what are the principles of waste management
Answers
Principles of waste management
- Reducing the quantity of the materials required for the building
2. Reducing the amount of waste generated
3. Management of construction and demolition wastes
4. provision of recycling of spaces
Answer:
ExplanationReducing the quantity of materials required for the building.
Reducing the amount of waste generated.
Management of construction and demolition wastes.
Materials specifications (e.g. use of reclaimed and recycled materials).
Provision of recycling space/facilities.
The nationally accepted framework or approach for achieving reductions in waste arisings and sustainable waste management is the Waste Hierarchy.
Waste hierarchy
The waste hierarchy provides a framework where waste management options are set out in priority order to enable to correct choice to be made when assessing how to deal with waste. In the hierarchy, waste prevention is the ost environmentally friendly and disposal the least.
The hierarchy applies to all waste streams, not only those directly influenced by this guide.
Waste - basic principles - waste hierarchy
Waste reduction
By preventing waste before it occurs, money can be saved on the collection, treatment or disposals costs of waste. It also reduced the environmental impact and costs of extracting more raw materials, production and use.
Materials reuse
Reusing products and materials for the same (or alternative) purpose is the next preference. Before a material can be reused it should be assessed for its quality as it may be necessary to make minor repairs or additions before the product can reach the required standard.
Recycling and composting
Recycling involves the collection, separation and processing of wastes to make new products, e.g. newspapers are regularly recycled either to make new newspapers or eco-friendly home insulation. Composting is the same process but with organic wastes, e.g. food waste composted to make new fertiliser products.
Recycling and composting processes usually require some energy to work well; however, the energy and cost to alternatively make new products from scratch are usually much greater. The economic viability of recycling/composting depends on factors such as the quality of the waste stream, the transport distances involved and the market price for the recycled materials which can fluctuate significantly. The aim should be to recycle construction wastes as close to their source as possible as they are typically heavy and bulky to transport.
Energy recovery
Energy from waste incineration recovers a proportion of energy from the waste stream; however, usually much less than by recycling/composting, reusing or reducing the waste generated in the first instance.
Landfill disposal
Disposal is the last option in the waste hierarchy and therefore the aim is to divert waste from this end destination. The only landfill in Hertfordshire currently accepting waste (Westmill in Ware) only has permission to continue recieving waste until 2017.
Proximity principle
The transportation of waste can incur significant environmental and nuisance impacts plus unwanted additional cost. Therefore, the proximity principle encourages processing, recycling, reuse or disposal of waste as near to the point of its production as possible.
Benefits of sustainable waste management
Sustainable waste management delivers lots of benefits:
Reduced waste disposal costs (notably Landfill and Aggregates taxes).
Reduced pressures on finite resources, such as virgin aggregates.
Reduced greenhouse gas emissions from landfill and incineration.
Reduced energy consumption from the manufacturing process.
Increased economic productivity.
Reduced requirement for additional landfill capacity.
Reduced nuisance created by odour and visual intrusion from landfill sites.
Improved corporate reporting and green credentials for business.
Typical practice
Waste - basic principles - typical practice
A - White goods and scrap
B - Textiles
C- The average household in Hertfordshire send 15kg of waste to landfill every week
D - Furniture
E - Paper and cardboard
F - Kitchen waste
G - Garden waste
Good practice
Waste - basic principles - good practice
A - White goods and scrap
B - Textiles
C - Furniture
D - Paper and cardboard
E - Purchase of food with reduced/no packaging