Tycho Sierra presents "Swimming Against the Waste Stream" at Ignite Budapest #1, at Treehugger Dan's Cafe and Bookstore, Budapest, Hungary, 28 May 2009.

2. What is waste?
Any substance or object the holder discards, intends to
discard or is required to discard.
What is a weed?
Any plant that is growing in a place where a human
wants a different kind of plant or no plants at all.

3. Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) in the EU

4. MIXED WASTE =
MIXED RACE = progress
PROBLEMATIC
Iron & Steel 48%
Plastic 21%
Copper 7%
Glass 5%
Aluminium 5%
Printed Circuit
Boards 3%
Other Metals 1%
Other 11%

5. Recycling
Refining
Remanufacturing
Reuse
Recovery
Melting
Remelting

6. @Brian Smale

8. PROS CONS
Substantial reductions in Produce methane when
use of petroleum decomposing in landfills
Compostable High temps required to
activate decomposition
Resource base is Made from genetically
renewable modified crops
Decreases pressure on Cannot be easily recycled
landfills

9. Bauxite Ore Aluminum
4 tonnes Alumin 1 tonne
a
2
tonnes
OPP Films
Pouch Packs

10. Aluminum heat sinks Tri-modal aluminum - STRENGTH
– CONDUCTIVITY
Recycling one tonne of steel cans saves 1.5 tonnes of iron
ore , 0.5 tonnes of coal and 40% water usage.
Recycling 1kg of aluminum saves up to 6kg of bauxite, 4kg of
chemical products and 14 kWh of electricity.

11. For a package to be truly sustainable, it must provide optimal performance in all its
different functions, such as protection, branding, product safety, recyclability etc.
without compromising its environmental effects.
www.wasteonline.org.uk

12. ALTERNATIVES TO POLYSTYRENE (EPS)
acorn@ greensulate@
www.ecovativedesign.com

13. T h e r e ’s n o h o m e f o r f o a m !
www.styrophobia.com

14. “It’s the ultimate litter. It’s a product
that’s used for 30 seconds and lasts 500
years.”
Andrew Basmajian, City of Santa Monica
Environmental Outreach Specialist
The EcoClamshell
Dissolving Tray @Plantic.com

16. High energy efficiency: approx.75% savings in
energy costs over 30 years
Extremely fire resistant
Superior sound insulation
Free of pest damage

17. T.I.C. is not a policing body and in any event it is not
in a position to prohibit or restrict lawful trade of
'Coltan' originating in Africa.
Use of environmentally friendly materials is a core feature of
Deutsche Telekom's procurement policy… we encourage our
suppliers to seek alternatives to tantalum and contribute to
minimizing the coltan problem in doing so.

18. “Principles have no real force except when one is
well-fed.”
Mark Twain
GRASSROOTS RECYCLING
NETWORK
Principles for the Age of Zero
Waste
 Prevent rather than manage waste.
 Turn discarded resources into jobs
instead of trash.
 Support an economy that provides
for a comfortable society without
robbing the future.
 Emulates natural systems where
everything that wears out or dies
becomes food or shelter, however
temporarily, for something else, giving
rise to a vibrant yet efficient flow of
energy and resources.