2.2 Waste Mitigation Strategies Flashcards
What are waste mitigation strategies (generally speaking)?
Strategies that reduce or eliminate materials directed to landfill
What are the waste mitigation strategies?
Re-use, recycle, repair, recondition/ refurbish, re-engineer, dematerialization
What is the definition of re-use?
utilizing a product more than once, in the same or different context
What is the definition of repair?
fixing or renewing a worn out or broken component
What design decisions can be made in terms of repairs?
Designers make decisions that either empower users to do their own repairs, or decisions that limit or prevent users from doing so
What is the definition of recondition/refurbish?
the rebuilding of the product so that it is in an “as-new condition”
What is the definition of re-engineer?
redesigning a component or product to improve their characteristics/ performance, also known as “upgrading”
What is dematerialization?
the strategy of “doing more with less” by reducing the energy and materials used in the production, use, and end-of-life of a product
What are the product recovery strategies?
Energy Recovery
WEEE Recovery
Raw material recovery
Recycling
What is WtE (Waste to Energy) Recovery?
a form of energy production that generates energy (electricity/heat) or a combustible fuel (methane, ethanol) by combusting waste
What is WEEE Recovery
addresses the complex issue of recycling waste electronics by improving the collection, treatment, and recycling of these materials at their end of life (as they can be hazardous)
What is raw material recovery?
The process of separating the components of a product in order to recover the parts and materials
What is the impact of raw material recovery?
parts and materials can be sorted correctly and thus reduce waste and increase the quantity of materials available for recycling and reuse
What is the definition of recycle?
the use of materials from obsolete products to create other products
What is a circular economy?
An economic model where waste is viewed as a resource within a closed loop system and remains in constant use (materials are recovered at the end of the product life cycle)
