Policy Affecting Sustainable Waste Management Systems in 2022/2023

What is Sustainable Waste Management?

First, it might be beneficial to outline what sustainable waste management is before we delve into the specifics. This type of system refers to the increase in recycling and the reduction of single-use plastic materials. Policies that manage sustainable waste are a focal point in our circular economy, with its approach intending to enhance economic development and split growth from finite resource consumption.

Typical Policies

Now that you are more clued up on sustainable waste management let’s take a look at some typical policies affecting these systems.

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Reducing Waste

Decreasing the amount of waste we generate is this system’s top priority. To do this, individuals can reduce their daily consumption and maximize efficiency. For example, companies and consumers alike should take a step back from single-use items, such as disposable straws, cups, and plates. People should also only utilize what they really need – this could mean saving a multitude of paper by sending emails, sharing online publications, contributing to online forums, and making notes digitally. Furthermore, workplaces should only run appliances when necessary and switch anything off when not in use. The most common ones in this category include lights, central heating, and air conditioning.

Instead, companies and consumers should opt for products and services that only need a few resources to produce, and avoid those with excessive amounts of packaging material. By being mindful of consumption habits, individuals have the power to reduce the number of resources they use by surprising amounts.

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Reusing Materials

Aside from reducing your consumption, you could always try to reuse what you have ended up utilizing. You could reuse many items instead of throwing them away, such as material bags, cups, cutlery, water bottles, lunch boxes, and more – the list goes on! You could even stretch the extra mile by reusing packaging materials like bubble wrap and containers made of cardboard – why consume more when you already have a stash available from your last mail delivery?

Even if you don’t want to reuse your items, you should always give someone else a chance to do the same by donating things to charity shops. Many people love thrifting at second-hand stores to save a bit of cash as well as our environment’s well-being.

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Recycle

The next policy affecting sustainable waste management is – you guessed it – recycling. Companies should always try to opt for packaging materials and products that can be recycled when disposing of them. Thus, you may want to choose materials such as paper, card, glass, and tin cans as opposed to harmful single-use plastics. Indeed, some plastics can be recycled, but you would need to double-check which type you want to use.

Energy Recovery

After following the three famous ‘R’s of sustainable waste management, you should then implement energy recovery as a policy in your company. You can conserve waste into electricity, fuel, or heat through anaerobic digestion, gasification, and incineration, amongst other processes. Combustion can also recover energy from non-hazardous waste and decrease the large volume that would otherwise be sent to polluting landfill sites. However, it would be best to try to reuse and recycle your materials before turning to this solution.

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Key Takeaways

• First of all, it’s evident that the responsibility of businesses regarding our environment has become increasingly prominent in the last few years. Companies now need to be transparent about how they deal with their waste, showcasing to consumers that they have our planet’s well-being at the center of their minds. This suggests that good intentions are not good enough anymore.
• Secondly, implementing sustainable waste management policies isn’t just about creating a good business reputation. In fact, firms with sustainable policies sometimes generate better results than those without.
• Finally, hopefully, this article has outlined how critical waste management actually is. Sustainable policies in this area can help us take on consumerism and waste problems all over the world.

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