INFRASTRUCTURE
BEFORE THE GLOBAL recession took hold , ‘ sustainability ’ was a focal point . Then , as countries prioritised keeping their economies afloat over keeping them green , it fell out of favour .
However there has been a resurging interest in sustainability albeit in its new guise of the ‘ circular economy ’.
The role of waste in the circular economy The waste industry will undoubtedly play a pivotal role in working towards a circular economy . However in a global society , where the population is increasing and developable land , all of which is finite in size , is diminishing , how can waste collection safely and sustainably support this circular vision ?
Everyone agrees that we need to consume less of our common resources , yet waste generation seems to be inherently linked to economic growth ; the more we consume , the more waste we generate .
At the same time , as residential and commercial development grows upwards due to restrictions placed on developing outwards , more waste
Waste facilities at Stockholm Royal S
is generated per square metre and less space is available for storage and transportation . This is further accentuated by the need to store and collect separate waste streams in order to increase recycling and reuse .
Based on this scenario isn ’ t it about time to draw a close to traditional truck and tip approaches to collection , where multiple heavy vehicles make multiple manual collections all day , every day ? Let ’ s not forget that sustainable living isn ’ t just about waste minimisation and the carbon emissions we produce but also about creating inclusive , attractive
10 November 2014