Examples of Industrial Waste Minimisation Strategies

A. The Packaging Sector

A general waste minimisation strategy for packaging materials could be:

  • Use the lowest quantity of packaging and aim for the flimsiest packaging that can provide the necessary level of protection for the product
  • Minimise the amount of over packaging needed to make the product attractive to consumers at the point of sale
  • For non-food applications, maximise the reuse of metal, glass or wooden containers
  • Where reuse of packaging is not feasible, especially when there is a degree of food contamination, recycling of it as raw material should be considered
  • As a least favourable option, prior to disposal, incineration with energy recovery should be considered. This is most prevalent for those packaging wastes that have a high plastics content

B. The Chemical Industry

The Institution of Chemical Engineers has proposed the following waste minimisation strategy for the chemical industry:
  • Design for maximum chemical conversion through the optimisation of process flowsheets and plant inventories
  • Design for maximum energy efficiency in all process plant, equipment and buildings
  • Use low hazard solvents
  • Minimise solvent use, although avoid wholesale substitution by water-based formulations should these require excessive water and/or energy consumption instead
  • Minimise use of process water, henceforth effluent quantity
  • Ensure minimum dilution of carrier liquids, otherwise there will be greater clean-up costs
  • Maintain low inventories of materials and product.


Visit this site which has a wealth of interesting waste minimisation case studies:
http://www.waste-management.co.uk/

Hirschorn, J.S and Oldenburg, K.U.,(1989) "Waste reduction Audits: Matching Types to Stages" in R.A. Conway etal (Eds) "Hazardous and Industrial Solid Waste Minimization Practices" American Society for Testing and Materials pp 41-47


Using the waste assessment form given below attempt to complete it for wastes on your site, and recommend methods of minimisation.

Company: Project leader:
Completed by: Date:
Project number: Authorised by:
Characteristics Waste Description
Stream No. Stream No. Stream No.
Waste type      
Source      
Specific concern surrounding waste      
Rate of generation (per an)      
Disposal costs      
Unit costs (cost per eg turnover)      
Management      
Priority rating categories W1 R2 WxR R WxR R WxR
Compliance with legislation              
Disposal/treatment costs              
Environmental hazard posed              
Safety hazard posed              
Minimisation opportunities              
Recovery of by-products              
Priority score (sum WxR) Total   Total   Total  
Priority (rank)            

Key:

  1. W = Weighting. Give the priority rating categories a weighting from 0 (low) to 10 (high) according to importance to the company
  2. R = Rating. Rate each waste stream against each of the priority categories from 0 (low) to 10 (high)