Towards A Circular Economy of Proximity? Variable-Geometry Spatiality of Urban Mining

Abstract

The proximity principle is one of the main obligations in European regulations regarding waste management. However, this principle is not really implemented because it is not well defined in the law. Proximity is also linked to the new consensual concept of the circular economy, which highlights the local scale. The objective of this text is to understand the implementation of the proximity principle in the concept of the circular economy depending on waste management channels. The methodology is based on an analysis of the urban metabolism of three French cities and in-person interviews with stakeholders of waste management. The result of this research shows that the implementation of proximity is quite complex and affected by the principle of "variable geometry" depending on the types of waste. Some are managed at the local scale, such as putrescible and fermentable waste, bulky refuse, and final waste. Others, however, are transported elsewhere (e.g., waste with high added value or hazardous waste). We aim to identify the criteria that determine these geographical issues. The diversity of situations in each of these case studies provides the opportunity to better understand the geographical scale of implementation of a circular economy and to identify the sources of urban mining through recyclable materials.

Analysis and Estimation of Short Term Residual Household Waste Production: Case Study Reunion Island

“…Several possibilities exist, such as incineration with energy recovery, material recovery and organic recovery. The overseas island departments are territories exposed to many constraints and have a deficit, in terms of waste treatment and recovery [9]. Furthermore, the overseas departments present recycling performances below the national average, with an average of 46 kg per capita against 117 kg.…”

“…The implementation of proximity in terms of waste management, makes it possible to structure economic viability on a local scale via the recovery and disposal channels. However, the provisions of this principle do not at any time mention the characteristics of its application, as the regulations in this area are not very precise [9,10]. The integration of proximity through waste management, made effective with territorial planning strategies and reaffirmed through new approaches, will be reinforced by the amplification of energy issues, precisely in the context of a territorialized understanding of energy production.…”