Dr Krrishna Kanduri from DERM – Waste Exchange Registers
Industry metabolism – what goes in what is done with it what come out
Has to be captured to understand the total footprint of the industrial estate.
Project funded by DERM and implemented by CSIRO
He looked at an entire human settlement for his PhD. (Sounds like Transition The Grove!)
Sustainable resource consumption (raw materials energy water)
Reduced resource use and minimising waste makes good business sense
Combination of eco-efficiency and waste reuse/recycling enhances business sustainability
Waste hierarchy – reduce reuse (may require transport refining) recycle (energy requirement) and dispose (least preferred)
Waste exchange – not a new concept more relevant in current circumstances
Definition of industrial ecology.
General Motors introduced the term. Industrial Ecology is a holistic environmental management system that aims to restructure the industrial system inspired by our understanding of biological ecosystems (cyclic use of resources food webs etc) [Sounds like Permaculture design]
Narangba Industrial Estate (not all businesses but all the major ones )
Inputs: raw materials energy water
Outputs: products solid waste waste water
119 businesses were sent survey forms. 13 businesses responded (the big ones)
21 different products 104840 tonnes
What came out is businesses were saying: We know waste has a value. We know there are people who want to use it. But we don’t know how to find or approach them.
So it was clear there was need for a Waste Exchange Register.
Overview of Waste Exchange
[ul]Typically one-way transactions
Generally at the end of life stage
Users can get information from web-gased register of database
Mostly involves existing businesses
Direct reuse or refined before reuse
Could be transported out of the region
…[/ul]
Waste Exchange Industrial Symbiosis
one-way material disposal Multiple parties
End of life state Waste becomes input for a new product
Local regional national Materials energy water steam expertiseknowledge
Transactions initiated through database …
… ….
Most of the solids went to landfill because businesses didn’t have the time to sort it or the money.
Overview of waste exchange
Waste exchange and industrial symbiosis
Factors that make a waste exchange register successful
List of waste exchange registers – he said it would be sent to us all.
Clear objectives
[ul]Larger geographical spread (adjacent councilr or regions to be included
Web-based by business or not-for-profit
Steering committee or project advisory group
Target audience (SMEs) should shape the design of the exchange website or database
Existing exchanges need to be uncovered supported strengthened replicated
Best situated in an existing program
…[/ul]
krrishna.kanduri@derm.qld.gov.au