Zero waste; energy recovery from non-recyclable mixed municipal waste

Abstract

Zero Waste is a strategy offering waste management solutions for today's businesses. The Zero Waste strategy has been created with the objective of stimulating sustainable utilisation of resources, production and consumption with the highest possible level of recycling of generated waste. Due to the fact that currently there is very little information and only few relevant data available as a base for the implementation of the Zero Waste strategy, waste management specialists approach and apply such a strategy in different manners. On the other hand, there are areas of waste management where such a strategy has already been applied on a long-term basis in spite of non-existing relevant legislative tools. Indicators determined in the Zero Waste strategy may be achieved only if the individual countries clearly define legislative environment and adopt a national Zero Waste strategy with achievable objectives unambiguously determined. The area of waste separation, or handling of fractions of waste non-utilisable as secondary materials after separation, is one of the areas directly connected to the Zero Waste strategy. The objective of this paper is the evaluation of the usage of fractions of waste non-utilisable as secondary materials for energy recovery, providing thus valuable knowledge and information for the implementation of the Zero Waste strategy.