Waste Cycle
Waste may consist of the unwanted materials left over from a from
community and household activities. The material may be discarded or
accumulated, stored, or recycled.Waste can be regarded as a human
concept as there appears to be no such thing as waste in nature. The
waste products created by a natural process or organism quickly
become the raw products used by other processes and organisms.
Recycling is predominant, therefore production and decomposition are
well balanced and nutrient cycles continuously support the next cycles
of production. This is the so-called circle of life ensures stability and
sustainability in natural systems. There are man-made systems which
emphasize the economic value of materials and energy, and where
production and consumption are the dominant economic activities.
These are usually very destructive of the environment as they require
massive consumption of natural capital and energy, return the end
product (waste) to the environment in a form that damages the
environment and require more natural capital be consumed in order to
feed the system. Where resources and space are finite (the Earth isn’t
getting any bigger) this is ultimately not sustainable.
To be sustainable we need to move towards a system that is local,
community based, makes use of low tech / low energy systems and is
focused on -
Waste minimization - an approach that aims to reduce the production
of waste through education and the adoption of improved production
processes and less wasteful practices.
Recycling - by separating certain materials within the waste stream
and reprocessing them. The recycling of many materials is currently
not financially viable.
Waste processing - treatment and recovery (use) of materials or
energy from waste through thermal, chemical, or biological means.
As individuals we can start at a household level through recycling,
energy efficiency and environmentally beneficial technologies such as
composting, grey water systems, biogas generation, solar power and
heating systems.
Organic waste is easily processed at domestic and medium to
industrial scale by composting. Compost greatly improves the
fertility and health of our soil, and will become an increasingly
important resource to ensure our food security, as we reduce
our dependance on inorganic fertilisers produced from fossil
fuels.
community and household activities. The material may be discarded or
accumulated, stored, or recycled.Waste can be regarded as a human
concept as there appears to be no such thing as waste in nature. The
waste products created by a natural process or organism quickly
become the raw products used by other processes and organisms.
Recycling is predominant, therefore production and decomposition are
well balanced and nutrient cycles continuously support the next cycles
of production. This is the so-called circle of life ensures stability and
sustainability in natural systems. There are man-made systems which
emphasize the economic value of materials and energy, and where
production and consumption are the dominant economic activities.
These are usually very destructive of the environment as they require
massive consumption of natural capital and energy, return the end
product (waste) to the environment in a form that damages the
environment and require more natural capital be consumed in order to
feed the system. Where resources and space are finite (the Earth isn’t
getting any bigger) this is ultimately not sustainable.
To be sustainable we need to move towards a system that is local,
community based, makes use of low tech / low energy systems and is
focused on -
Waste minimization - an approach that aims to reduce the production
of waste through education and the adoption of improved production
processes and less wasteful practices.
Recycling - by separating certain materials within the waste stream
and reprocessing them. The recycling of many materials is currently
not financially viable.
Waste processing - treatment and recovery (use) of materials or
energy from waste through thermal, chemical, or biological means.
As individuals we can start at a household level through recycling,
energy efficiency and environmentally beneficial technologies such as
composting, grey water systems, biogas generation, solar power and
heating systems.
Organic waste is easily processed at domestic and medium to
industrial scale by composting. Compost greatly improves the
fertility and health of our soil, and will become an increasingly
important resource to ensure our food security, as we reduce
our dependance on inorganic fertilisers produced from fossil
fuels.
WASTE CYCLE
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