An Examination Of The Zero Waste Concept Environmental Sciences Essay

An Examination Of The Zero Waste Concept Environmental Sciences establishThe concept of cryptograph foul up was first conceived in the mid 1970s in a company named Zero Waste Systems Incorporation (ZWS), by a chemist Paul Palmer (PhD) in the city of Oakland, California. On discovering the enormous amount of reusable chemicals been discarded by the thus catching electronics industry he was positive(p) that reworking and or reselling the chemicals was portrayed a possible money making venture hence the collection and cycle of these chemicals brought about the reality of nix gaga 1. Theoretic every last(predicate)y, zero barbarian promotes the redesign of resource life cycles in order to enhance the apply of products. This concept minimizes any waste going to landfill or burning by incineration.In the past decade, intense focus has been on residential recycling has a solution to solid waste reduction. However, success derived from waste diverted from landfill is non enough for total waste elimination. Zero waste is a practical and imaginative goal designed to guide people to imitate sustainable inborn cycles in which dis tickd materials argon potential resource for other uses. Zero waste implies creating and managing installations, processes and products in order to minimize the volume and toxicity of waste and materials, conserving and recuperation of resources avoiding any government activity to incineration or land filling. Executing zero waste will eradicate release into air, land or water which may pose harmful threats to the environment, plant or animal health 2.Advocates for zero waste concepts across the USA, New Zealand, Australia, Scandinavia, Canada, UK and other European countries gravel called for the decarbonisation of economies and replacement with green jobs as the way out of the current economic downturn. Rick Anthony a lobbyist from Zero Waste International Alliance reiterated that carbon based economy is a inefficient economy w hich has reached its limit and if humans are going to sustain their existence, a systematic approach of natural cycles is needed to design an economy that produces no waste. He concluded waste is the product of a dysfunctional economy and as such should be modified in order to create greener jobs, reduced humour change and enhanced health and local sustainability. Likewise, UK coordinator for Zero Waste Europe, Maxine Narburgh, recommended to G20 governments concepts of waste hierarchy rather than investing in incinerators or landfills as this encourages a additive throw-away society 3.The concept of zero waste eliminates the stereotyped ideology concerning waste and rebrands it as a valuable resource rather than material waiting to be disposed.This paper aims to evaluate the concept of Zero Waste in relation to municipal solid waste management.2 METHODOLOGYResources employed for this paper were interpreted majorly from internet sites that shed light on this topic. Also, informat ion was gathered from class work. Text used was obtained from university library.3 ZERO WASTE IN RELATION TO municipal WASTES MANAGEMENTImplementing zero waste will have a diminishing effect on waste going to landfill or incineration as production and ingestion loops are closed. Municipal waste catered for by waste collection authority (local authority) includes theatre waste, market waste and some commercial waste. They include biodegradable, recyclable, inert, composite and household hazardous wastes. Achieving zero waste within this sector requires responsible product design from manufacturers (source reduction and minimal negative environmental impacts), active municipal recycling and composting program. Materials going to waste should be considered for reuse, recycling, repair and composting as such maintaining 100% diversion of waste going to landfill or incineration.Canadian Ontario province produces about 9 one million million million tonnes per year equivalent to one to n per person. Currently, there are no set provincial strategies for waste diversion though the ministry of environment produced a waste reduction in 1991 which is right off moribund. However, various activities concerning waste reduction are carried out through voluntary initiatives and waste management options are now local responsibility requiring each municipality creating their own waste management policy. Ontarios Ministry of the Environment created Waste Diversion Organization (WDO) with authority to blue box recycling, organic waste composting, and household hazardous waste. Ontario legislated a Waste Diversion Act (WDA) which created Industry Funding Organization (IFO) paved way for Stewardship Ontario. The WDA requires all stewards (companies injecting packaging and printed paper into the Ontario consumer stream) to stir in funding 50% Ontario blue box and blue bag WDA program. Waste management responsibilities including recycling and disposal rest on Ontarios municipalit ies. Municipalities with more than 5000 residents are obliged by Ontarios 3R regulations to provide recycling and backyard composting facilities 7.Target Zero Canada (TZC) a program of Earth Day Canada with a goal of total waste elimination. It integrates businesses, earthly concern sector and non-governmental organizations in its agenda to promote policies for government sectors and corporation emphasizing resource efficiency, reuse and recycling target. TZC focuses on key areas including producer responsibility, product cod back and reuse,3.1 ZERO WASTE IN SCOTLANDScottish government created a programme known as zero waste Scotland in order to reach out its zero waste plan by helping individuals, business and local authorities to reduce waste, enhance recycling and efficiently utilize natural resources. Achieving zero waste in Scotland started with the launch of National Waste Plan in 2003 by SEPA and the Scottish executive, it was hinged on 4 key principles including the wast e hierarchy (waste prevention, reuse and refurbishment, recycling and composting, energy recovery and disposal), proximity and self sufficiency, polluter pays and best practicable environmental option (BPEO) 4.Environment Secretary Richard Lochhead in 2008 proposed new targets for the role of municipal waste (MW) to be recycled or composted in the years 2010,2013,2020 and 2025 to 40%,50%,60% and 70% respectively. Also, percentage of MW used for energy in the years 2010,2013,2020 and 2025 to 4%,14%,25% and 25% respectively while percentage of MW going to landfill in the years 2010,2013,2020 and 2025 to 56%,36%,15% and 5% respectively 5.Organizations like WRAP Scotland, Envirowise in Scotland, NISP in Scotland, Remade Scotland and a server of others will be integrated to achieve the zero waste feat by 2010/11. To this end individuals of households are enjoined to support home composting, junk mail rejection, common carrier bag reuse and avoiding food waste. Retailers of business ar e to reduce packaging, cooperate with government to reduce plastic bag use and persuade manufacturers to produce recyclable products. Moreover, the community recycling project which created public recycling sites and kerbside segregated collection. Municipal solid wastes collected are moved to transfer station (material reclamation facility) and then treatment station as seen in Scotland today is good step in the right direction. A good example of treatment facility is the William Tracey cycle facility. Moreover, waste exchange schemes in Scotland has helped in promoting the zero waste plan as one mans poison proves to be a nonhers meat.The Scottish government pragmatic principles have produced encouraging results of 29.8% recycling/composting rate for municipal waste. Increase in zero waste cash in hand from 41.1 million in 2008/09, 54.4 million in 2009/10 and 58.7 million in 2010/11 is a dedicated attempt to deliver the zero waste reality. However, more needs to be done to prope rly utilize funds and and residential areas.4 ANALYSISZero Waste is a philosophy and a goal. Only by closing the loop can we hope to develop a sustainable economy.The idea is to reduce consumption as much as possible by using design-for-environment in all products and their packaging, and to make all products and packaging recyclable.Achieving Zero Waste depends on designing products and industrial processes so that their components can be dismantled, repaired and/or recycled.Zero Waste means linking communities, businesses and industries so that ones waste becomes anothers feedstock. It means preventing pollution at its source. It means new local jobs in communities throughout British Columbia.The aim of zero waste is to maximise recycling, minimise waste and ensure that products are made to be reused, repaired or recycled back into nature or the marketplace.5 CONCLUSIONIn the writers opinion, any product that can not undergo low energy recycling be banned from production. Enacting legislations in support of this however difficult it might pose will go a long way in diminishing waste generated from product use. Achieving zero waste requiresReduce our waste2. Make it less toxic3. Dispose of the equalizer safelyStrengthen waste reduction targets and support programsDevelop sector-specific targetsSpecific attention needs to be given to those areas where there is a strong potential for improvement, such asa composter in every backyardrecycling in all apartment buildingshousehold hazardous waste collection (and reduction)Support environment-friendly disposal optionsGarbage is too valuable a resource to throw away. Innovative technologies, such as the Canada Composting facility in Newmarket, should be the first resort for discourse the residual waste