Waste reduction: A review of common options and alternatives

Abstract

Circular economy aims to address limited resources throughthe continuous circulation of materials and energy. Recirculating low quality materials for reuse is a sustainabilitygoal that is analogous to the primary function of Nature'sdetritus species, a keystone for the proper functioning ofecosystems. Prior applications of ecosystem structure to humannetwork design uncovered that even the most economicallysuccessful networks of industries demonstrate a lack ofanalogous detritus actors in the form of reuse and recycling. Therecycling industry's volatile nature, dependency on internationalfactors, and financial difficulties prevent this strategy frombecoming an efficient alternative. Creativity in design, inspiredby ecosystems, is proposed here as a method to repurposemanufacturing byproducts that are otherwise seen as low qualitywaste materials. Realizing the reuse potential of these materialscan create detrital-type feedback loops, an attribute thatsupports the characteristic resilience and efficiency ofecosystems. The work here analyzes existing methods ofpursuing circular economy and investigates the potentialbenefits generated by purposefully adding connects that createdetrital-feedback-loops at the consumer and producer levels.