KEYNOTE Waste recycling and secondary materials, are environmental and health criteria enough?

The world population is expected to increase to over 9.3 billion by 2050. Together with this increase, an increase of people entering the ‘middle class’ and adopting Western lifestyles occurs. The high material and energy... [ view full abstract ]

The world population is expected to increase to over 9.3 billion by 2050. Together with this increase, an increase of people entering the ‘middle class’ and adopting Western lifestyles occurs. The high material and energy consumption of the middle class is based on the paradigm of abundance of resources. However, this high demand for materials and energy is simply not feasible.

The concept of the Circular Economy, embraced by the European Union, is based on an industrial economic system where materials are circulated without becoming waste. In the Circular Economy closing the loop can be challenging. Technological advancements and innovation can make it possible to close material loops already. However, this closing of loops is hampered due to current waste streams containing substances which are potentially harmful for human health and the environment.

In the Netherlands waste from construction demolition is generally reused. For stony materials recycling rates close to 100% are achieved. Policy regulations ensure that the application of the recycled materials is safe, based on an environmental impact assessment. At the Dutch National Institute for Public Health and the Environment (RIVM) we used the policy model of construction demolition to study how policy measures can promote the safe reuse of other materials like wastewater, electronic waste, plastics, rubber tires, and diapers (nappies). The results show that environmental assessment of effects is not enough. Public perception, life cycle analysis, subsequent life cycles, are examples of factors which should also be taken into account.