An International Survey of Zero Waste Initiatives

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An International Survey of Zero Waste Initiatives

• Julie Hill, Hannah Hislop, Charlotte Steel, Ben
  Shaw
• Green Alliance

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About Green Alliance

• Green Alliance is an environmental policy NGO
• Publications on waste and resources include
• Indicating Right Environmental Performance
  Indicators for the Waste Management Industry 1999
• Creative Policy Packages for Waste 2002
• Return to Sender Producer Responsibility and
  Product Policy 2005

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Why this survey?

• Part of Green Alliances three year Defra-funded
  Closing the Loop project
• Prompted by curiosity about Zero Waste in other
  countries and cities a much bigger aspiration
  than generally expressed in the UK
• The survey comprises 9 case studies
• Outcomes are culturally and politically specific
  to some extent, but can yield ideas and lessons
  for the UK

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Methodology

• From a literature search of Zero Waste
  initiatives, chose 8 public authorities as case
  studies.
• Added the Eden Projects Waste Neutral
  initiative as interesting comparison
• Conducted telephone interviews with at least one
  key contact
• Long versions of case studies (on Green Alliance
  web-site) checked by interviewees
• CIWM presentation comprises summaries of the case
  studies plus commentary

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The Zero Waste Goals

• Zero Waste by 2010
• Canberra, Australia
• Zero Waste by 2020
• New Zealand Kamikatsu (Japan) San Francisco
• Zero Waste as a notional goal with interim
  targets
• Bath, Philippines
• Waste reduction goals
• Flanders, Vienna
• Waste Neutral goal
• The Eden Project

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What do these goals mean?

• The Zero Waste goals are articulated as zero
  waste to landfill
• None of the places in the survey planning an
  increase in incineration
• So zero waste means, in effect, no un-recycled
  waste

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Current Recycling Achievements

• Kamikatsu, Japan 75-80 per cent household waste
  recycled
• Canberra 73 per cent recycling of all wastes
• Flanders 71 per cent of MSW recycled in 2004
• San Francisco 67 per cent of all wastes
• Vienna waste reductions (Austria recycles 50 per
  cent of household waste)
• Philippines 45 per cent recycling of all wastes
• Bath 37 per cent recycling of household waste
• New Zealand no recycling data available

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Main Instruments

• Rigorous source segregation although not
  mandatory in these examples
• Pricing of landfill
• Charging of householders
• Public information
• Closed Loop objectives are in evidence,
  particularly for organic waste

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Waste reduction on the agenda

• Flanders has set a per capita residual waste
  target, which implies reduction as well as
  increased recycling
• Vienna is seeking to slow waste growth
• The Eden Projects Waste Neutral initiative aims
  for waste reduction, greater recycling and closed
  loop system

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But waste prevention progress disappointing

• No ambitious waste prevention goals or practices
• For most, producer responsibility still
  under-developed
• Product policy still in its infancy
• A long way from Cradle to Cradle

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Zero Waste Initiatives San Francisco high tech
solutions to source separation
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San Francisco Closing the Loop composting
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San Francisco pay as you throw
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Zero Waste Initiatives Kamikatsu voluntary
separation into 34 waste streams for recycling
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Kamikatsu what constitutes the 34 waste streams
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Zero Waste Initiatives Philippines an
alternative economy
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Zero Waste Initiatives Flanders recycling at
neighbourhood events
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Zero Waste Initiatives Canberra progress in
waste reduction and recycling
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Zero Waste Initiatives Vienna re-usable drink
ware
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Vienna community events showcase recycled
products
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Waste Neutral Eden Project UK recycling
facilities for visitor waste
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Eden Project UK waste neutral café sign
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Lessons for the UK

• We could set much more ambitious recycling
  targets
• We could do more on CD waste
• We need closed loop systems for organics
• We are well-placed to lead on waste prevention
• We should set a per capita waste generation goal
  like that of Flanders
• We should be making innovative producer
  responsibility agreements
• We should not be afraid of the concept of Zero
  Waste.

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Contact details

• Julie Hill, Green Alliance
• jhill_at_green-alliance.org.uk
• www.green-alliance.org.uk