1. The increasing volume and complexity of waste associated with economic growth are posing serious risks to ecosystems and human health. Every year, an estimated 11.2 billion tonnes of solid waste are collected worldwide and decay of the organic proportion of solid waste is contributing to about 5 per cent of global Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions. Of all the waste streams, waste from electrical and electronic equipment containing new and complex hazardous substances presents the fastest-growing challenge in both developed and developing countries.
2. The growth of the waste market, increasing resource scarcity and the availability of new technologies are offering opportunities for greening the waste sector. The global waste market, from collection to recycling, is estimated at US$ 410 billion a year, not including the sizable informal segment in developing countries. Recycling is likely to grow steadily and form a vital component of greener waste management systems, which will provide decent employment. While currently only 25 per cent of waste is recovered or recycled, under the green investment scenario modelled in the Green Economy Report (GER), the amount of waste destined for landfills would be considerably reduced. These gains, implying the development and expansion of new market opportunities, would be achieved through the doubling of the recycling rate of industrial waste (an increase from 7 to 15 per cent), near full recycling of e-waste (from a current estimated level of 15 per cent), and an increase of about 3.5 times over the current recycling rate of Municipal Solid Waste – the principal source of recycled materials, from 10 to 34 per cent. Furthermore, by 2050, effectively all organic waste would be composted or recovered for energy, compared with 70 per cent under a business–as-usual (BAU) scenario.
3. There is no one-size-fits-all when it comes to greening the waste sector, but there are commonalities. Most of the waste management related standards are national or local; however, as a common feature, greening the waste sector includes, in the first instance, minimisation of waste. Where waste cannot be avoided, recovery of materials and energy from waste, as well as remanufacturing and recycling waste into usable products should be the second option. The overall goal is to establish a global circular economy in which material use and waste generation is minimised, any unavoidable waste is recycled or remanufactured, and any remaining waste is treated in a manner least harmful to the environment and human health, or even in a way which generates new value such as energy recovered from waste.
Towards a green economy |