Net zero waste: Issues, technologies, trends, and commercially viable solutions

Abstract

Net Zero Waste can be interpreted to indicate strategies for minimizing and/or eliminating solid waste production (through source reduction, recycling, repurposing, etc.) though emerging interpretations exist which link life cycles of materials with water and energy as well. Improved management of waste begins with assessment of waste streams and identification of suitable measures to avoid, divert, or process it other than through disposal. Public and private entities alike seek ways to limit waste production for the sake of efficiency, in terms of financial performance (eliminating unecessary costs, and reducing risks or liabilities such as environmental cleanup) and sustainability (avoiding hazardous substances and reducing resource consumption and greenhouse gas emissions). Administrative protocols for classifying and handling “waste” derive from early environmental policies; at times the protocols seem to inhibit attempts to repurpose or reuse items classified as waste, even when technically and financially feasible. Efforts to convert solid waste for energy production (biogas and/or thermal outputs) may be advantageous. Methods to link water, energy, and materials management pose the potential to reconfigure current systems and provide integrated net zero results. Special material flows relevant to military facilities, and to similar civilian settings, pose potential for improved net zero management. Rare earth elements, heavy metals, and other substances ubiquitous in electronics can be recovered economically and new equipment is increasingly manufactured to simplify their extraction and recycling. Improved life cycle consideration, including integrating resource management linked to water and energy, can aid in identifying technical and financial solutions to implement strategies for net zero waste.