Resources

The big focus is quite rightly on Climate Change.  We cannot, however, ignore other aspects of sustainability.  Resource conservation is critical to delivering more from less.  This links recycling of resources at end of life and reduction in waste in manufacturing and other processes.  Some sectors have performed reasonably well but there are still many areas for improvement.

Domestic recycling has improved over the decade since EWM’s first posts on the shockingly poor rates but there are still many items which cannot be recycled.  Many recycled materials are still “down cycled” in that they are re-used but for a lower grade function than the original material.  In these cases, the initial product or material is still manufactured from virgin materials.

Many recycled materials, such as aluminium cans, require less energy to produce than those made from virgin materials, as well as less environmental degradation from mining and extractive industries. This gives a win for climate change as well as habitats and pollution risk.

Critical resources extend to water and soil in many parts of the world.  Water shortages due to over extraction or pollution can cause human health problems, habitat loss, local climate change and crop failures.  It can also lead to deterioration of the soil health, as can many intensive agricultural practices.

Taken together, resource use optimisation is a massive field for enquiry and this is reflected in some EWM posts including:

• Water Saving
• Plastic Recycling 
• Mechanical-Biological-Treatment - an alternative to kerbside recycling?

While these posts may be a little dated, they serve to highlight the very real issues which we are still grappling with.  New posts will be linked below and older links removed as they become superseded.

EWM, December 2022