Develop Zero-Waste Cities for the Building of an Ecological …
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are also welcomed in the various stages of waste collection, transportation and
disposal.
(4) Mandatory and binding tools such as regulations and laws are important ways
to build zero-waste cities. Sample cities introduced different regulations for
different types of waste. For example, construction waste cannot be sent to a
random landfill, and must be transported to dedicated disposal plants, with
compulsory targets set for the reuse and recycling of construction waste.
Disposable products such as cups, straws, tableware and plastic bags are strictly
prohibited, and compost like kitchen garbage must not go to landfill. Only
compostable plastic bags are allowed, and household waste must be carefully
classified. These measures were generally introduced step by step in the sample
cities so that the market and residents have time to adapt to the requirements,
but on the whole the scopes of prohibition and mandatory measures expand.
(5) Producer accountability system is widespread. Most sample cities adopt
extended producer responsibility system, and keep expanding the areas where
manufacturers are required to take the responsibility, including product design,
choice of material, and end-of-life recycling and disposal. In accordance with
the requirements of the Ministry for the Environment of New Zealand, for
example, enterprises in the tire, electronic devices and packaging industries
in Auckland are required to take responsibility for recycling and disposal of
their products. Such practices significantly contribute to waste recycling and
disposal, and reduce waste at the source, as producers are encouraged to use
or manufacture products with small environmental impact.
(6) Efforts should be made to explore and apply new technologies related to waste
disposal. New technologies have made waste disposal easier and made zero
waste more likely. For Masdar, a new city under construction in the United Arab
Emirates, a low energy-consuming underground flatbed freight transit system
was designed for waste transportation, raising the transportation efficiency and
bringing down labor cost. Some other cities have been studying and applying
degradable materials and adopting technologies to enhance the efficiency of
waste composting and incineration.
(7) Information dissemination and training should be organized to raise public
awareness of waste recycling. Dissemination of relevant information and public
awareness raising are the most fundamental and yet the most important parts of
the efforts for urban waste management. In Sydney, the government provides
comprehensive information about waste management and community activities
through websites, and offers courses on environmental protection to provide
knowledge about waste classification and recycling starting from elementary
school. San Francisco has a website and an app to provide information about
waste classification and disposal, and a database for people to search for waste
drop-off sites and make garbage collection appointment, and provides households and businesses with extensive door-to-door training on waste management in multiple languages. Extensive publicity and training programs have
significantly raised public awareness of waste recycling and environmental
protection, laying a solid foundation for achieving the goal of zero waste.
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are also welcomed in the various stages of waste collection, transportation and
disposal.
(4) Mandatory and binding tools such as regulations and laws are important ways
to build zero-waste cities. Sample cities introduced different regulations for
different types of waste. For example, construction waste cannot be sent to a
random landfill, and must be transported to dedicated disposal plants, with
compulsory targets set for the reuse and recycling of construction waste.
Disposable products such as cups, straws, tableware and plastic bags are strictly
prohibited, and compost like kitchen garbage must not go to landfill. Only
compostable plastic bags are allowed, and household waste must be carefully
classified. These measures were generally introduced step by step in the sample
cities so that the market and residents have time to adapt to the requirements,
but on the whole the scopes of prohibition and mandatory measures expand.
(5) Producer accountability system is widespread. Most sample cities adopt
extended producer responsibility system, and keep expanding the areas where
manufacturers are required to take the responsibility, including product design,
choice of material, and end-of-life recycling and disposal. In accordance with
the requirements of the Ministry for the Environment of New Zealand, for
example, enterprises in the tire, electronic devices and packaging industries
in Auckland are required to take responsibility for recycling and disposal of
their products. Such practices significantly contribute to waste recycling and
disposal, and reduce waste at the source, as producers are encouraged to use
or manufacture products with small environmental impact.
(6) Efforts should be made to explore and apply new technologies related to waste
disposal. New technologies have made waste disposal easier and made zero
waste more likely. For Masdar, a new city under construction in the United Arab
Emirates, a low energy-consuming underground flatbed freight transit system
was designed for waste transportation, raising the transportation efficiency and
bringing down labor cost. Some other cities have been studying and applying
degradable materials and adopting technologies to enhance the efficiency of
waste composting and incineration.
(7) Information dissemination and training should be organized to raise public
awareness of waste recycling. Dissemination of relevant information and public
awareness raising are the most fundamental and yet the most important parts of
the efforts for urban waste management. In Sydney, the government provides
comprehensive information about waste management and community activities
through websites, and offers courses on environmental protection to provide
knowledge about waste classification and recycling starting from elementary
school. San Francisco has a website and an app to provide information about
waste classification and disposal, and a database for people to search for waste
drop-off sites and make garbage collection appointment, and provides households and businesses with extensive door-to-door training on waste management in multiple languages. Extensive publicity and training programs have
significantly raised public awareness of waste recycling and environmental
protection, laying a solid foundation for achieving the goal of zero waste.