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University of Padua IMAGE Department |
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Criteria for Waste Management |
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Solid Waste Management Overview • Prevention or reduction of waste production and its harmfulness • Recovery of waste by means of recycling, re-use or reclamation or any other process with a view to extracting secondary raw materials • Use of waste as a source of energy • Recovery and disposal of waste without endangering human health and without using processes or methods which could harm the environment • As a minimum enforce current laws, regulations and code of practice • Best available technology not involving excessive costs Approaches to Waste Management • Common strategy: Some issues should meet defined minimum standards (occupational health, level of service, compatibility with regulations, etc.), while the balancing of the other issues is a matter of discussion • Waste hierarchy: • Sustainability: World Commission on Environment and Development, 1987 (The Brundtland-report: Our Common Future) defines: Development that meets the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. • Not many direct suggestions, but a way of thinking: long term issues should receive more attention, each generation solves its own problems, local responsibility, etc. • Life Cycle Assessment is a common tool with respect to evaluate and minimising the environmental impact of industrial products, but still fairly new in waste management: • LCI: Life Cycle Inventory is the basis: account of all mass flows and emissions as well as energy use and production. • LCIA: Life Cycle Impact Assessment: converts LCI to potential impacts and compares these |