Waste policy: Waste minimization and recycling

Outline• Purpose of waste minimization and recycling• Waste minimization• Recycling

Purpose of recycling and waste minimization

• Overall goal: reduction in the environmental load from waste: resources, emissions, area demands etc.

• Top priority in the waste hierarchy– Source Reduction– Reuse and Recycling– Waste Combustion– Landfill

• Sub-goals:- reduce waste quantities (weight) - reduce emission (metals, nutrients, organic chemicals)- improve recyclability

• COSTS!!!!

Prevention and recycling

Waste minimization: What are the terms?

Many terms are used:• Waste minimization• Waste prevention• Waste avoidance• Cleaner technology (a wide concept)• Cleaner production• Clean-up technology

• Solid waste is usually only one of many issues addressed in this context: Reduction in raw material use, energy use, use of chemicals, improvement of occupational health, water savings etc.

Incentives: Industry

• Consumer´s demands on certification and eco-labelling of production and products

• Economic: Public financial support, savings in production costs, savings in fees and taxes (raw material, waste handling)

• Image / branding • Environmental concerns in general

Incentives: Consumers

• Consumers environmental concern in general • Economic: Savings in fees and taxes (waste handling fees, taxes

on disposable items: bags, utensils, cups, plates, etc.)

Instruments

• Voluntary agreements (industry and government):- End-of-life-vehicles- Return bottles

• Economic instruments:- Taxes on materials- Tax on waste- Pay-as-you-throw- Deposits

• Regulation:- Producer responsibility (packaging, electronics, etc.)

Waste prevention cases:• Prevention of advertisement at door or in mailbox

– In 2003, 12% of Viennese households counter-ordered unaddressed advertising in their mailboxes and 22% on their doors. If all households would participate (total abandonment of advertising in the mail and on the door), this would correspond to a prevention potential of 27 kg/household/ year or 11% of all waste paper generated. Actual prevention about 2 kg/person/year

• Reusable cups, plates and utensils at large events– A problem of much littering and disposal beverage and food containers– Oktoberfest in Munich reduced from 915 to 235 tonnes

• Prevention in public offices: – Returnable packaging, e-mail instead of snail mail, ceramic mugs

instead of paper cups etc. Actual prevention about 0.5 kg/person/year

Case: biodegradable plant pots

0.2 kg/person/year

Case: biodegradable plasticSmall – unknown amount

Case: Returnable diapers1-2 kg/person/year

Case: Returnable bottles8-12kg/person/year

Waste recycling policy

• Does it make sense to stimulate recycling?• What are the goals of recycling?• Recycling policies to stimulate supply• Recycling policies to stimulate demand• Recycling policies that stimulate demand and supply

Policies to Stimulate Supply

• implement use-based pricing for waste disposal • improve availability of drop-off collection in public places • introduce regulatory requirements for source separation • require municipalities to operate recycling programs • landfill taxes • adopt deposit-refund programs • charge consumers advanced disposal fees at the time of purchase • provide funding to municipalities

Policies to Stimulate Demand

• require minimum recycled content in products • implement procurement guidelines for government purchases • provide tax credits and/or low interest loans • tax virgin materials

Use Based Disposal or Pay as You Throw (PAYT)

• Waste generation will decrease if it costs money– encourage recycling, source reduction

• Common in Europe• Increasing in US

– required in MN• Commercial waste generation has always been PAYT

Pay as You Throw

Implementation• see stickers per bag• sell special garbage bags

– cheaper clear bags for compost/recyclables• collection of a certain number of a certain size container• non-linear cost escalation• weighing at collection point

Pay as You Throw

Problems– people use commercial dumpsters– sticker theft– people buy compactors to increase density– Landlord/tenant responsibilities

• PAYT may be implemented for revenue alone

Collection Restrictions

Collection Restrictions

Stimulate Supply and Demand: Extended Producer Responsibility

• Require the producer to take back at end of useful life– cars, computers, packaging, electronics

• Some incentive to produce a product that is durable and recyclable• European countries have implemented EPR for packaging

– yogurt containers, soda bottles, plastic wrap …• varies by country

Extended Producer Responsibility

• Producers have formed a company to implement recycling– guarantee markets

• excess capacity exported• burned for fuel

– finance collection by city– collect from drop-off stations

Extended Producer Responsibility

• The cost to recycle is embedded in the product and the consumer pays– consumer can pay with the product or via taxes for government

programs

Environmentally Friendly Products

• The information needed to make this judgement is complex– recyclability (theoretical vs. actual)– emissions during production and use– toxicity– production efficiency– durability– potential to repair

Stimulate Markets

• Require recyclable content– federal government did this for paper– some states did it for newsprint– other products - fiberglass

• Make sure it stimulates recycling and not competition for the present level of recyclables

• May agree to pay a premium for recycled content

Regulations

• Bottle bills– participation is >90%

• Tax products that appear wasteful– disposable tableware

Regulations

• Disposal bans: Al and OCC– can they be enforced?

• Product bans: polystyrene hot cups• Require retailers to accept products for recycle

– grocery bags– motor oil– batteries