Recycling is too far through the life cycle of a product to deliver the kind of carbon savings that are required

(30/07/2010)

From a sustainability point of view, concentration on recycling may be misplaced as it occurs too late to be of maximum benefit to the environment. Although recycling saves on the use of raw materials, the process uses energy and produces products of inferior quality compared to the primary product. Therefore, CIWEM believes that recycling is only part of the answer.

CIWEM believes that recycling is too far through the life cycle of a product to deliver the kind of carbon savings that are required to meet the UK’s ambitious emissions reduction targets. The focus for waste management should be on resource efficiency, prevention and using waste as a resource.

The UK generates some 342 million tonnes of waste per annum so prevention represents the most effective way to reduce emissions as it reduces the consumption of raw materials and the need to expend further energy in managing the waste further down the line. Another element is recovery where waste serves a useful purpose by replacing other materials that would otherwise have been used to fulfil a particular function.

CIWEM calls for improvements to be made to the system to promote minimisation of the production of waste, supported by a circular flow of resources and materials designed to facilitate reuse and recycling wherever possible. In circumstances where waste cannot be prevented, it must be viewed as a resource for potential use in other sectors, based around the carbon savings and energy value of the resource. The current regulatory regime often penalises the beneficial use of waste, so CIWEM believes that regulation of waste recovery activities, such as energy from waste, should enable efficiency.

However, in a newly published Policy Position Statement, the Institution cautions against over committing to one sector when trying to reduce emissions: “It is important that a holistic and proportionate approach to reducing emissions across the economy is employed, reflecting the contribution that all sectors make to the total UK emissions and the savings that could be most readily achieved. In this context, there is a need to be sensible about the resources that are committed to reducing the greenhouse gases from waste management facilities."

"It may be a wiser use of resources to expend efforts on the reduction of the emissions from energy consumption and transport use (about 57 percent of our greenhouse gas emissions) where we may be able to make greater and quicker environmental savings more economically.”

Related categories:  Electronic and electrical waste recycling   Recyclable materials   Waste treatment technologies