VIEWPOINT

We still have a long way to go in fully embracing a sustainable circular economy, and this cannot be achieved without the help of the waste management industry.

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Going in circles

Acircular economy is an industrial system that is restorative or regenerative by intention and design. It replaces the end-oflife concept with restoration, shifts towards the use of renewable energy, eliminates the use of toxic chemicals, which impair reuse and return to the biosphere, and aims for the elimination of waste through the superior design of materials, products, systems and business models. This is the definition as per the World Economic Forum.

In this special report, Jamal Abdulla Lootah, group chief executive officer at Imdaad, says that “the waste management sector must adopt the best practices to ensure safe and environmentally friendly waste disposal, besides phasing out waste disposal in the long run. Waste management methods must incorporate innovative techniques to ensure that the relevant nutrients are preserved in wastes to ensure their use in the agroeconomic cycle, thereby also reducing agriculture’s dependence on chemical fertilizers and fossil sources”.

For a circular economy it is essential to recycle materials from waste in order ‘ to close the loop’. The recovery of energy from waste also plays an important role. Waste disposal should be phased out and, where it is unavoidable, it must be adequately controlled to be safe for human health and the environment.

Business, governments and citizens around the world increasingly recognise the challenges caused by our “take-make-dispose” approach to production and consumption. In 2019, over 92 billion tonnes of materials were extracted and processed, contributing to about half of global CO emissions. The

2 resulting waste – including plastics, textiles, food, electronics and more – is taking its toll on the environment and human health, the World Economic Forum report further states.

The circular economy in essence encourages the elimination of waste and the safe use of natural resources.

With growing landfills and increasing wastes, we still have a long way to go in fully embracing a sustainable circular economy, and this cannot be acheived without the help of the waste management industry.