This document discusses the concepts of zero waste and the role of material recovery facilities. It defines zero waste as a comprehensive system that addresses resource use from production to disposal, taking a cradle-to-cradle approach. Material recovery facilities are key components of zero waste, as they allow for the separation and processing of recyclables, organics, and residuals. The document outlines the various infrastructure and processes involved at material recovery facilities, including collection, sorting, composting, anaerobic digestion, and energy generation from waste. Communities adopt zero waste strategies to reduce waste and emissions while creating jobs and conserving resources.

1. Concept of Zero Wastes
and
Role of Material Recovery Facilities
Salman Zafar
Founder, EcoMENA
www.ecomena.org
7th Kuwait Waste Management Conference
7 – 8 April 2015, Kuwait

2. Resolving Problem of
Waste
Better organization
Better education
Better industrial design

3. Paradigm Shift
 Recyclables used to be
what we kept out of the
garbage
 Now garbage is what
we have leftover after
we reuse, recycle and
compost

4. What is Zero Waste
 New direction in waste management
 Comprehensive socio-technical
system
 Addresses resource use from product
design to disposal
 Cradle-to-Cradle approach

5. In a Nutshell
"If it can't be reduced, reused, repaired,
rebuilt, refurbished, refinished, resold,
recycled or composted, then it should
be restricted, redesigned or removed
from production.“—Ecology Center,
Berkeley

6. Defining Zero Waste
 Pragmatic and visionary approach to
guide people to emulate sustainable
natural cycles.
 Designing and managing products and
processes to reduce the volume and
toxicity of waste and materials.
 Conservation and recovery of all
resources, and not to burn or bury them.
 Elimination of all discharges to land,
water or air

7. Waste Management Hierarchy of
6Rs
◦ Reduce
◦ Redesign
◦ Repair
◦ Reuse
◦ Recycle
◦ Regulate

8. Central Concepts
 Change the Rules
 Producer Responsibility
 Purchasing for Zero Waste
 Resource Recovery Infrastructure

9. Components of Zero Waste
 Clean Production
 Extended Producer Responsibility
 Resource Recovery
 Building Capacity
 Building Relations
 Participation
 Policy

10. Who is Planning for Zero
Waste
 Communities that:
◦ Are running out of landfill capacity
◦ Can’t site new landfills or incinerators
◦ Want to strive for sustainability
◦ Want to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions

11. Why Zero Waste Strategy for Kuwait
 Vast expansion in urban developments
 Tremendous increase in waste generation.
 Lifespan completion of landfills/dumpsites
 Lack of engineered landfills
 Uncontrolled waste dumping
 Increasingly unsustainable lifestyles
 World’s largest per capita ecological
footprint

12. Conventional Waste Economy

13. Closing the Loop

14. Key Zero Waste Facilities
 The MRF – Materials Recovery
Facility
 Composting Facility – to recycle
organics
 Re-Use Facilities – e.g. like thrift
stores
 C&D Facilities – Debris recycling
 Residue Disposal
 Wastewater/Biosolids Facility – solids

15. Zero Waste Facilities
 Community assets
 Aesthetically
appealing
 Architectural features
 Model green buildings

16. Ideal Site Layout

17. Physical Infrastructure
 Access to recycling and composting
collection
◦ Residential
◦ Commercial
◦ Institutional
 Processing Capacity
◦ Recycling
◦ Organics
 Self-haul
◦ Resource recovery park
◦ Scavenging prior to landfilling

18. Social Infrastructure
 Alignment of Goals
◦ Local Government
◦ Generators
◦ Service Providers
 Community-Based Approaches
 New Rules and Mandates
 Attitudinal Change
 Technical Assistance

19. Zero Waste Material Recovery
Facility
 Resource recovery park
 Resource recovery center
 Material recovery facility
 Zero waste transfer station
 Eco-industrial park
 Reuse/recycling ecological park

20. Three Stream Collection
Program

21. Recyclables

22. Compostables

23. Wastes

24. Major Elements
 Retail sales
◦ Reuse center
◦ Compost and garden
products
◦ Building supplies
 Education center
◦ Green building
◦ Sustainability
 Reuse and recycling
◦ Drop-off
◦ Buyback
 Processing
◦ Materials recovery
◦ C&D debris
◦ Organics
 Residual waste
management
◦ Treatment
◦ Transfer

25. Trash Collection Using Dual
Compactors

26. Separate Collection for
Organics

27. Materials Recovery Facility

28. Initial Manual Sorting

29. Mechanical Sorting

30. Screened Mixed Paper Fibers

31. Materials for End-Use

32. C&D Debris Management

33. Organic Waste Management
Biodegradable
Onsite Offsite

34. Technology Options
 Aerobic Digestion
◦ Composting
◦ Vermicomposting
 Anaerobic Digestion

35. Household Composting

36. Engineered Compost System

37. Outcome of Composting

38. Anaerobic Digestion
 Biological degradation in a closed
reactor
 Biogas used to produce electricity and
heat
 Digestate is nutrient-rich material

39. Biogas-powered Heavy Vehicles

40. Fertilizer Value

41. Advantages of Zero Waste
Strategy
 Sustainable waste management option
 Reduction in environmental and GHG
impacts
 Generation of employment opportunities
 Multiple revenue streams
 Conservation of natural resources
 Energy conservation
 Promotion of better environment

42. Thank You!