Waste Management Challenges and Solutions
Anke Joas
Senior Advisor Environment and Health UNIDO
Main Waste challenges in EAP
Source: Asia WasteManagement Outlook (AWMO) 2016
• Increasingamounts.
• Collection coverage
• High landfillingrates
• Open dumpingor burning
Waste Management Priorities
Source: Environmental Management CentreLLP; AWMO 2016
Key Actors and Action Levels
Authorities
Producers and Down-
stream users
Traders/
Retailers
WasteService
Providers and
Recoverers
Citicens
NGOs
Academia
Informal sector
• Individual
• Local
• Regional
• National
• Global
PreventReuse
RecycleRecover
Key Instruments & Policies
RegulatoryFramework/
Incentives
Statistics/
Standards
Separate Collection
System
DiversifiedTreatment
System
CapacityBuilding/
Awareness Raising
PreventReuse
Recycle
The RRR* Principle
*Reduce, Reuse, Recycle
Policy priorities and action
• SCP
• Waste Management Hierarchy
• WMP, WPP
• Bans, Restrictions, Targets
• Taxes, Discounts, Financing
• Infrastructures and Logistics
• Polluter Pays/Pay-As-You-Throw (PAYT)
• Producer Responsibility Schemes (PRS)
• Green Procurement Schemes
• Education/Awareness raising
• Certification schemes (e.g. Ecodesign,
Ecolabel)
• Communication/Awards
• Industry 4.0
• Eco-industrial parks
• Trade capacity building
Industry priorities and action
• RECP
• Industrial symbiosis
• Take-back/collection schemes
• Innovative (Green) Product
design
• Service based business models
• Repair/Reprocessing services
• RD/innovation
• Code of conducts
• Supply chain solutions
• Consumer information
• Voluntary Agreements
• Product Stewartships
Conclusions– In the light of fast growing populations and raising socio-economic standards waste
has become a priority issue to further development
– There are a number of waste streams of particular concern, given their quantity or hazard properties
– Given environmental and health impacts as well as resource scarcity, broad consensus has developed, that there is need for a complete paradigm change and a shift towards circular economy with waste considered a valuable resource
– Despite high level waste management approaches, full coverage waste management services and diversified treatment infrastructures still need to be build
– To tackle environmental impacts, health risks, and resource loss, further efforts are needed for waste prevention by better reuse and integrative product design
– All societal actors need to cooperate and various governance instruments from regulation to education) need to be applied
– Local, regional, national and global action is required to find solutions in a globalised economy
Plastic waste management
Plastic is among the most popular and important materials used in the modern world.
Due to the fact that plastic is non-biodegradable, it is essential that it is prevented,
recycled or recovered.
Source: 5th World Convention on Recycling and Waste Management, September 11-12, 2017 Singapore
Prevention action I
European Union (2018): Strategy for Plastics in a Circular Economy. Mandatory fee on single use plastic
bags, phase-out of single use bags. By 2030 only reusable or recyclable plastic packaging, 75% recycling
of packaging waste, and a binding agreement to reduce landfill to < 10% of MSW. Plan to strengthen
packaging legislation, and establish specific rules for the 10 plastic products most often found on
beaches and in seas.
Chile (2019-2020): Plan for national plastic bag ban. Plans to coordinate beach cleanups.
China: National ban of single-use plastic bags with high company fines
Morocco (2016): Full ban of plastic bags with high fines
Rwanda (2008): Strict plastic bag ban with penalties and fines
Kenya (2017): country-wide ban of plastic bags with high fines or penalty
India (2018): commitment to phase-out single-use plastics by 2022. 10 regional policies in place
Costa Rica (2021): plan to ban all single-use plastics (straws, bottles, cutlery, cups and bags)
Source: www.earthday.org
Preventive action II
Alaska Airlines (2018): remove all non-recyclable plastic stir straws and citrus picks
Royal Caribbean Cruises (2018) : All 50 ships free of plastic straws. Paper, wood and bamboo offered as alternative
Hilton (2018): Plan to phase out plastic straws from all 650 managed properties by end of 2018. >5 million plastic straws and 20 million plastic water bottles annually in Europe, Middle East & Africa
Hyatt Hotels (2018): Offer straws and picks only on request, and switch to eco-friendly alternatives
Starbucks (2018): plans to eliminate single-use straws globally from all 28,000 company operated/licensed stores (1 billion/year) by making a strawless lid or alternative-material straw options available.
Ikea: plans to phase out all single-use plastic products from stores and restaurants b 2020 (straws, plates, cups, freezer bags, bin bags, and plastic-coated paper plates and cups)
Recycling – state of play
Around 50 % of plastics are thrown away just after a single use
Established curbside recycling programs for PET, HDPE, and PVC
Initiatives to recycle e.g. polycarbonate in electronics
Generally no recycling for (E)PS, PP, and LDPE, but initiatives to develop recycling for PP and EPS
Product design initiatives for fully recyclable mono-materials (e.g. Standuppouch from 100% PE)
Recycling plastic takes 88 percent less energy than producing plastics from new raw materials
Already 25 percent of plastic waste is recycled in Europe
Biobased & Biodegradable Materials: bio-PE and bio-PET, PLA (starch-based), PLS (sugarcane), certified wood, paper, bamboo
Thank you very much for your attention!
Paper Recycling
http://impactpaperec.eu/en/facts-figures/recycling-facts/
Textile Recycling Potential
80 billion garments produced annually
Production doubled over the last 20 years
Average lifetime of a cloth is 3 years
Degradation time of apparel
equivalent to plastics
Nearly 100 percent of textiles and clothing
are recyclable, whilst recovery rate still 15%
CO2 wise recycling of 2 million tons of clothing
equates to taking 1 million cars from streets.
https://www.thebalancesmb.com/textile-recycling-facts-and-figures-2878122
>75 percent of pre-use clothing (scrap created as a by-product from yarn and fabric manufacture, post-industrial scrap textiles from other industries) recycled by the manufacturers.