Zero Waste Alliance Ireland
A Policy and Strategy for Delivering Real Changes in Waste Management in Ireland
Zero Waste - What is it all about?
The visionary goal of Zero Waste expresses the need for a closed-loop industrial/societal system as suggested in Figure 1. Waste is a sign of inefficiency. Our use of the term Zero Waste includes "Zero Solid Waste", "Zero Hazardous Waste", "Zero Toxics" and "Zero Emissions".
Figure 1. Goals of Zero
Waste
Zero waste suggests that the entire concept of waste should be eliminated.
Instead, waste should be thought of as a “residual product” or simply
a “potential resource” to counter our basic acceptance of waste as
a normal course of events. Opportunities such as reduced costs, increased
profits, and reduced environmental impacts are found when returning these “residual
products” or “resources” as food to either natural and industrial systems.
This may involve redesigning both products and processes in order to
eliminate hazardous properties that make them unusable and unmanageable in quantities
that overburden both industry and the environment.
Zero Waste strategies consider the entire life-cycle
of our products, processes and systems in the context of a comprehensive
systems understanding of our
interactions with nature and search for inefficiencies at all stages.
With this understanding, wastes can be prevented through designs based on
full life-cycle thinking. Indeed, we
should work to "design" our wastes, if any, so that they have future applications.
The comprehensive nature of a Zero Waste Strategy is shown in the following input-output diagram:
Figure 2. Application of Zero Waste Strategy
A Zero Waste strategy leads us to look for inefficiencies in the use of materials,
energy and human resources. To achieve
a sustainable future, extreme efficiency in the use of all resources will be required
in order to meet the needs of all of the earth’s inhabitants.
A Zero Waste strategy directly supports this requirement.
Broadly applicable.
The benefits of a Zero Waste strategy can be achieved in nearly any kind
of organization. Some examples are:
-
Community programs can be designed to consider all uses of materials and
energy both in operations and services. Focus on zero solid waste to landfills
and zero wasted energy can result in new jobs not only in the recovery process,
but also in the use of recovered waste products as raw materials to produce new
products.
-
Business programs can be designed to uses of energy and materials in products,
processes and services. Focus on increasing efficiency by eliminating solid
and hazardous waste, process wastes, wastes in production operations (motion, time,
over production, misprinted invoices, etc.) and striving for energy reduction.
-
Industry-wide programs can be very effective if the industry members are
willing to work together. As such, it reaches its maximum effectiveness in
reducing energy and material use and achieving environmental improvements.
-
School programs when applied to all school activities and classroom teaching
can save money while providing important education to help the younger generation
be prepared to contend with coming changes. Zero waste can be applied not
only to energy and material use, but also in the facilities plant, offices, classrooms
and cafeteria.
- Home programs can be developed that include energy savings, changes in purchasing habits, reduction in the toxicity of cleaning agents, use of more appropriate fertilizers and pesticides. This can help provide badly needed education for the general population.