How to develop effective waste management and disposal strategy- your views.... Waste type: Urban waste
Answers
Answer:
The true cost of waste is not simply the cost of
discarded materials - it encompasses inefficient use of
raw materials, unnecessary use of energy and water,
faulty products, waste disposal of by-products, waste
treatment and wasted labour. The actual cost of such
waste for UK companies is typically 4 - 5% of turnover,
and can be as high as 10% [1].
In 2004 the UK produced about 335 million tonnes of
waste (Figure 1). This includes 220 million tonnes of
controlled wastes from households, commerce and
industry (including construction and demolition
wastes). Household wastes represent about 9 per cent
of total waste produced in the UK [2]. Therefore there
is a significant role for businesses to play in reducing
the waste that we produce in the UK.
Figure 1: The amount and distribution of waste in 2004
(Source: DEFRA [2])
The European Union suggests that every year 2 billion
tonnes of waste are produced in the Member States,
and this figure is rising steadily. They suggest that the
best solution to this rising mountain of waste is to
prevent its initial production, reintroducing it into the
product cycle by recycling components where there are
ecologically and economically viable methods of doing
so [3]. A growing body of national, European and
international law now regulates the manner in which
wastes are disposed of. These legislative constraints are
enforced by social, fiscal and commercial pressures.
This environmental legislation is making the reduction
and management of waste streams an important issue
even for organisations in the supply chain such as
wholesalers and retailers, who merely ‘pass through’
materials that will ultimately become waste.
Waste management has become a complex area, legally,
technically and commercially. Very few organisations
can still rely on the waste collection services provided
through local authorities as a complete answer to their
waste management obligations. Thus many firms need
to identify and contract one or more reputable,
licensed, specialist companies for the disposal of their
waste, or discharging their legal obligations.
A key development in waste management is the focus
on preventing the production of waste through waste
minimisation and the re-use of waste materials through
recycling. This links directly to procurement issues,
where careful selection of materials, suppliers, process
redesign for disassembly and reverse logistics can all
reduce the amount of wastes produced or facilitate
recycling and re-use
Explanation: