Comprehensive Management of Urban Solid Waste---A Life Cycle Perspective

Author: Forbes McDougall et al. (), Zhu Da Jian, Qiu Shoufeng et al. ()
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-06-01
Features: The research on the circular economy should focus on two aspects of material reuse (so-called "garbage economy"), distinguishing it from the traditional end-of-life landfill disposal methods; the other is product-based circular reuse (so-called "functional economy"), distinguishing it from the traditional "use-and-throw" product disposal methods. This book offers innovative and pioneering discussions on the issue of urban solid waste from the perspectives of sustainable development and the circular economy, particularly providing high reference value for various levels of cities in China to manage urban solid waste at a high starting point. The book has the following characteristics:
First, it proposes the concept of waste management from the perspective of sustainable development, pointing out that sustainable waste management should adhere to three principles: environmentally effective, economically affordable, and socially acceptable.
Second, it highlights the superiority of integrated waste management methods over the popular waste hierarchy management methods, emphasizing that the waste hierarchy management method rigidly follows the sequence of "waste resourceization, biological treatment, thermal treatment (energy recovery), and landfill," which does not align with the three principles of sustainable waste management. In contrast, the characteristic of integrated waste management is to select different management methods based on the actual conditions of different regions, pointing out that a waste management system that aligns with sustainable development should be determined by local conditions.
Third, it employs the life cycle method to establish a model for waste management, introducing the methods and case studies of using such a model.