8.2 Concepts of Waste Management: Definition of Terms
175
8.2.4 Product Lifecycle
A product lifecycle is the sequence of stages that a new product undergoes during
its life span. The lifecycle is as follows: design, manufacture, distribution, primary
use, reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Each of these stages in the lifecycle provides opportunities for policy intervention, including rethinking the importance of the product, minimization of waste
potential, and extending its use. In other words, product lifecycle is a way of
maximizing the use of limited resources of the planet by ensuring that there is no
unnecessary waste generation.
How does this support the theory of sustainability?
8.2.5 Resource Efficiency
Resource efficiency acknowledges that economic development and growth is unsustainable at normal production and consumption patterns. Humans have a tendency
of extracting more resources for producing goods than the Earth’s capacity to
replenish (De Sadeleer 2014). As such, resource efficiency is the minimization of
the environmental effect from goods’ production and consumption to the extraction
of raw materials and disposal.
How can this process of resource efficiency tackle sustainability?
8.2.6 Polluter-Pays Principle
The Polluter-Pays principle states that the polluting party should pay for the
environmental effect created by their actions. Regarding waste management, the
principle embodies the preference that the waste generator pays for disposing of
waste appropriately. This principle is enacted in environmental law to compel the
party responsible for pollution to pay for cleanup and any damages caused to the
natural environment. It is perceived as a regional custom due to the robust support
in many European Union (EU) nations (De Sadeleer 2014).
The Polluter-Pays principle is beneficial for greenhouse gas emissions since
these emissions harm the environment. They also damage the environment through
effects on the climate while contributing to air pollution. When enacted into law,
175
8.2.4 Product Lifecycle
A product lifecycle is the sequence of stages that a new product undergoes during
its life span. The lifecycle is as follows: design, manufacture, distribution, primary
use, reduce, reuse, and recycle.
Each of these stages in the lifecycle provides opportunities for policy intervention, including rethinking the importance of the product, minimization of waste
potential, and extending its use. In other words, product lifecycle is a way of
maximizing the use of limited resources of the planet by ensuring that there is no
unnecessary waste generation.
How does this support the theory of sustainability?
8.2.5 Resource Efficiency
Resource efficiency acknowledges that economic development and growth is unsustainable at normal production and consumption patterns. Humans have a tendency
of extracting more resources for producing goods than the Earth’s capacity to
replenish (De Sadeleer 2014). As such, resource efficiency is the minimization of
the environmental effect from goods’ production and consumption to the extraction
of raw materials and disposal.
How can this process of resource efficiency tackle sustainability?
8.2.6 Polluter-Pays Principle
The Polluter-Pays principle states that the polluting party should pay for the
environmental effect created by their actions. Regarding waste management, the
principle embodies the preference that the waste generator pays for disposing of
waste appropriately. This principle is enacted in environmental law to compel the
party responsible for pollution to pay for cleanup and any damages caused to the
natural environment. It is perceived as a regional custom due to the robust support
in many European Union (EU) nations (De Sadeleer 2014).
The Polluter-Pays principle is beneficial for greenhouse gas emissions since
these emissions harm the environment. They also damage the environment through
effects on the climate while contributing to air pollution. When enacted into law,