(iii) Implement chemical recycling as recycling option before energy recovery: to support the transition towards a circular carbon economy, chemical recycling complements mechanical recycling in channeling recyclable materials back into the production cycle, before residual materials that are not suitable for recycling are combusted in WtE plants. In the case of the RABA plant in Chemnitz, ~90 000 tons of residual MSW is processed yearly. Nevertheless, data from the German Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) showed that recovery rates (via both recycling and energy recovery) for packaging waste has increased over the years, with average recovery rates of 97% since 2011 (Fig. The Jiangcungou landfill site in Xian City in the Shaanxi Province is a case in point. RDF WtE plants are generally used to support efficient energy supply at industrial locations. Waste from packaged goods is inherently voluminous, with most of it being damaged, off-spec, expired or returned products. How organizations manage waste can affect the environment, as well as their own financial health. Last but not least, household waste (i.e. Composition of MSW per capita (kg/capital/yr) in various cities of the world Source: adapted from [68]. Soil contamination as a result of toxic leaching from landfill sites is thus a serious environmental issue [3537]. Not only is the pyrolysis process relatively simple; it also allows for decentralized production. The companys remote fullness monitoring sensors can automatically schedule pick-ups and issue purchase orders to haulers only when compactors reach a specified fullness level, eliminating the cost of unnecessary collections while at the same time reducing your organizations carbon footprint. program is associated with better performance. carbon-containing waste is recycled as secondary carbon feedstock for production (see Fig. Fly ash is captured in special filters as filter dust. Bring in bins for recyclables like paper, plastic and glass to give employees an alternative to the trash can. As a result, they took on a contract with a new provider at $80 a ton20 times their price per ton from the previous year, according to Cass Information Systems. Required fields are marked *, defines waste as what occurs when any organism returns substances to the environment. By that definition, waste can be organic or inorganic, solid or liquid, electronic or gaseous. It has relevance not only for the recycling of plastic waste, but also for retrieving recyclable materials from residual MSW. Compared to pyrolysis and incineration, dioxins, furans and PCBs are completely destroyed during gasification with no new formation, i.e. Disposal of MSW in Chinas cities (excluding counties, towns and villages) Data source: [20]. Our network of treatment facilities and decades of experience provide organizations with a safe and superior means to eliminate, recycle or reuse their liquid waste streams while reducing the risk of backups and service interruptions that could dramatically affect operations. Drivers and development of waste incineration. Encourage employees to bring lunch in Tupperware. Treating it as such requires an integrated waste management strategy for the entire community, including homeowners, industrial leaders, waste management companies, and public servants. Each year, we destroy 20 million pounds of controlled substances through our network of DEA Reverse Distributors and our 40-plus Waste-to-Energy facilities. In addition to intersectoral dialogue, NK2 partners from science and industry highlight the need for extending critical discussions about the potential contribution of chemical recycling to meeting recycling quotas and CO2 emission reduction targets beyond actors from carbon intensive industries. Learn how to boost your organizations environmental credibility and plan for all aspects of your waste stream. Correspondingly, the energy recovery from waste in the form of WtE plants thrived [94]. These solutions mitigate liability by ensuring that confidential, counterfeit, contraband or defective materials are securely, discreetly and absolutely destroyed and then processed into clean energy. Sensas sensors are an important part of developing a sustainable waste management system. Sustainability has captured the popular imagination in America. (iii) From reliance on imported carbon resources to domestic carbon resources for production: this is especially observable in Chinas chemical industry. In 1991, the Packaging Ordinance (Verpackungsverordnung) was implemented to encourage a reduction in packaging waste and the transition from a throwaway society towards more sustainability [109]. Sensa Networks, a purpose-driven organization dedicated to optimizing operations and lessening environmental impact with Industrial IoT smart devices and M2M (machine-to-machine) data sharing, provides an IoT (Internet of Things) solution that helps lead to more efficient waste management. Our staff and facilities are prepared to receive, clean and dispose of hazardous and non-hazardous wastes, or the vessels that contain them, wherever they may be. Market for plastics recycling in Germany until 2025. Additionally, a review of Germanys developments in implementing the waste hierarchy of reducereuserecyclerecoverlandfill is carried out to share Germanys experiences and lessons learnt in implementing sustainable waste management practices. Could it use one? (v) Safe disposal of toxic fly ash: fly ash from waste incineration contains high concentrations of heavy metals as well as organic toxic compounds such as dioxins and furan [8183]. Product recalls can have a negative impact on a businesss reputation and brand, especially if they cause harm. From 1998 to 2017, the number grew to$2.25 trillion, a 151% increase, according toPreventionWeb. It is important to note that certain materials do not belong in any of the above-mentioned waste bins. While some organic and inert materials remain that must be subsequently processed through either the rotting or the fermentation process into material suitable for landfilling, in recovering metallic waste for recycling and filtering out high-calorific waste as RDFs for incineration, the mechanical treatment step not only increases the value that could be generated from residual MSW; it contributes to increasing the efficiency of WtE. Hence, the use of 0.7-litre multi-use glass bottles to provide 1000 litres of mineral water in a supermarket will emit 40% less CO2-equivalent emissions compared to using 1.5-litre single-use plastic bottles [108]. 24). MBWT plants often use the Herhof Stabilitat technology [124, 127]. In 2019, these included the Colloquium on Chemical RecyclingActual Developments, Options and Perspectives, with speakers from leading chemical, waste-management and recycling industries from Germany and the Netherlands [181]; the Freiberger Pyrolysis Day, which brought together pyrolysis technology developers and providers in Germany [182]; the RDF Workshop, with RDF producers to discuss alternative utilization routes for RDF in view of the coal phase-out [183]; and the DGMK Conference on Petrochemistry, which presented innovations for a circular economy for the petrochemical sector. Source: NYU Stern Center for Sustainable Business. Conserves resources through recycling including trees, metals, water, energy and the finances associated with acquiring them from virgin sources. In addition to reducing the volume of imported waste, China also enacted policies to reduce waste generation in the country. Between 1978 and 1997, the estimated global cost of climate-related natural disasters such as storms, droughts, floods and heatwaves was$895 billion(in 2017 dollars). Provide or bring utensils to avoid using plasticware. coal) and secondary (i.e. As such, to motivate carbon intensive sectors such as the waste management and chemical industries to invest in and develop this sustainable waste-treatment route, clear regulatory frameworks and incentives are essential. Hence, for the first time, the German industry became legally obliged to take back, reuse and recycle packaging materials that they had produced and placed on the market. In 2019, Xinhua News reported >2000 legal landfill sites in the whole country [19]. Vassiliadou I, Papadopoulos A, Costopoulou D, et al. Some challenges companies face as a result include: Corporate sustainability programs are more common than ever. Recycling saves energy, keeps materials out of landfills and incinerators and provides raw materials for creating new products. Yet, many companies dont have the inhouse expertise or resources to meet the waste-related goals within their sustainability plans. We help protect our clients with solutions that: Mitigate legal and brand-related risks associated with landfilling hazardous waste, Reduce business impact on the environment, human health and wildlife, Conserve valuable resources and generate clean, renewable energy, Optimize materials management and save money. As most metal and mineral content is removed for recycling, the production of RDFs in MWT that focuses on the stabilization of MSW represents an environmentally friendly intermediate step for the treatment of residual MSW before it is sent for energy recovery. Hamburg, the expert conference on Waste Incineration PlantsNew Opportunities for Sector Coupling, as well as the Berliner Recycling and Secondary Raw Materials Conference also highlighted recent developments and innovations in chemical recycling [185]. 01LN1713A to the research group Global Change: STEEP-CarbonTrans. Despite this, utilizing innovative waste management strategies can be a surprisingly effective way to address these complex issues all at once. This represents a linear economy in which carbon-containing products, at the end of their lifespan, end up as waste that is then incinerated (see Fig. Materials Savings due to Conservation and Improvement Efforts, Supplier Environmental Sustainability Index. Whats different today is the growing urgency around climate protection that is upping pressure for environmental accountability in all business decisions. Change in volumes of different categories of MSW Source: Adapted from [114]. The Chinese public has exhibited great reluctance to support such developments. (iv) Extend energy recovery opportunities: energy recovery from residual MSW in WtE plants enables the generation of valuable products, i.e. For Eastern China, the targeted MSW incineration is even higher at 60%. This research is supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) through the research project grant no. The biological drying is powered by natural organic heat that develops during the composting process. Photo by epSos.de/Flickr.
China is at the beginning of this transformation process. Table 1 presents an overview of the typical input composition of feedstock used for gasification in SVZ Schwarze Pumpe. Bodzek M, Surmacz-Gorska J, Hung Y-T. Stefanakis A, Akratos CS, Tsihrintzis VA. Mian MM, Zeng X, Nasry AaNB, et al. Does your city have an innovative and ambitious waste management program?
Among our innovative solutions for plastic and packaged goods recycling is our revolutionary technology that uses new ways to recycle all pack aged products.
All impurities, whether chlorine, nitrogen or sulphur-containing compounds, are also converted into elementary molecules such as hydrogen chloride (HCl), ammonia (NH3) or hydrogen sulphide (H2S), which can be easily separated or removed. (ii) The polymer recycling rate from solvolysis is similar to that of mechanical recycling and the product quality is also similar to that of virgin material. In January 2019, Shanghai issued a standard for the classification of separated waste that was enforced in July 2019. Second, landfilling and waste incineration both represent end-of-life solutions for MSW disposal. 5 illustrates how CH4 emissions from MSW disposalcalculations based on the first-order decay model proposed by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change/IPCChas increased consistently from 3.52 106 tons in 1990 to 7.05 107 tons in 2011. 6). As waste breaks down in landfills, it emits methane, a potent greenhouse gas that is 28 to 36 times more effective at trapping heat than carbon dioxide. Sustainable waste management is critical not only to engender a flourishing natural environment that contributes to human and animal health, but also to free up valuable land from landfills, improve energy production, create jobs, and reduce the cost of transportation and logistics. (iv) Challenge of problematic waste: one of the consequences of Germanys energy transition efforts is the development of new materials (e.g.
The situation is especially prominent in highly industrialized large cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. The ordinance is the first instance in the world whereby the polluter pays principle is applied to MSW [95]. 20). Finding the right partner to support this shift can make the difference between a company's success or failure moving forward. Lee RP, Wolfersdorf C, Keller F, et al. As biogenic waste accounts for a substantial proportion of MSW, the use of MSW as an alternative carbon feedstock for chemical production will support the transition from fossil to renewable energy sources for the chemical industry. In a circular carbon economy, waste is used as a secondary carbon feedstock to replace fossil resources for production. Fig. However, their utilization is not only beneficial to mankind; it is also associated with considerable negative impacts for climate, environment and society. Mor S, Ravindra K, Dahiya RP, Chandra A. Nelles M, Lemke A, Morschek G, et al. About 47% of landfill sites in China are built without an effective leachate disposal system [34]. Current developments in thermal waste utilisation (in German). That's like turning a twin mattress into a small microwave! Songdo, one of South Korea's new "smart cities," uses incineration as a tool for dealing with the city's waste. For a successful implementation of zero waste cities, a carbon transition that integrates the efficient and intelligent utilization of domestic primary and secondary carbon resources is key. Additionally, 17 of these cities also started supporting education modules in their schools to develop a solid foundation for public acceptance of and support for waste separation [54]. Surez-Ruiz I, Diez MA, Rubiera F. (eds). Due to land constraints, Singapore's National Environment Agency understands the importance of waste reuse and disposal. Increasingly, consumers are expressing their preference for buying from environmentally conscious companies. Life cycle assessment of global warming potential, resource depletion and acidification potential of fossil, renewable and secondary feedstock for olefin production in Germany, Synthesis gas from difficult to recycle waste (in German). Increasingly, awareness is growing that, in order to support carbon intensive industries in breaking free from their carbon lock-in via chemical recycling technologies, intersectoral dialogue and cooperation are essential. To counteract these problems, China has enacted a series of policies and supporting measures to facilitate a shift in focus from waste disposal to waste management. For example, SVZ Schwarze Pumpe gasified 3.6 million tons of MSW using a mixture of ~75% waste to 25% coal. First, waste generation should be reduced as much as possible. Our services help businesses protect both their bottom and top lines by preventing non-compliance and other costly risks, and by demonstrating environmental stewardship on behalf of brands, respectively. ), red for hazardous waste and black for the residue MSW [55]. 2022 Dumpsters.com All Rights Reserved | Privacy Policy, Expert Strategies for Writing Your Organizations Waste Management Plan, 5 Tips for Smarter Commercial Trash Collection, Food scraps: Fruits, coffee grounds, tea bags, vegetables, bread and grains, nutshells, pasta and rice, eggshells, coffee filters, Meat, chicken, fish, greasy food scraps, fat or oil, dairy products, Food-soiled paper: Paper bags, towels, napkins, uncoated food-soiled paper, greasy pizza boxes. Streamlines reporting and information sharing about waste management activities by providing a single source for tracking and by using an industry standard set of metrics. The question is how such industries can achieve a transition towards cleaner and sustainable production and be integrated in Chinas zero waste cities. How is that possible? Sustainable waste management gives you an opportunity to improve your business eco-friendliness, reduce greenhouse gas emissions and even lower operation costs. As illustrated in Fig. Through the use of modern incineration and filter technologies, hazardous gases and solid pollutants can be trapped and safely disposed instead of being released into the environment [62]. For example, it is prohibited by law to dispose of electronic devices in the black bins. China is at the start of its transition from a linear to circular carbon economy. While the heterogeneity and degradation of residual MSW make recycling generally difficult, it is possible to recover recyclable fractions via MWTas presented aboveand to convert the remaining organic fractions to RDFs with higher heating values. (iii) Waste from waste incineration: the emissions of carcinogenic substances such as dioxins and furans from waste incinerators cannot be completely ruled out. (v) Soil and water contamination: landfill leachate is formed when rainwater infiltrates and seeps through decomposing waste in a landfill site [31]. A solid waste management plan is important because it can help to lower costs and increase overall efficiency. While a PET bottle can be refilled at least 15 times, multi-use glass bottles can be refilled by up to 50 times [107]. Elektrofilterasche aus Mllverbrennungsanlagen, JCFAJapan Carbon Fiber Manufacturers Association, The recycling of comminuted glass-fiber-reinforced resin from electronic waste, Automotive Shredder Residue (ASR) and Compact Disc (CD) Waste: Options for Recovery of Materials and Energy, Helsinki University of Technology Department of Mechanical Engineering. As such, opportunities for learning and transference from Germanys experience on sustainable waste management practices are numerous. To extend landfill life, Singapore actually incinerates about 8,200 tons of garbage per day, which reduces waste volume by 90 percent. Most people wouldn't think of trash as a major root of these problems. CSIRO Cutting Edge Symposium on Waste and the Circular Economy, The Processing and Conversion of Coal: Technologies and Projects 1970 to 2000 in Germany, DGMK Deutsche Wissenschaftliche Gesellschaft fr Erdl, Erdgas und Kohle e.V. This amount excluded MSW production in Chinese counties, towns and villages. Its contribution to resolving Chinas current waste challenges is thus significant. Not only has CO2 being identified as the key contributor to climate change [71], the thermal conversion of the carbon in MSW into CO2 also represents a waste of valuable secondary carbon resources that could otherwise be channeled back into the production cycle as a carbon raw material [4]. Thats up from only 20% in 2011 and 86% in 2018, according to the G&A Institute. Collection, sorting, pretreatment, recovery and recycling of post-consumer plastic waste in Germany Source: Adapted from [119]. Fig. The Environmental Literacy Council defines waste as what occurs when any organism returns substances to the environment. By that definition, waste can be organic or inorganic, solid or liquid, electronic or gaseous. Planning on taking your business to a greener level? Leave a comment green and recycled products). You can also take your scraps to a compost drop-off center or find a composting service that offers pickups. Rather, many pharmacies and all disposal companies have collection points for such materials. To sustainably reduce the amount of residual MSW that has to be treated and disposed of, all recyclable materials that can be separated have to be recycled and channeled back into the production cycle. This includes three main transformation pillars (Fig. This waste needs to be kept out of trash bins and properly disposed of to avoid potential liability. (iv) Pyrolysis is particularly attractive, as pyrolysis oil can be usedafter chemical treatmentas a substitute for crude oil and its derivatives for chemical production. For organic waste streams, we partner with organizations that have anaerobic digester facilities that can turn wastewater into a renewable energy source. A key objective is the implementation of the waste hierarchy as stated in the European Waste Framework Directive 2008/98/EC illustrated in Fig. The common citizens threshold for waste, however, is probably more reflective of Justice Potter Stewarts famous standard for pornography, I know it when I see it or, in the case of most household and industrial waste, smell it. This is missing in the disposal route via waste incineration. However, this system is not yet well defined. 19 provides an overview of the mechanicalbiological residual MSW treatment using the Herhof Stabilat technology. (ii) Make packaging and other products more environmentally friendly: financial incentives for ecological design (e.g. Berliner Abfallwirtschafts- und Energiekonferenz. CH4 emissions from MSW treatment in China (19792011) Source: Adapted from [25]. 6th International Freiberg Conference on IGCC & XtL Technologies, The Author(s) 2020. Liquid waste is one of the more challenging material types to dispose of in ways that accommodate the environment, regulations and budgets. overseas for processing, the costs to manage that waste is rising sharply. As illustrated above, the predominant reliance on landfill sites has led to an increasingly critical waste disposal situation due to constraints of land availability as well as associated environmental, health and safety issues. 
The key difference to the mechanicalbiological plant is that, instead of biological drying, physical drying using a rotating drum heated with natural gas is utilized to reduce moisture from residual MSW (see Fig. (i) Harm to human health and safety: besides adverse health impacts and safety risks associated with landfill sites through soil contamination, water pollution, landfill gas emissions and unintended fires, landfill fires are associated with toxic emissions such as dioxins and furans, which are highly carcinogenic [43]. The facility already uses Mangalore's trash to produce and sell up to 20 tons of compost daily. for process steam delivery. The main building blocks could include: implementing a waste hierarchy for reducing, reusing and recycling (mechanical recycling followed by chemical recycling) before energy recovery and landfill; replacing single-use plastics with multiple-use plastics/glass to promote reuse (e.g. 23 provides an overview of the location of waste incinerators in Germany, as well as other combustion facilities where RDF is being used for energy recovery.Diverse regulations underpin the success of waste incineration in Germany. For an MPWT plant, the RABA plant in Chemnitz is considered [125]. Furthermore, 0.7 million tons are used as co-feedstock in coal power plants, while the rest (1.5 million tons) is combusted together with untreated MSW in waste incineration plants [129]. 45.3%) were imports [201]. RDF production via biological drying in mechanicalbiological treatment plants (MBWT). CO and H2 together are called syngas (i.e. Subscribe to Smart Cities Dive for top news, trends & analysis, The free newsletter covering the top industry headlines, ARCHIVES: This is legacy content from before Sustainable Cities Collective was relaunched as Smart Cities Dive in early 2017. Carbon-containing compounds form the basis of a wide variety of products that are essential for the daily functioning of our society [1].