Challenges and Opportunities in Transforming a City into a “Zero Waste City”

Abstract

The currently consumption-driven society produces an enormous volume of waste every day. Continuous depletion of natural finite resources by urban populations is leading the globe to an uncertain future. Therefore, to prevent further depletion of global resources, sustainable consumption and a strategic waste management system would be required. It is evident that a significant number of global non-renewable resources such as cadmium, mercury and tellurium will experience permanent shortfall in global supply within the next two to three decades. Astonishingly, the current recycling rate of these very scarce metals is significantly low in all cities around the globe. The concept of the zero waste city includes a 100% recycling of municipal solid waste and a 100% recovery of all resources from waste materials. However, transforming currently over-consuming cities into zero waste cities is challenging. Therefore, this study aims to understand the key factors waste management systems in cities such as consumption, resource depletion and possible decoupling opportunity through implementing the “zero waste city” concept. The study proposes five significant principles for transforming current cities into zero waste cities in the context of long-term sustainability. A simultaneous and harmonized application of sustainable behaviour and consumption, product stewardship, a 100% recycling and recovery of resources, legislated zero landfill and incineration are required to transform current city into a zero waste city

Rethinking waste as a resource: insights from a low-income community in Accra, Ghana

“…Yet, as the world hurtles towards its urban future with the world's urban population increasing by two new people every second, and with 95 per cent of such increases taking place in cities of developing countries, nowhere is the impact more obvious than in society's "detritus," or solid waste (Hoorneweg and Bhada-Tata 2012). Studies show that currently, cities cover only 2% of the world's surface but generate 70% of the world's waste (Zaaman and Lehman 2011). In Ghana, Accra produces conservatively 2,200 tonnes of solid waste daily, and is expected to reach 4,419 tonnes by 2030 (Oteng-Ababio 2010).…”

Opening up Smart Cities: Citizen-Centric Challenges and Opportunities from GIScience

“…Batty [13] takes an urban modeling approach to synthesize how concepts from complexity science may shape our understanding of today's cities and how cities can be designed in better ways. [27] identified critical factors and challenges for resource efficiency and management, while [28] investigated how to properly integrate ecology and urban design in smart cities contexts.…”

A Strategic Framework for Working toward Zero Waste Societies Based on Perceptions Surveys

“…ZW is defined by the Zero Waste International Alliance (ZWIA) as "designing and managing products and processes systematically to eliminate the waste and materials, conserve and recover all resources and not burn or bury them" [5]. Thus, ZW is about waste prevention through sustainable design and consumption practices, optimum resource recovery from waste and not about managing waste by incineration or landfills [6]. It is understandable that ZW strongly supports waste avoidance and prevention approaches rather than waste treatment and disposal.…”