Zero Waste Management

Introduction to Zero waste

Zero-waste means “No waste” or “To know how to reduce the waste generation.” Zero-waste management is not new to us, as our ancestors and earlier generations used to recycle the waste to conserve the Earth’s finite resources from getting depleted to a large extent. The zero waste concept provides an effective methodology to repurpose end-of-life products in an optimum way.

Zero-waste Concept is connected with recycling, in which recycling the waste helps to accomplish zero waste stratum. Long back, the term “Zero Waste” was mentioned earlier in the “Concept of Total Recycling” proposed by Daniel Knapp. The Concept of total recycling, clearly illustrates how the waste in landfills and dump yards can be diverted to the recycling facilities.

What is Zero Waste Management?

Zero Waste Management is the process of removal or disposal of waste from the lands and ensuring that no waste exists. With Zero Waste Management practices, all the waste should be recycled and properly treated by implementing real-time solutions to eliminate waste dumping practices.

Zero waste management is the whole system strategy for the entire supply chain management to remove waste by using the 3Rs of waste management policies – Reuse, Reduce and Recycle. Reusing end-of-life products creates a great impact on energy conservation and reduces landfill space.

We all know that all the products manufactured cannot be recycled, but consuming products made of recycled materials can be undoubtedly recycled. Consuming recyclable products eliminates the generation of waste.

Maximize recycling. Minimize waste.

“Zero-waste Management” and “Recycling” both work in the same province. Recycling waste can automatically downscale waste production. The zero waste Management goal is to

Maximize recycling
Minimizing the waste generation
Lowering the consumption rate
Design and develop products that are easy to reuse, recycle and repurpose.
Sustainable product development

The recycling rate in India is low as the volume of waste rapidly increases. India generates around 960 million tonnes of waste on the one side and the illegal waste dumping sites are increasing on the other end. As the recycling rates are lower than the average proportionally the waste generation rate increases rapidly.

Installation of collection centers for waste, conducting awareness campaigns on recycling, waste Take-back systems and deposit return schemes support the scaling up of the recycling process. End-of-life products should be properly collected and reused or recycled which lowers waste production.

Sustainable Zero-Waste Strategy

Achieving zero waste is the only thing we can do to replenish the planet. Recycling waste not only keeps the environment clean but also accelerates the economic recovery of our country. The majority of the waste is deposited from single-use products or due to the end-of-phase of the product. With proper research and development, the products can be multi-purposed or can be easily recycled.

Before developing a product, the design of the product should be assembled in an eco-friendly way to avoid toxic effects when the product reaches its end-of-use stage. Packaging of the products should incorporate high possible recycling measures to eliminate the generation of waste.

Zero waste management is not only removing or eradicating waste from landfills but also implementing the methodologies to control the production of waste and consumption. Obtaining zero waste management includes multiple underlying strategies, such as

Creating a waste audit to analyze the In-and-out of waste streams
Conducting zero waste goals for brands and businesses.
Educate and integrate the zero waste concepts with communities
Collection and conservancy of waste
Sustainable Product development
Closed-loop system
Resource recovery policy

Accomplishing zero waste is not a destiny, it’s a process to happen each day to ensure the principle of zero waste supports the environment with a hygienic lifestyle. Zero waste can be obtained at all stages of the supply chain process, from sourcing the materials to disposal, the inefficient waste management loop can be closed with zero-waste management.

Collection and conservancy of waste

In the recycling process, waste collection is the predominant phase, and the initial step involved is where the ULB (Urban local bodies) take the responsibility of collecting waste from the streets.

Waste collected from the street, household, and commercial areas enters the facilities for the recycling process. Collecting & conserving the waste from being dumped into landfills.

Sustainable Product development

The design and development of a product are crucial to reuse and repurpose once it comes to the end-of-life phase. Sustainably creating a product can leverage the chances of recycling to a great extent.

Research and development of a product need to be sustainable to reuse, recycle and repurpose in the future after consumption. Product development should be taken in excessive care and utilizing eco-friendly raw materials is beneficial to the environment.

Reducing the use of finite resources in products and services is a critical enabler of circularity. This means identifying opportunities to use less raw material throughout the value chain, in both finished goods and their individual components.

Closed loop system

Take, Make, Waste, and Dispose is the linear economy practiced today, which intensively affects the planet and human health. Waste Management should be systemized in a closed-loop system employing closed-loop circular economy activities.

Manufacturers need to create a closed-loop waste management system by reusing the product repetitively and not letting the product end up in waste. The modern Circular economy focuses on minimizing waste generation in the initial phase.

The Closed loop recycling process works with the primary objective of recycling without losing the properties of the product. Some of the specialized industries and manufacturing units follow a closed-loop recycling process where the products cannot be broken down even after the post-consumer use is recycled and reused again.

Zero Waste Hierarchy

Zero waste hierarchy helps to formulate the sequence of work processes involved in achieving the zero-waste circumstance. Zero-waste hierarchy articulates the design and strategy implemented to support the zero-waste management practice to a wider extent.

Zero-waste plans and processes are currently in development based on the rapid increase in population, higher consumption rate, and leveling up of socioeconomic status caused the conception of hierarchical stages for better development in the waste recycling process.

The zero waste hierarchy includes,

Unacceptable (Incineration and Waste-to-energy)
Residuary handling scheme
Resource recovery process
Recycling
Reuse
Reduce
Rethink or Redesign

Residual Handling process

Industrial wastes primarily consist of residuary substances that are left without concern. Most of the vital natural resources are left behind in the manufacturing process that needs to collect and utilized for other purposes. Continuous collections and analysis of residuals from the producer end and transforming the residual materials into useful raw material for the production of new products can improvise the efficiency of environmental Stabilization.

Rethink and Redesign

Any closed loop system that doesn’t need to be thrown away, or any product that can be repaired rather than replaced, will save on waste and resources.

The zero-waste pyramid starts with rethinking and redesigning products and materials to promote circular production and consumption. This means identifying opportunities for reducing manufacturing inputs as well as designing out final disposal as an essential part of new processes.

Circular economy design

Circular design helps us make products that last longer, continuously operating at their highest performance while reducing overall resource use. It’s a new way of thinking about designing products so that they can be repaired, reused, or recycled at the end of their useful life instead of being thrown away.

The circular economy is therefore a shift from a linear economy ‘take make discard’ production and consumption model towards a closed loop system where nothing goes to waste and consumes enough energy for the future.