Waste 21st century

Dr Steve Halls
Director
UNEP-IETC
Osaka and Shiga, Japan

3
In the 21st century, there is no other option
– there should be NO MORE WASTE!
The question now is:
‘If we cannot avoid thee waste, what do we do
with thee?’
Or:
‘How do I use thee waste, shall I count the
ways?’

4
21st Century challenge: Avoid waste
Materialism = Materialistic lifestyles
= Waste = Deleterious impacts on environment
‘Avoid waste’ is easy to say. But most difficult to do.
Because waste and problems related to waste are
results of a combination of factors which continue to
challenge leaders especially of cities.

5
Continuing challenges for cities in the 21st
Century
 Population growth
 Urbanization and changing lifestyles
 Urban poverty
 Urban governance

World Population, 1950 - 1998, GEO 2000
World population will reach 6,000 million during 1999 - but the rate of growth has begun to slow
Source: compiled by UNEP GRID Geneva from United Nations Population Division 1998a

Population in West Asia, 1950 - 1998, GEO 2000
During the past half century, population increased nearly fivefold. Population growth during the period
1989-95 averaged 3.8 per cent annually but has now started to decline in many countries
Source: data compiled by UNEP GRID Geneva from United Nations Population Division 1996

Megacities in the Year 2015
IETC
1975 1995 2015 1975-1995 1995-2015
DCs
Bombay, India 6856 15138 26218 4.0 2.8
Lagos, Nigeria 3300 10287 24640 5.8 4.5
Sao Paulo, Brazil 10047 16533 20320 2.5 1.0
Dhaka, Bangladesh 1925 8545 19486 7.7 4.2
Karachi, Pakistan 3983 9733 19377 4.6 3.5
Mexico City, Mexico 11236 16562 19180 2.0 0.7
Shanghai, China 11443 13584 17969 0.9 1.4
Calcutta, India 7888 11923 17305 2.1 1.9
Delhi, India 4426 9948 16860 4.1 2.7
Beijing, China 8545 11299 15572 1.4 1.6
Metro Manila, Philippines 5000 9286 14657 3.1 2.3
Cairo, Egypt 6079 9690 14418 2.4 2.0
Jakarta, Indonesia 4814 8621 13923 3.0 2.4
Buenos Aires, Argentina 9144 11802 13856 1.3 0.8
Tianjin, China 6160 9415 13530 2.1 1.8
Seoul, Republic of Korea 6808 11609 12980 2.7 0.6
Istanbul, Turkey 3601 7911 12328 4.0 2.2
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil 7854 10181 11860 1.3 0.8
Hangzhou, China 1097 4207 11407 7.0 5.1
Hyderabad, India 2086 5477 10489 4.9 3.3
Tehran, Iran 4274 6836 10309 2.4 2.1
Lahore, Pakistan 2399 5012 10047 3.8 3.5
Industrialized countries
Tokyo, Japan 19771 26959 28887 1.6 0.3
New York, USA 15880 16332 17602 0.1 0.4
Los Angeles, USA 8926 12410 14217 1.7 0.7
Osaka, Japan 9844 10609 10609 0.4 0.0
Urban agglomeration and
country
Population (thousands) Growth rate, % p.a.
(Source: based on Brennan, 1999, citing UN, 1998)

Rate of Waste Generation
City Country
Waste
Generation
(kg/cap/day)
Metro Manila* Philippines 0.52
Ouagadougou** Burkina Faso 0.54
Shanghai**
People Republic of
China
0.50
Cairo Egypt 0.80
Osaka*** Japan >1.00
National Average**** USA 1.95
Data Sources: * JICA Master Plan for SWM of Metro Manila (1997)
** SANDEC Report No. 1/1996
*** Mr. Osamu Yamamoto/July 1997
**** USEPA Municipal Solid Waste Overview (1997)
IETC

Average Collection Efficiency in Low
and Middle Income Countries
City Country
Collection
Efficiency
Ouagadougou** Burkina Faso 25%
Metro Manila* Philippines 74%
Shanghai**
People Republic of
China
60% - 70%
Cairo Egypt 68%
Saana Yemen 51%
Damascus Syria 90%
IETC
Data Sources: * JICA Master Plan for SWM of Metro Manila (1997)
** SANDEC Report No. 1/1996

The growth in vehicles, 1997, GEO 2000
The sharp growth in the number of vehicles in the region is now the major cause of urban air pollution
Source: compiled by UNEP GRID Geneva from International Road Federation 1997; data for Eastern Europe
and Central Asia for 1980 are not available

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Century
 Urbanization and changing lifestyles
• More people = Higher level of urbanization = More waste
= More demand for services for waste
management
= Increased budgets for waste management
= Lesser space for landfills. NIMBY
conflicts likely between and among
neighboring cities.
• More people with higher incomes = Much more waste;
more cars and other more difficult waste to handle

14
Century
 Urban poverty
Urban poverty in DCs will persist as a problem in
the 21st Century.
• 1.2 billion people, about 23% of the world’s
population, live below absolute poverty level or earn
less than 1US$ per day.
• 900 million or 75% of these poor people live in Asia-
Pacific Region, with highest concentration in South
Asia and East Asia.
◆ Implication: Low priority for waste management in
low-income countries in the 21st Century

15
Century
 Urban governance
Issues in urban governance will be:
• Inadequate management and administrative skills
among policy and decision makers , including skills
for urban and environmental management.
• The level of education and political maturity of the
electorate or citizens, which will determine the kind
of political leadership and urban governance in the
city.
◆ Implication: In cities where urban governance is
poor, waste management will have low priority

16
Century
The big challenges for cities will be:
How to stabilize population growth and how to
manage waste
• To stabilize population growth:
Education is the only way to go. And education
should include the education of women.
• To manage waste:
There is a need to shift from ‘Old’ Solutions to
‘New’ Solutions

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Waste management - How important for
cities?
• To shift from ‘old’ to ‘new’ solutions in waste
management implies giving priority to the
importance of waste management.
• In cities where people are less perturbed with day to
day concerns for survival – food, shelter and jobs –
waste management will enjoy a degree of priority.
• In cities where survival is a daily struggle among its
people, waste management will be lowest in its list
of priorities.

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Waste management: The ‘Old’ Solutions
• Dumping
• Burning
• Landfill for all solid waste, incl. toxic waste
• Incineration
• One sewer fits all (gray water, black water and
stormwater)

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Waste management hierarchy:
The ‘New’ Solutions
• Avoidance/Prevention
• Reduction/Minimization
• Reuse
• Recycle (incl. reclamation and remanufacture)
• Composting/biocomposting
• Sanitary landfill
The hierarchy demands that the first four strategies – A+3Rs -
which are related to environmentally sound practices are
examined and applied first before the alternatives of disposal
through composting/biocomposting or sanitary landfill.

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Waste management hierarchy
• In industries, it may involve product substitution or
cessation of production. (Non-use of toxic
substances or POPs).
• It is an important ‘precautionary principle’ to
consider in designing a new product or packaging a
new product.
• At the community and household level, waste
avoidance may lead to non-consumption or non-
patronage of products considered environmentally
harmful, with or without government regulation.
 Waste avoidance/prevention
It is the ideal waste management strategy.

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a) Better housekeeping (better process control)
b) Design and process modification
c) Materials substitution
d) Recycling and reuse
e) Minimize packaging
 Waste reduction
If waste cannot be avoided, then it should be at least
minimized or reduced.
Ways to reduce waste at the industry level:

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a) Avoid unnecessary repackaging
b) Regular maintenance of furnitures and appliances to
lengthen their use
c) Planning meals ahead of time and preparing and serving
just enough food for the number of persons to be served
d) Avoid hoarding food and other goods
e) Recycling and reuse
f) Use basin to wash food or dishes to conserve water;
other efficient practices at home
 Waste reduction
Ways to reduce waste at the community and
household level:

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 Reuse
Use of same material/product as many times as possible
 Recycle
Old product converted to a new one using same materials and/or
mixed with new ones; it may involve segregating the usable parts
from the waste and putting it back into the process either as a
substitute for the raw material or as a raw material for another
process.
Examples: Kitakyushu car recycling factory; Kalundberg
Industirial Estate
In DCs, the problem is: the lack of markets for recycled products.
Reuse and recycle would provide cure to waste problems.
Prevention or avoidance of waste would be better than cure.

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Integrated waste management:
The system to bind the ‘New’ Solutions
• Integrated waste management (IWM). It is a frame of
reference for designing and implementing new waste
management systems and for analyzing and optimizing the
use of existing systems. It is based on the concept that all
aspects of the waste management system should be analyzed
together, since they are, in fact, inter-related, such that
developments in one area frequently affect practices or
activities in another area.
• The approach refers to the integration of the management of
solid waste and wastewater, both industrial and household
waste, including toxic substances and hazardous waste, and
stormwater, and integrating this with the policy to conserve
and manage land, water and air.

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• Integration is vertical and horizontal
– Vertical integration. The approach will consider the
substantive concerns of each type of waste where the
basic principles of A+3Rs (avoid, reduce, reuse, recycle),
where applicable, will guide waste management at all
levels – global-regional, national and local, down to the
community and household levels.
– Horizontal integration. The approach will consider all
types of waste in the planning, coordination,
administration, regulation, financing and allocation of
public resources. It will include networking with
stakeholders, community participation, environmental
education, communication and training to promote waste
management.

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• Integration is vertical and horizontal
– The integrated approach will also take into consideration
the economic, social and cultural factors in the
community where a waste solution, whether technological
or behavioral, will be introduced.
An integrated approach to waste management is
necessary to ensure public health and sanitation
and environmental sustainability.

27
• Economic: employment; improved incomes;
reduced costs; improved resource efficiency
• Social: reduced risks to diseases; general public
health and sanitation
• Environmental: reduced risk to pollution of water,
air and land resources
 Benefits from IWM

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• Production of ‘green’ or ‘environmentally’ friendly
products
• Environmentally friendly packaging/repackaging of
products
• Reuse, reconditioning and recycling of products
• Marketing environmental technologies for waste
management
 Investment opportunities for SMEs
New businesses would be needed for:

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• Services to improve existing waste management systems. For
example in solid waste management – introduction of
separate sanitary landfills for solid waste and for hazardous
waste; biocomposting facilities for organic waste; waste
reduction technologies; incineration plants for toxic waste and
bulk waste; etc. For wastewater: separate sewer systems for
wastewater and stormwater; on-site wastewater treatment
facilities; technologies to recycle or reuse wastewater; etc.
• New infrastructure support facilities for waste management.
For example: compactors, collector vans, transfer station
facilities, etc.

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• Management services
• Education and training services
• Financing services

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• An enabling policy on integrated waste
management, which should be incorporated in the
city’s urban land use and urban development policy
• A rationalized regulatory framework (not too
strict standards that could disable SMEs to compete
with big business)
• A financing mechanism in place to assist SMEs
• Economic instruments (pollution tax; tax rebates
for recycling/reuse; eco-labelling; etc.)
Provide an enabling environment for participation by
private business sector and civil societies through:
Leadership Role of Local Governments

32
• Administrative efficiency (one-stop-shop for licensing and
permits)
• Incentives to encourage support and participation by various
sectors to implement waste segregation and other practices
related to IWM. For example: recognition awards; subsidies to
communities for cleanliness drives; cash or food coupons for
recovery of recyclables; etc.
• Communication of waste management policy to local
citizens and mobilizing their support for the policy
• Environmental education in all schools and at all levels as a
policy of government
Leadership Role of Local Governments

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Opportunities and benefits in waste
management: How industry could respond
• Accountability and transparency:
– Reporting. Environmental performance reporting on
contributions to waste reduction in the city, environmental
designing and packaging/repackaging of products,
degree of reuse and recycling of products, extent of
participation in eco-labelling of products, etc.
– Self-assessment. Assessment and reporting on
environmental performance of its waste management
technologies being applied at the industry level and for
marketing.
– Improving environmental performance. For example:
Application of EMS (ISO 14001) and use of innovative
technologies

34
• Responsible entrepreneurship:
– Responsible technology transfer. Engaging in
technology transfer as a process and not a one-
off sale of equipment and accessories.
– Partnership building – GOs, NGOs, civil
societies
– Practice of global ethics
– Inclusion of the precautionary approach in
decision making.

35
• Responsible entrepreneurship:
– Support implementation of:
Basel Convention
POPs Convention (2001)
UN Secretary General’s Global Compact
– Life cycle economy. Production of goods and services
that consider the impact on the environment from the time
of their ‘conception’ to ‘resurrection’.
– Technology innovation. Designing/redesigning and
developing new industrial products and processes that
are not harmful to the environment.

36
Role of UNEP in waste management
• Promote cleaner production in industries and
adoption and use of ESTs by all sectors of
society
– Global reporting initiative - a voluntary reporting
by industries on their environmental
performance, which is monitored by DTIE
– Promote technology transfer of ESTs for UEM
and freshwater management - by IETC

37
• Implementation of the Global Program of Action
for the Protection of Marine Resources from
Land-based Pollution
– GPA Secretariat in the Hague serves as
clearing house of all information on marine
pollution
– Inventories main sources of marine pollution,
and provides guidelines on protection of marine
resources

38
• Implementation of the Basel Convention on
Transport of Hazardous Waste
– Basel Convention Secretariat in Geneva
oversees the implementation of the agreement
to prevent illegal transport of hazardous waste
• Campaign for a POPs Convention
– Convention is intended to ban use of 12 toxic
substances,called the ‘dirty dozen’. Text of
treaty was finalized last December 2000 in
Johannesburg. Signing of POPs Treaty is
scheduled on 22-23 May 2001 in Stockholm.

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Role of the Waste Industry and UNEP
• Develop an international code of conduct (eco-
labelling; less packaging; use of ESTs; etc.)
• Control of waste exports
• Reporting
• Transfer of ‘best practices’
• Be part of the Secretary General’s ‘Global
Compact’.
(UN Global Compact was endorsed by member governments
of UNEP’s GC last 8 Feb 2000. The Global Compact holds
enterprises accountable for their human rights, labor and
environmental performance.)

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Continuing challenges for cities:
MORE PEOPLE = MORE WASTE
MORE PROGRESS = MORE
SOPHISTICATED,
DIFFICULT WASTE
OBSTACLES TO WASTE REDUCTION

5% Lack of
centralized
reliable
information
5% Lack of
assistance with
the application
of waste
minimization to
individual
needs/uses
Obstacles to Waste Reduction
Political 60%
20% Bureaucratic
resistance
10% Human
conservatism
10% Piece meal
legislation
10% Media
sensationalism
10% Public
ignorance and
misinformation
Financial 30%
10% Disposal subsidies
10% Scarce money
10% Entrenched disposal industry
Technical 10%
Source: APCTT, 1997

AVOID WASTE
REDUCE WASTE
REUSE RECYCLE
A ‘No Waste’ Society

43
Conclusion
• A ‘No Waste Society’: What all cities should aim for
and work on
• A ‘No Waste Society’ is a society that rationally limits
its demands for material goods. It is a ‘dematerialized’
society.
• Waste avoidance and waste reduction are the twin
strategies in waste management to attain this goal.
• The challenge for cities to attain a ‘No Waste Society’
starting in the present century would be: How to
encourage, if not, enforce discipline at the household,
institutional and industry levels to avoid waste.

44
Conclusion
The corollary questions will be:
• To what extent will citizens be willing to reduce their consumption
levels on a voluntary basis? Will industries lead the way by
reducing their production levels also on a voluntary basis?
• If voluntary action is not possible, will instilling social discipline in
cities by way of new forms of legal and institutional infrastructures
to set some limits to production and consumption, but which may
infringe on human rights and other democratic principles, be
acceptable? And if so, will people be willing to accept a
redefinition of current concepts of individual liberty and freedom of
choice in order to support the urgent needs of society at large for
health, sanitation and environmental sustainability?
• And who is going to make these decisions – the citizens or their
local authorities? Or both?

45
Conclusion
• Chewing gum ban in Singapore in the late 70’s.
Criticized as human rights violation.
• To set limits to industrial production of all ‘non-
recyclable/non-reusable’ and ‘non-compostable’
products based on a waste reduction target (like the
CO2 reduction targets) and not based on the dictates
of a free global market.
Examples of governmental action to curtail individual
consumption:

46
Conclusion
• To set limits to household consumption, especially of
non-recyclable/non-reusable and non-compostable
items, including cars, through incentives. For example:
income tax rebates for households who will use ration
coupons that will limit the number of goods per week;
or for a household of 5 persons or less which has only
one car every 5 years.
Questions: Would these actions be violations of human
rights? Violations of industry rights? Or reversing the
trend of globalization?

47
Conclusion
• There are many other possibilities to prevent waste.
But it will take a tremendous degree of political will for
leaders of cities, national governments and the global
community, especially in the corporate world, to
consider the setting of limits as acceptable. The current
struggle to implement the Kyoto Protocol to reduce
CO2 emissions is a classic case in point.

48
Conclusion
• Only social change – change in individual attitudes and
behavioral practices and change in the concepts of social status
and wealth - could lead to a ‘No Waste Society’. As long as
individual status and success in life is measured by society
according to the level and degree of accumulation of material
wealth, industrial production and social consumption will continue
to be driven by the desire to accumulate material wealth.
• But change is neither necessary nor natural. One cannot force
change, not even governments. Change is the product of a
rational process, something that would result only from social
pressures that could come from the various segments of society all
working together. It will happen but over a long time.

49
Conclusion
People in cities through their better judgment would opt
for change. Toward this end, city authorities in the 21st
Century could hasten this change process if they would
be prepared to boldly assume the leadership to commit
to:
(1) A social and economic policy that will include
Integrated Waste Management and a campaign for a
‘No Waste Society’ to influence change in lifestyles,
attitudes and behaviour and change in society’s
concept of status and success; and
(2) To an educational policy that supports a
dematerialized value system in society.

50
Conclusion
Industries can and will change. Agriculture can and
will change. Change will happen, too, among
individuals to promote a ‘No Waste Society’.
But to sustain all these efforts to change, the greatest
change of all must have to come from city hall.
The biggest challenge to cities will be: How
and where to start this change?
UNEP IS HERE TO HELP

Waste 21st century

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