A-Z of Waste Management Z – Zero Waste

Zero Waste in a City – How to Achieve it?

Increasing human population and consumer demand is leading to a scarcity of natural resources. In 2017, worldwide material consumption reached 92.1 billion tons – about 250% more than the amount we consumed in 1970.

Household goods tend to end up in municipal waste streams, where their value is lost and where they create a strain on public budgets. It is no longer a matter of wanting to produce less waste. Our planet simply cannot sustain it.

But achieving zero waste is not possible through recycling alone. It requires thinking about a product’s whole lifecycle before it is created, with its use and its end use in mind.

To consider this at city level, both upstream and downstream policy measures are needed. To ensure effective resource consumption and the elimination of waste in cities, local material loops and flows must be created through city-scale measures that address the entire product life cycle:

1. Upstream: Business support and advisory services that focus on design and business development.

2. Downstream: Resource management infrastructure that facilitates services such as collection, sorting, reuse, and recycling.

ZWE\’s model for a new waste hierarchy

How can Albion Environmental help?

Albion can provide support to the resource management industry as part of the downstream measures. We can help those who produce, handle and manage waste materials with a range of services, not only to comply with legal requirements but also to prevent, minimise, reuse and recover as much material as possible and as effectively as possible prior disposal.  

• Waste Sorting & Compositional Analysis – by understanding the incoming waste composition of a facility, it is possible to optmise recycling systems and or material separation systems in order to increase recycling levels as much as practicable to optmise efficiency
• Feasibility studies – support to Local Authorities and waste management facilities aiming to optmise their recycling services
• Waste audits – support to Local Authorities and waste facilities aiming to optmise their recycling services and systems to increase recycling levels and in turn reduce the amount of waste materials sent to landfill
• Waste Soil Management – support with the sampling and assessment of soil waste, soil waste classification in accordance with WM3 Guidance, development of soil reuse and management plans

• Planning Permission applications/ PPC Permit applications/ WML applications – support to clients opening or already handling a waste related facility with the legal requirements and applications to SEPA and planning authorities. We help to ensure clients are legally compliant and operating efficiently to maximise the potential for recycling and or treatment of waste materials at their plants
• Environmental Courses – this provides relevant information on legal requirements for a variety of waste management related activities and services
• CoTC / WAMITAB Assessments – a full range of WAMITAB qualifications to help with the understanding of main responsibilities and legal requirements tailored to site activities and services

For enquiries about any of these services please contact the Albion office by email: info@albion-environmental.co.uk or call the office on 01292 610 428.