u Cyclical material use –emulate natural cycles; 3 R’s u Safe reliable energy –conservation, renewable energy, substitution, interim measures u Life-based interests –health, creativity, communication, coordination, appreciation, learning, intellectual and spiritual development

22. Implications for Waste Management

23. Guideposts for Sustainability (after Nickerson, 1993) Activities are sustainable when they: 1.Use materials in continuous cycles. 2.Use continuously reliable sources of energy. 3.Encourage desirable human traits (equity; creativity; communication; coordination; appreciation; intellectual and spiritual development). One example of a set of principles:

24. Guideposts for Sustainability Activities are not sustainable when they: 4.Require continual inputs of non-renewable resources. 5.Use renewable resources faster than their rate of renewal. 6. Cause cumulative degradation of the environment. 7. Require resources in quantities that could never be available for people everywhere. 8. Lead to the extinction of other life forms.

25. Obsolescent “frontier” civilization: ENERGY CONVENTIONAL URBAN SYSTEM MATERIALS HEAT WASTE & TOXINS One-way flow of materials and energy CONSUMERSOCIETY NON-RENEWABLE and RENEWABLE HIGHTHROUGHPUT

26. Current waste management practices are unsustainable due to: u waste of energy and materials u environmental degradation – poor disposal practices – toxic, hazardous, infectious waste => health and safety implications u poor institutional integration u lack of accountability for waste producers

27. Sustainable Integrated Waste Management Sustainable - u consistent with principles of sustainability Integrated - u functionally u across spatial and temporal scales temporal scales u across jurisdictions

28. Sustainable integrated waste management practices must: u reduce material and energy wastage u protect environmental quality –minimize impacts of disposal –eliminate or treat toxic, hazardous, and infectious wastes u improve institutional integration u increase accountability

29. CONSERVERSOCIETY Sustainable civilization: Cyclical flows of materialsCyclical flows of materials Appropriate energy usageAppropriate energy usage Energy Efficiency RENEWABLE Waste Minimization Toxics control LOWTHROUGHPUT ENERGY MATERIALS Low-quality Heat Energy Low-volumeNontoxicWasteMaterials

30. Sustainable integrated waste management u is proactive, not reactive u aims to minimize waste throughout the life cycle of a product, from resource extraction to ultimate disposal u requires cooperation amongst individuals, jurisdictions, disciplines, and sectors u is based upon emerging principles of sustainability

31. SustainableIntegratedWasteManagement SourceReduction SourceSeparation Composting Waste to Energy? TransferStations Landfill WasteExchanges Recycling Incineration? WasteAudits Reuse

32. Waste Management Principles

33. What is GARBAGE? u the inevitable byproduct of human activity and endeavour u a relative concept: “One person’s trash is another person’s treasure” u materials not valued by a given individual, culture, or society u changes with resource availability

34. Three basic methods of garbage disposal u open dumping –on land, in inland waters, or at sea u burning –open fires to modern incineration u burial –garbage pits to engineered sanitary landfills

35. The 3 Rs: A framework for responsible waste management 1. REDUCE 1. REDUCE 2. REUSE 2. REUSE 3. RECYCLE 3. RECYCLE

36. Waste Management Hierarchy

37. The debated 4th R: 4. RECOVER

38. 1. REDUCE Avoid unnecessary waste generation in the first place u eliminate unnecessary consumption u refine industrial and commercial processes to reduce waste u avoid unnecessary packaging u substitute reusables for disposables u buy durable, long-lasting items

39. 2. REUSE Use objects, devices, or substances again u refillable containers u durables instead of disposables u reusable packaging

40. 3. RECYCLE Use “waste” materials in place of virgin materials to create a new product u many recycling variants u to be an appropriate strategy, the net environmental impacts must be lower than the impacts of using virgin materials

41. The debated 4th “R”: 4. RECOVER Extracting energy or material resources (usually fuels) from waste u energy-recovering incinerators u refuse-derived fuel facilities u materials recovery facilities debated because recovery is perceived to be contrary to the first 3 R’s, and to produce toxic emissions

42. Sectoral Sources of Waste Major waste generating sectors: RESIDENTIAL SECTOR –private homes and dwellings F commingled; many materials F overall composition quite predictable u ICI SECTOR –Industrial, Commercial, Institutional F many large volume waste generators F specialized waste streams F excellent materials exchange possibilities

43. What’s in the waste stream? u PAPER u GLASS u FERROUS METAL u NON-FERROUS METAL u PLASTICS u TEXTILES u LEATHER u RUBBER u WOOD u RUBBLE u DIAPERS u ORGANICS u ASHES u CERAMICS u FIBERGLASS u APPLIANCES u TIRES Residential waste is typically classified into several major categories (e.g. Ontario MOEE) Residential waste is typically classified into several major categories (e.g. Ontario MOEE) Local classifications may be used to better reflect local waste generation patterns Local classifications may be used to better reflect local waste generation patterns

44. Major categories may be further subdivided: PLASTICS: u PET u HDPE u PVC u LDPE u PP u PS u Nylon PAPER: u Newsprint u Fine paper u Glossy magazines u Waxed / coated u Boxboard u Kraft paper u Corrugated u Tissues

45. Finer categories may reflect local markets LAEM CHABANG: Glass u clear containers –Misc. clear glass –Flat / round whiskey –Soda bottles u brown containers –Misc. brown glass –Lipovitan D bottles ONTARIO: Glass u clear containers –Misc. clear glass –Deposit soda bottles u brown containers –Misc. brown glass –deposit beer bottles

46. REDUCE... Source Reduction Options

47. Source reduction: u front-end, preventative approach to managing wastes u targets reduced waste volume u targets reduced waste toxicity u proactive, not reactive

48. Source reduction initiatives may target: u Design, production, and marketing of products u Manufacturing of products u Consumer behaviour

49. Source reduction objectives in design, production and marketing of products u minimize materials use u minimize use of toxic substances u increase product life span u improve repairability, reusability, and remanufacturability u market the above attributes

50. Source reduction objectives in manufacturing processes u improved production efficiencies u in-house reuse of materials and packaging u in-house recycling of plant scrap u reduction / elimination of toxics

51. Source reduction objectives in consumer behaviour u altered purchasing patterns to favour longer lasting, reuseable, remanufacturable, repairable items u avoidance of excessive packaging u avoidance of products with toxic or environmentally harmful effects

52. Source reduction policy alternatives u education u voluntary compliance programs u economic instruments u regulation and legislation

53. Source reduction policy alternatives... u education – seminars, conferences – formal education – media awareness campaigns – waste audit programs

54. Source reduction policy alternatives... u voluntary compliance programs: –industry source reduction task forces –corporate procurement policies –proactive waste auditing –awards of recognition –logos and labels

55. Source reduction policy alternatives... u economic instruments –taxes –tax rebates –subsidies for research, training, development –seed money / grants –increased tipping fees

56. Source reduction policy alternatives... u regulations and legislation –material or product bans –disposal bans –product constituent regulation –mandated source reduction targets and timelines

57. Recycling

58. Recycling... Recycling... u conserves material resources u conserves energy u provides economic opportunities –new jobs, economic development u reduces impacts on the environment –extraction; manufacturing; disposal u reduces disposal problems / costs –prolongs landfill life; protects environment

59. Conserves materials and energy... Conserves materials and energy... u every tonne of newspaper recycled saves 17- 19 pulp trees u there is a 95% energy savings when aluminum cans are recycled rather than manufactured from virgin materials

60. Savings from products manufactured using recycled materials PaperGlassSteelAluminium Energy23-70%4-22%47-74%92-97% Air pollution74%20%86%95% Water pollution35%--76%97% Mining wastes--80%97%-- Water use58%50%40%-- - Source: O’Leary and Walsh, 1988

61. Recycling variants Recycling can take several forms: u Closed-loop recycling –recycling over and over into the same type of product (e.g., steel cans, glass bottles) u Cascade recycling –recycling into a different product which is of lower material quality, but still recyclable itself (e.g., fine office paper into boxboard)

62. u Open-loop recycling –recycling into another product which is not recyclable, or difficult to recycle (e.g., PET soda bottles into carpeting) u “Showpiece” recycling –recycling into an economically unfeasible or impractical product, usually for advertising purposes Recycling variants...

63. u Recycling’s Golden Rule: “Recycling growth is usually limited by demand rather than supply” “Recycling growth is usually limited by demand rather than supply” Market for materials must be assured before collection begins Market for materials must be assured before collection begins Economics of Recycling --O’Leary and Walsh, 1988

64. Factors affecting the economic success of a recycling program : u Proximity to end markets u Potential recovery volumes u Collection methods used u Processing methods employed u End market stability and prices paid u Inherent value of materials MAJOR OBSTACLES: –subsidies to extractive and virgin materials industries – environmentally inappropriate cost accounting

65. Value of recyclable materials May be highly variable, especially in new markets. Affected by: u supply and demand forces u location of collection site u quality of material (clean, pure) u volume of material u pre-sale treatment or processing (sorting, crushing, baling, etc.)

66. Historical Example: Aluminum cans (U.S. domestic prices circa mid-1996) Historical Example: Aluminum cans (U.S. domestic prices circa mid-1996) u Unprocessed:$0.45 / kg u Shredded & baled:$0.90 / kg u Melted into ingots:$1.32 / kg Spot price Sept 2006:$2.38 / kg

67. Methods of collecting recyclables u Curbside pickup –unseparated (mixed with municipal refuse) –source separated (bundled / Blue Box) u Buy-back centres –purchase recyclable commodities u Drop-off depot –materials dropped off at central facility by residents

68. Historical costs of recycling: USA u Average revenues from a ton of commingled recyclable materials from a materials recovery facility in 1992: $US 25.00 u Average cost to process a ton of commingled recyclable materials at a materials recovery facility in 1992: $US 50.30 Net cost: $US 24.70 per ton (CONVENTIONAL accounting)