Using Sustainable Materials Management to Prioritize, Strategically Plan, and Measure Solid Waste Systems

Transcription

1 Using Sustainable Materials Management to Prioritize, Strategically Plan, and Measure Solid Waste Systems Maryland Recycling Network Webinar September 27 th, 2018 Dr. Timothy Townsend, Jones Edmunds Professor Malak Anshassi Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences Engineering School of Sustainable Infrastructure and the Environment University of Florida, USA

2 Welcome and a Little Admin Our Moderator: Peter Houstle - MRN Executive Director Our Presenter: Dr. Tim Townsend - Jones Edmunds Professor of Environmental Engineering at the University of Florida Admin: Post questions in chat box on right hand side of screen Recording will be posted on MRN website Not a Member? Join Today to Support Recycling in Maryland! 9/27/2018 2

3 Circular Economy vs. Sustainable Materials Management A circular economy is an alternative to a traditional linear economy (make, use, dispose) in which we keep resources in use for as long as possible, extract the maximum value from them whilst in use, then recover and regenerate products and materials at the end of each service life. Sustainable materials management (SMM) is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire life cycles. It seeks to use materials in the most productive way with an emphasis on using less. 9/27/2018 3

4 Sustainable Materials Management SMM Goal: Reduce resource consumption & adverse impacts Material Life-Cycle Stages Upstream Life-Cycle Stages Downstream Life-Cycle Stages Extraction Processing Manufacture Transport Use End-of-life SMM Principle: Processes & Products Better Designed SMM Principle: waste is reused/recycled 9/27/2018 4

5 Incorporating Sustainable Materials Management 9/27/2018 5

6 Incorporating Sustainable Materials Management Performance Outcomes 1. Can use SMM to create alternative metrics to the traditional recycling rates to measure and set targets. Prioritizing & Strategic Planning 1. Can use SMM to prioritize which materials to recycle. 2. Can use SMM to prioritize which technology or policy to strategically invest in. 9/27/2018 6

7 The Challenge with Recycling Rates Doesn t track efforts in source reduction Company institutes a double-sided printing policy Recycled Landfilled Recycled 9/27/2018 7

8 The Challenge with Recycling Rates Doesn t track efforts in source reduction Recycling Rate: 40% Recycling Rate: 35% Recycled Source Reduction Landfilled Recycled 9/27/2018 8

9 The Challenge with Recycling Rates Treats all materials environmental, social, and economic impacts equally 1 ton paper recycled 1 ton aluminum recycled 1 ton yard trash recycled 9/27/2018 9

10 The Challenge with Recycling Rates But different materials have different environmental impacts For instance for energy savings: 1 ton paper recycled 1 ton aluminum recycled 1 ton yard trash recycled 9/27/

11 SMM-based Metrics Management Target Mass-Based Target Mass-Based Recycling Rates (e.g., 75% recycling) Pros: Easy to understand Cons: Does not count source reduction Treats all materials the same 9/27/

12 SMM-based Metrics Mass-Based Target Management Target Mass-Based Recycling Rates (e.g., 75% recycling) Pros: Easy to understand Cons: Does not count source reduction Treats all materials the same Magnitude Target Mass Goals (e.g., per capita disposal rate) Pros: Counts source reduction Cons: Treats all materials the same Maybe difficult to establish an understandable target 9/27/

13 SMM-based Metrics Mass-Based Target Management Target Mass-Based Recycling Rates (e.g., 75% recycling) Pros: Easy to understand Cons: Does not count source reduction Treats all materials the same Magnitude Target Mass Goals (e.g., per capita disposal rate) Pros: Counts source reduction Cons: Treats all materials the same Maybe difficult to establish an understandable target Environmental Burden Goals (e.g., GHG footprint) Life Cycle Based Target? Pros: Counts source reduction Includes life cycle impacts Cons: Maybe difficult to establish an understandable target 9/27/

14 What Outcomes are Important? Greenhouse gas emissions Energy production/consumption Impact on air Impact on water Resource consumption Human toxicity Landfill capacity Jobs Costs US EPA s WARM 9/27/

15 US EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) Two indicators: GHG emissions and energy use Six Waste management alternatives Source reduction Recycling Biological treatment Thermal treatment Land disposal 54 Different types of waste materials Greenhouse Gases (GHG) CO 2 CH 4 N 2 O 9/27/

16 US EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) Net CO 2, CH 4, N 2 O, Metric Tons of CO 2 Equivalents (MT CO 2 E) Life Cycle Impact (LCI) Factor: MTCO 2 E Ton Waste Mass of Waste 9/27/

17 US EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) 9/27/

18 US EPA Waste Reduction Model (WARM) 9/27/

19 Examining SMM-Based Goals 75% Recycling Rate (% Weight) Baseline Year Hypothetical Calculate a baseline emission footprint 9/27/

20 Examining SMM-Based Goals 75% Recycling Rate (% Weight) GHG Emissions (MTCO2E) Baseline Year Hypothetical -XXX MTCO2E/ Person Calculate a baseline emission footprint 9/27/

21 Examining SMM-Based Goals 75% -XXX MTCO2E/person Recycling Rate (% Weight) & Carbon Footprint (MTCO2E) = Baseline Year Recycling Rate Baseline Year Emission Footprint 9/27/

22 Examining SMM-Based Goals 75% -XXX MTCO2E/person Recycling Rate (% Weight) & Carbon Footprint (MTCO2E) -XX MTCO2E/person Baseline Year Recycling Rate Baseline Year Emission Footprint Future Year Emission Footprint Baseline 9/27/

23 Examining SMM-Based Goals 75% R LCI,Future = -XXX MTCO2E/person LCI Future LCI Baseline Recycling Rate Target = X% Recycling Rate (% Weight) & Carbon Footprint (MTCO2E) -XX MTCO2E/person X% Baseline Year Recycling Rate Baseline Year Emission Footprint Future Year Emission Footprint Baseline Future Year Effective Recycling Rate 9/27/

24 Examining SMM-Based Goals 9/27/

25 Incorporating Sustainable Materials Management Performance Outcomes 1. Can use SMM to create alternative metrics to the traditional recycling rates to measure and set targets. Prioritizing & Strategic Planning 1. Can use SMM to prioritize which materials to recycle. 2. Can use SMM to prioritize which technology or policy to strategically invest in. 9/27/

26 Using SMM in Prioritizing & Strategicly Planning in MD What data is available? Let s look at 2015 Data Type 2015 Data Availability Population Data MSW Composition Study, published in 2017 Total Mixed MSW Data Generated Recycled Combusted Landfilled Individual Material Data Generated n/a Recycled Landfilled n/a Combusted n/a 9/27/

27 MD Solid Waste Generation & Disposition Total Generated = tons/person* MD Reported Recycling Rate = 41% Environmental Footprint: Total GHG Emissions = MTCO2E/Person Total Energy Use = -17,802 MJ/Person MD calculates their recycling rate by only counting Maryland Recycling Act (MRA) materials: compostables, glass, metals, paper, plastic, and miscellaneous Recycling Combusted Landfill *Includes Non-MRA Materials like C&D debris, ash, and sewage 9/27/

28 Using SMM Prioritizing & Strategic Planning Approaches to Meet Goals MD has a 60% Waste Diversion Goal by 2020 We can use SMM to prioritize which materials to recycle to achieve this goal and minimize the environmental footprint. Material Material Material Organized by Their Impact to Reduce the 2015 GHG Emissions Footprint (Larger to Smaller) Mixed Metals Mixed Paper Corrugated Paper Newspaper Food Waste Mixed Plastics Aluminum Cans Textiles Glass Electronics Tires Plastic Bottles Steel Cans Yard Trash Material Organized by Their Impact to Reduce the 2015 Energy Use Footprint (Larger to Smaller) Mixed Metals Mixed Paper Corrugated Paper Mixed Plastics Newspaper Aluminum Cans Electronics Plastic Bottles Textiles Glass Steel Cans Tires Food Waste Yard Trash 9/27/

29 Using SMM Prioritizing & Strategic Planning Approaches to Meet Goals OR we can use SMM to prioritize which policy or technologies to invest in to achieve the goal and minimize the environmental footprint. Let s look at an example using 2015 data: We assume MD will hypothetically want to evaluate if they should focus on: 1. Investing in a composting facility for food waste and yard trash. 2. Instituting a mandatory commercial recycling statute targeting beverage containers, paper, and corrugated paper 3. Investing in a renewable energy facility to combust yard trash and tires. 9/27/

30 Using SMM Prioritizing & Strategic Planning Approaches to Meet Goals 9/27/

31 Implications Incorporating SMM means we can also account for our other impacts and create metrics from them Metric Greenhouse Gases Energy Consumption Water Consumption Acidification Potential Community decides which is the most important to become the objective metric Objective Metric Baselines Reporting Measurements 9/27/

32 Implications Incorporating SMM means we can identify stakeholders and best management approaches for a material Consumption Composting Agriculture Practice Manufacturing Food Waste Anaerobic Digestion Landfill 9/27/

33 Thank You For Your Time! Dr. Timothy G. Townsend, PhD, PE Jones Edmunds Professor Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences Engineering School for Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment University of Florida Gainesville, Florida Malak Anshassi Graduate Student Researcher Department of Environmental Engineering Sciences Engineering School for Sustainable Infrastructure and Environment University of Florida Gainesville, Florida /27/