Waste minimization is a process of elimination that involves reducing the
amount of waste produced in society and helps eliminate the generation of
harmful and persistent wastes, supporting the efforts to promote a more
sustainable society. Waste minimisation involves redesigning products and/or
changing societal patterns, concerning consumption and production, of waste
generation, to prevent the creation of waste.
The most environmentally resourceful, economically efficient, and cost
effective way to manage waste is to not have to address the problem in the first
place. Waste minimisation should be seen as a primary focus for most waste
management strategies. Proper waste management can require a significant
amount of time and resources; therefore, it is important to understand the
benefits of waste minimisation and how it can be implemented in all sectors of
the economy, in an effective, safe and sustainable manner.
The basic concept behind waste management is the waste hierarchy, where
the most effective approaches to managing waste are at the top. Waste
management is in contrast to waste minimisation. Waste management focuses
on processing waste after it is created, concentrating on re-use, recycling, and
waste-to-energy conversion rather than eliminating the creation of waste in the
initial phases of production. Waste minimisation involves efforts to
minimize resource and energy use during manufacture. For the same commercial
output, usually the less materials are used, the less waste is produced. Waste
minimisation usually requires knowledge of the production process,
cradle-to-grave analysis and detailed knowledge of the composition of the
waste. The main sources of waste vary from
country to country. In the UK, most waste comes from the construction and
demolition of buildings, followed by mining and quarrying, industry and
commerce. Household waste constitutes a relatively small proportion of all
waste. Reasons for the creation of waste sometimes include requirements in the
supply chain. For example, a company handling a product may insist that it
should be packaged using particular packing because it fits its packaging
equipment. Benefits
Waste minimisation can protect the environment and provide good economic
and business practices. Waste minimisation can improve:
Efficient production practices. Waste minimisation can achieve more output of
product per unit of input of raw materials.
Economic returns. More efficient use of products means reduced costs of
purchasing new materials improving the financial performance of a company.
Public image. The environmental profile of a company is an important part of its
overall reputation and waste minimisation reflects a proactive
movement towards environmental protection.
Quality of products produced. New innovation and technological practices
can reduce waste generation and improve the quality of the inputs in the
production phase. Environmental responsibility. Minimising
or eliminating waste generation makes it easier to meet targets of environmental
regulations, policies, and standards. The environmental impact of waste will
be reduced. Industries
In industries, using more efficient manufacturing processes and better
materials will generally reduce the production of waste. The application of
waste minimisation techniques has led to the development of innovative and
commercially successful replacement products. Waste minimisation has proven
benefits to industry and the wider environment. It helps in value creation
and increase quality of work. Waste minimisation often requires
investment, which is usually compensated by the savings. However, waste reduction
in one part of the production process may create waste production in another
part. There are government incentives for
waste minimisation, which focus on the environmental benefits of adopting waste
minimisation strategies. In the UK, several pilot schemes such as The
Catalyst Project and the Dee Waste Minimisation Project, have shown the
efficacy of such policies. Fourteen companies in Merseyside took part in the
Catalyst Project; the project generated overall savings of £9 million and
landfill waste was reduced by 12,000 tonnes per year.
Processes Resource optimization
Minimising the amount of waste produced by organisations or individuals goes
hand-in-hand with optimizing their use of raw materials. For example, a
dressmaker may arrange pattern pieces on a length of fabric in a particular way
to enable the garment to be cut out from the smallest area of fabric.
Reuse of scrap material Scraps can be immediately
re-incorporated at the beginning of the manufacturing line so that they do not
become a waste product. Many industries routinely do this; for example, paper
mills return any damaged rolls to the beginning of the production line, and in
the manufacture of plastic items, off-cuts and scrap are re-incorporated
into new products. Improved quality control and process
monitoring Steps can be taken to ensure that the
number of reject batches is kept to a minimum. This is achieved by increasing
the frequency of inspection and the number of points of inspection. For
example, installing automated continuous monitoring equipment can help to
identify production problems at an early stage.
Waste exchanges This is where the waste product of one
process becomes the raw material for a second process. Waste exchanges
represent another way of reducing waste disposal volumes for waste that cannot
be eliminated. Ship to point of use
This involves making deliveries of incoming raw materials or components
direct to the point where they are assembled or used in the manufacturing
process to minimise handling and the use of protective wrappings or enclosures.
Zero waste This is a whole systems approach that
aims to eliminate waste at the source and at all points down the supply chain,
with the intention of producing no waste. It is a design philosophy which
emphasizes waste prevention as opposed to end of pipe waste management.
= Product design= Waste minimisation and resource
maximisation for manufactured products can most easily be done at the design
stage. Reducing the number of components used in a product or making the product
easier to take apart can make it easier to be repaired or recycled at the end of
its useful life. In some cases, it may be best not to
minimise the volume of raw materials used to make a product, but instead
reduce the volume or toxicity of the waste created at the end of a product's
life, or the environmental impact of the product's use..
Fitting the intended use In this strategy, products and packages
are optimally designed to meet their intended use. This applies especially to
packaging materials, which should only be as durable as necessary to serve
their intended purpose. On the other hand, it could be more wasteful if food,
which has consumed resources and energy in its production, is damaged and
spoiled because of extreme measures to reduce the use of paper, metals, glass
and plastics in its packaging. Durability
Improving product durability, such as extending a vacuum cleaner's useful life
to 15 years instead of 12, can reduce waste and usually much improves resource
optimisation. But in some cases it has a negative
environmental impact. If a product is too durable, its replacement with more
efficient technology is likely to be delayed. For example, a washing machine
produced 10 years ago may use twice as much water, detergent and energy as one
produced today. Therefore, extending an older machine's useful life may place a
heavier burden on the environment than scrapping it, recycling its metal and
buying a new model. Similarly, older vehicles consume more fuel and produce
more emissions than their modern counterparts.
Most proponents of waste minimisation consider that the way forward may be to
view any manufactured product at the end of its useful life as a resource for
recycling and reuse rather than waste. Recycling a product is easier if it is
constructed of fewer materials. Car manufacturers have recently reduced the
number of plastics used in their cars from twenty or more to three or four,
hence simplifying the recovery of plastics from scrapped cars. However,
exceptions do exist, and might enable a product to fulfill its role with the
minimum of resources. Making refillable glass bottles strong
enough to withstand several journeys between the consumer and the bottling
plant requires making them thicker and so heavier, which increases the
resources required to transport them. Since transport has a large
environmental impact, careful evaluation is required of the number of return
journeys bottles make. If a refillable bottle is thrown away after being
refilled only several times, the resources wasted may be greater than if
the bottle had been designed for a single journey..
Many choices involve trade-offs of environmental impact, and often there is
insufficient information to make informed decisions.
Households This section details some waste
minimisation techniques for householders.
Appropriate amounts and sizes can be chosen when purchasing goods; buying
large containers of paint for a small decorating job or buying larger amounts
of food than can be consumed create unnecessary waste. Also, if a pack or
can is to be thrown away, any remaining contents must be removed before the
container can be recycled. Home composting, the practice of turning
kitchen and garden waste into compost can be considered waste minimisation.
The resources that households use can be reduced considerably by using
electricity thoughtfully and by reducing the number of car journeys made.
Individuals can reduce the amount of waste they create by buying fewer
products and by buying products which last longer. Mending broken or worn
items of clothing or equipment also contributes to minimising household
waste. Individuals can minimise their water usage, and walk or cycle to their
destination rather than using their car to save fuel and cut down emissions.
In a domestic situation, the potential for minimisation is often dictated by
lifestyle. Some people may view it as wasteful to purchase new products solely
to follow fashion trends when the older products are still usable. Adults
working full-time have little free time, and so may have to purchase more
convenient foods that require little preparation, or prefer disposable
nappies if there is a baby in the family.
The amount of waste an individual produces is a small portion of all waste
produced by society, and personal waste reduction can only make a small impact
on overall waste volumes. Yet, influence on policy can be exerted in other areas.
Increased consumer awareness of the impact and power of certain purchasing
decisions allows industry and individuals to change the total resource
consumption. Consumers can influence manufacturers and distributors by
avoiding buying products that do not have eco-labelling, which is currently
not mandatory, or choosing products that minimise the use of packaging. In the
UK, PullApart combines both environmental and consumer packaging
surveys, in a curbside packaging recycling classification system to waste
minimise. Where reuse schemes are available, consumers can be proactive
and use them. Health-care facilities
Health-care establishments are massive producers of waste. The major sources of
health-care waste are: hospitals, laboratories and research centres,
mortuary and autopsy centres, animal research and testing laboratories, blood
banks and collection services, and nursing homes for the elderly.
Waste minimisation can offer many opportunities to these establishments to
use fewer resources, be less wasteful and generate less hazardous waste. Good
management and control practices among health-care facilities can have a
significant effect on the reduction of waste generated each day.
= Practices= There are many examples of more
efficient practices that can encourage waste minimization in healthcare
establishments and research facilities Source reduction
Purchasing reductions which ensures the selection of supplies that are less
wasteful or less hazardous. The use of physical rather than chemical
cleaning methods such as steam disinfection instead of chemical
disinfection. Preventing the unnecessary wastage of
products in nursing and cleaning activities.
Management and control measures at hospital level
Centralized purchasing of hazardous chemicals.
Monitoring the flow of chemicals within the health care facility from receipt as
a raw material to disposal as a hazardous waste.
The careful separation of waste matter to help minimize the quantities of
hazardous waste and disposal. Stock management of chemical and
pharmaceutical products Frequent ordering of relatively small
quantities rather than large quantities at one time.
Using the oldest batch of a product ﬁrst to avoid expiration dates and
unnecessary waste. Using all the contents of a container
containing hazardous waste. Checking the expiry date of all products
at the time of delivery. See also
References External links
The Green Organisation's website, homepage.
The EU Pre-waste project website, homepage.
11 Common Waste Reduction Tips