Group 5

Waste Management Strategies

Waste is an unwanted or undesired material or substance. It is also referred to as rubbish, trash, garbage, or junk depending upon the type of material and the regional terminology. In living organisms, waste relates to unwanted substances or toxins that are expelled from them.  Waste management is the human control of the collection, treatment and disposal of different wastes. This is in order to reduce the negative impacts waste has on environment and society.

Waste management is the collection, transport, processing, recycling or disposal of waste materials. The term usually relates to materials produced by human activity, and is generally undertaken to reduce their effect on health, the environment or aesthetics.

Source Reduction - Reducing the amount of waste generated at source is the key to effective waste management. Source reduction can be achieved through elimination of excess packaging, production of more durable goods, and promotion of responsible consumer packaging.

Material Reuse - Post-industrial and post-consumer reuse of materials in their original form can displace the need for new production. Examples of material reuse include: refillable beverage containers, rechargeable batteries, reusable laser-printer cartridges and the recovery of reusable doors and window frames from construction and demolition debris.

Recycling - Recycling or reprocessing of post-industrial and post-consumer residuals can displace the need for virgin material in the production of new consumer goods. For example, newsprint, corrugated cardboard and bond paper can be recycled to displace much of the virgin fibre used in the production of new paper products. Plastics, metals and glass can also be recovered from the waste stream and recycled as new products.

Composting - Most organic material, including fruit and vegetable wastes and many non-recyclable paper products, can be broken down to humus through decomposition. Compost can be used as a soil amendment or as a cover material on disturbed lands.

Business Development - The challenge of waste diversion will generate an increased demand for innovative and efficient approaches to achieving diversion targets. This demand can be met by encouraging and supporting the development and commercialization of new technologies and services.

Furthermore strategies can be divided in to four categories:

1. Generation of waste should be decreased by:

a. municipalities charging waste management fees that reflect the actual cost of the management.

b. the Environment Agency setting up a web site where the public is informed about ways to re-use and prevent waste generation in households.

 c. promoting the production of goods which minimize waste generation after use.

d. adopting more producer responsibility.

 2. Material recycling and recovery should be increased by:

a. making easier for consumers to return used goods and other waste to supermarkets and other vendors.

b. promoting the use of plastic recycling identification codes and labels in order to make sorting and recycling of plastic packaging easier.

 c. increasing sorting of waste, taking into account environmental, technical and economical factors.

 d. municipalities increasing their level of service to the public regarding sorting of waste.

e. promoting the use of products made from recycled materials.

 f. promoting the use of fuel made from waste.

 3. Education of producers, the public and people who work in the waste sector should be increased by:

a. the Environment Agency leading the way in cooperation between all parties participating in education within the waste sector.

b. informing of the waste management hierarchy.

c. informing of the advantages of recycling of waste

d. promoting the use of eco-labelled products.

 e. promoting the use of less hazardous alternatives to hazardous chemicals during production of goods.

f. encouraging companies and institutions to set up and follow an environmental policy.

 g. encouraging companies and institutions to set up a certified environmental management systems.

 4. Legislation in the waste sector should be improved by:

a. revising the Waste Management Act before the end of 2012. The focus should be on the waste management hierarchy.

 b. revising definitions of terms.

c. defining the responsibilities of each party within the waste sector.

d. adopting polluter-pays principle in more areas.

e. improving the databases regarding quantities and types of waste that is generated and treated.