2.2 Waste Mitigation Strategies
2.2 Waste Mitigation Strategies
2.2 Waste Mitigation Strategies
Throw-away Society
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KnCqR2yUXoU
Indian Toy Maker – Tubes etc.
Re-use
This is reusing a product in the same context or in a different context.
Reusing is utilising an object more than one time.
This takes into account of conventional reuse where the object is used again for
similar purpose, and new-life reuse where it is used for an innovative purpose.
An example of reusing is reusing plastic or glass bottles to drink water from.
14 ways to reuse a lightbulb! Excellent ideas
Reusing car tyres Excellent ideas
Minion from car tyres Paper recycle into furniture
on bored panda
Recycle
Recycling refers to using the materials from obsolete products to create other
products.
Recycling consists of processing used materials into novel products in order to avert
squandering potentially functional materials.
It decreases the consumption of unsullied raw resources, trims down energy usage,
lowering air and water pollution by dropping the need for “usual” waste discarding, and
lastly lowering greenhouse gas emissions.
An example of recycling is recycling paper.
Repair
Repair is the reconstruction or renewal of any part of an existing structure or device.
Repair Manifesto Wrist watch repair
Recondition
Reconditioning is rebuilding a product so that it is in an “as new” condition, by
repairing it, cleaning it, or replacing parts.
Contexts include car engines, tyres or refurbished electronics.
Re-engineer
A re-engineered product has been significantly redesigned, with improved
engineering, from its original form.
It may use raw materials that were meant for another product or manufacturing
process, use environmentally friendly materials, recycle some of the original components,
improve performance.
The Dyson Ball Vacuum cleaner has been re-engineered.
Tacoma re-engineered to be off-road
Pollution/waste
From Wikipedia “Pollution is the introduction of contaminants into the natural environment
that cause adverse change.[1] Pollution can take the form of chemical
substances or energy, such as noise, heat or light. Pollutants, the components of pollution,
can be either foreign substances/energies or naturally occurring contaminants. Pollution is
often classed as point source or nonpoint source pollution.”
Point Source Pollution: -A point source of pollution is a single identifiable source of air, water,
thermal, noise or light pollution. A point source has neglnhigible extent, distinguishing it from other
pollution source geometries.
Nonpoint source pollution can include:
Excess fertilizers, herbicides and insecticides from agricultural lands and residential areas.
Oil, grease and toxic chemicals from urban runoff and energy production.
Sediment from improperly managed construction sites, crop and forest lands, and eroding
streambanks. (Pollution that covers a wide area)
From Wikipedia, Wastes are unwanted or unusable materials. Waste is any substance
which is discarded after primary use, or it is worthless, defective and of no use.
Something to ponder? – This is subjective as one person’s idea of waste may whereas
another person may find it useful!
Landfill
Methodologies for waste reduction and designing out waste
Dematerialization
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) defines dematerialization as the “the
reduction of total material and energy throughput of any product and service, and thus the
limitation of its environmental impact. This includes reduction of raw materials at the
production stage, of energy and material inputs at the use stage, and of waste at the
disposal stage”
Circular economy
In an economic model that is a closed loop system where the materials/resources are
in constant use. At the end of the product life cycle the material waste (or obsolete
product material) is recycled/recovered.
The material waste is a resource in the system and is regenerated at the end of the
product life cycle.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7bJRQmr6cdc Excellent
Packaging Innovation: Are Mushrooms the new Styrofoam?
Equally important are the systems in which the product moves: How will the
materials
or components be recovered and made use of again.
One way forward is to develop different business models where users buy
performance through leasing rather than purchasing. This offers interesting job
opportunities in creating reverse supply chains as well as engaging design challenges
and opportunities.
Splosh – A company has set where a customer purchases a one-off starter kit and
then fill the bottle with a sachet of cleaning liquid add warm water and they already to go.
The adding water reduces packing (reduction of materials) and weight (important for
transportation – reduction is fuel)
Saves on materials, energy and waste.
The linear and circular models of the economy from Ellen MacArthur Foundation
The above models show the traditional linear, where material is extracted,
manufactured and diseased in landfill. The circular model – one of them the bio-waste is
returned to enrich the earth. The left model the technical waste is recycled and rescued in
the continued production.
Final Word: Designing out waste and designing for closed-loop recycling will be more
important as resources become scarcer and waste becomes more expensive. Therefore,
developing products for product recovery and dematerialization will become an essential
element of innovation.
International-mindedness:
The export of highly toxic waste from one country to another is an issue for all stakeholders.
Theory of knowledge:
The circular economy can be seen as an example of a paradigm shift in design. Does
knowledge develop through paradigm shifts in all areas of knowledge?
Something Extra …