Sustainable Waste Management Choices

Desirable waste management options must minimize three footprints that define sustainability (see Chapter 2) minimize energy use, conserve materials, and minimize pollution. 

Material recycling (or reuse) does not preclude subsequent use of other waste management options. The recycled resin in a secondary product cannot be further recycled ad infinitum and has to be invariably disposed of at some stage in its life-cycle using one of these options. This option is discussed in the following section. 

Feedstock recovery via gasification/pyrolysis is an attractive option as it is not carbon emitting and yields valuable feedstock chemicals and/or fuels. The carbon in 

Impact category (per kg PET waste) Landfill Combustion Mechanical recycling MR + low temp, pyrolysis MR + hydrocracking 

Source Reprinted with slight modifications with permission from Perguini et al. (2005). 

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Reduced Life Cycle Impact of structures on the environment, especially by Choices of Materials (e.g., depending on local availability and forest management practices wood can be a versatile, sustainable alternative) and Construction Methods that Minimize the Production of GHGs —Construction Waste Management including Recycling and Reuse. 

A further obstacle to the development of sustainable landfilling practices is the reliance on a strict waste management hierarchy (Qiapter 1), diat places landfill as a last resort measure. Waste mimimisation and recycling should, under most circumstances, remain the preferred waste management options, but once these possibilities have been exhausted, the choice of treatment/disposal route should be on the basis of the Best Practicable Environmental Option. This will equate with the most sustainable option. LandflU will almost certainly constitute BPEO for some waste streams, and for these wastes, landfill should be used as the preferred management option. 

California Integrated Waste Management Board (2000) Designing With Vision A Technical Manual for Material Choices in Sustainable Construction, California Environmental Protection Agency, California, CA. 

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