Modern waste management solutions in the twenty-first century seek to find innovative and environmentally friendly answers to one of humankind’s oldest problems.
Part of a global push towards a greener future has seen many improvements in how waste is managed. This has created many novel and fascinating waste management solutions.
This has created a plethora of new theories, practices, and techniques. But what do they all mean? And, importantly, how feasible are they as realistic solutions to an age-old human problem?
This blog explores 50 modern waste management solutions. While it is far from an exhaustive list, it does unpack many of the complex and exciting new waste management techniques.
What are Modern Waste Management Solutions?
Modern waste management solutions engage with the innovative best practices that the twenty-first century affords the world. These are aligned with environmental best practices in order to promote a more sustainable and eco-friendly future.
Many of these solutions seek to use modern technologies, such as artificial intelligence and machine learning. But they also include ethically minded solutions like recycling which fundamentally seeks to enhance environmental health.
Additionally, certain techniques are not necessarily ‘new’. People do not just seek waste solutions from the present and the future. Bokashi composting, for instance, has its roots in ancient Korea.
This is important to remember. Modern waste management solutions are poised towards creating a better future, but they do not need to find all their answers in it. Looking back at ancient humans’ relationship with waste is equally helpful in understanding and forming waste management systems.
Waste-to-Energy Plants
Waste to energy plants are designed to convert waste into various forms of energy or electricity. The energy creation process is done through incineration and other waste conversion techniques.
Anaerobic Digestion
Anaerobic digestion turns organic waste into substances like biogas and environmentally friendly fertilisers. It’s a good example of net-zero waste management.
Composting
Composting is an old and popular waste management method adopted by many households and commercial establishments. It involves taking organic waste like food waste and other plant materials and converting it into compost.
Recycling
Recycling is one of the most effective ways to manage waste. Fundamentally, it seeks to bypass waste disposal by giving waste materials a new lease on life. Doing so lowers the total amount of waste produced.
Upcycling
Upcycling is a form of recycling that converts waste into materials of greater value. Common examples include turning broken bottles into pieces of inexpensive jewellery. Upcycling is a great way for businesses to gain extra revenue.
Precycling
Precycling involves purchasing goods that can be reused or recycled instead of being disposed of. While it is a waste management tactic that requires forethought, it is effective in lessening the total amounts of waste generated.
Bioremediation
Bioremediation uses microorganisms to remove pollutants from various types of waste materials. It’s particularly when it comes to decontaminating soil, water, and various forms of groundwater.
Landfill Gas Recovery
Landfills produce various forms of gaseous waste as the materials biodegrade. A great waste management strategy utilises this and seeks to recover the gas and use it for new purposes.
Source Separation
Waste separation remains a popular waste management best practice. It’s most effective when it is done at the source of waste generation.
Plasma Gasification
Plasma gasification is a form of waste-to-energy that converts liquid waste into various synthetic gases. These gases can be used to power various commercial and industrial processes.
Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs)
Material recovery facilities (MRFs) are waste sorting systems that receive, sort and prepare various types of recyclable materials. They’re great for sorting large volumes of recycled materials.
Waste Segregation Technologies
Waste segregation technologies manage and sort various waste streams through automated technologies. These technologies have seen a rise in recent years as governments and businesses seek more efficient ways to sort waste.
Mobile Recycling Units
Mobile recycling units have become increasingly popular as a way to promote recycling best practices. Because of their portable nature, more people can access municipal recycling infrastructure and partake in building a greener future.
Closed-loop Manufacturing
Closed-loop manufacturing seeks to produce goods that can be recycled for as long as possible in a variety of forms. This not only promotes recycling best practices but also ensures that products are sustainably produced.
Smart Bins
Smart bins have become common in commercial properties as they promote various forms of waste management best practices. These bins help to ensure that waste separation happens during the disposal process.
Waste Incineration
Waste incineration involves burning waste as opposed to leaving it to dispose in municipal landfills and dumpsites. It can also be used in waste-to-energy processors to help with a move to sustainable energy production.
E-waste Recycling
E-waste is a relatively new type of waste that accounts for a large proportion of waste production. The UN estimates e-waste amounts to be 53.6 million tonnes globally, so recycling is a vital part of managing this sustainably.
Industrial Symbiosis
Industrial symbiosis is the exchange of waste materials between different industries. Its rise in popularity came about due to the potential value of waste, particularly those types produced with valuable materials.
Green Packaging
Green packaging helps to alleviate the excess amounts of waste produced by the packaging industry. It seeks to find reusable materials and avoids single-use plastic products. Many restaurants and commercial establishments have adopted this as part of their sustainability plans.
Reverse Vending Machines
Reverse vending machines are a relatively new innovation that seeks to promote recycling and environmental best practices. They accept the empty containers from the goods and services received from the vending machines.
Community Recycling Programs
Community recycling programs have become an increasingly popular modern waste management solution. It seeks to connect local communities by promoting recycling and green waste solutions.
Pay-as-you-Throw Programs
Pay as you throw programs are practices in some countries like the United States. They seek to charge individuals or businesses depending on the amount of waste that they dispose of in municipal areas.
Food Waste Digesters
Food waste digesters convert food waste and food scraps into products that can help to grow food. The most common example is compost. These digesters can be large machinery or simple, at home devices.
Phytoremediation
Phytoremediation uses plants and other organisms to strain out contaminants from both water and soil. It’s a good decontamination tool as it does not introduce chemicals or other physical contaminants.
Marine Waste Collection
Marine waste collection systems help to remove waste from oceans and other large water streams. These devices remove physical waste and liquid waste. It also looks at oil spills and other contaminants.
Advanced Oxidation Processes
Advanced oxidation processes are a broad series of chemical processes that seek to remove contaminants, both organic and inorganic, from water, wastewater, and other contaminated liquids.
Carbon Capture and Utilisation (CCU)
Carbon capture and utilisation (CCU) seeks to capture various forms of carbon emissions in its gaseous waste form in order to reuse it in other processes. It is a waste management strategy that re-utilises discarded items.
Hydrothermal Liquefaction
Hydrothermal liquefaction is a waste conversion technique that turns organic waste into bio-oil and biochar under high pressure and temperature.
Litter Traps
Litter traps refer to devices that catch waste floating in rivers and other waterways. It’s mainly used for solid waste management and seeks to clean large waste items for further liquid contamination.
Waste Audits
Waste audits are a popular and highly effective way for companies to better understand and optimise their waste management practices. Find out more about waste audits here, as well as how Cleanway conducts theirs.
Green Roofs
Green roofs are an environmentally friendly building technique whereby plants and other ‘green’ materials are built into roofs. As a waste management strategy they help to purify rainwater from natural contaminants.
Carbon Sequestration
Carbon sequestration captures and stores carbon dioxide from the atmosphere in an effort to reduce the negative effects of greenhouse gases. This helps to lessen the effects of climate change and helps to build a greener future.
Pyrolysis
Pyrolysis is the process of breaking down materials in the absence of oxygen. This results in the production of oils and other liquid waste materials. It is particularly effective in managing plastic waste.
Bokashi Composting
Bokashi composting is an old composting method that has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. It involves the breakdown and fermentation of organic waste to produce a nutrient rich soil amendment.
Microbial Fuel Cells
Microbial fuel cells are able to derive and generate electricity from organic waste materials like food waste. It is an environmentally friendly power generating source as well as a way to curb waste disposal.
Waste Heat Recovery
Waste heat recovery seeks to capture the heat created during the waste disposal process and use it in other ways. It combines both waste recovery and waste reuse in order to find alternative uses.
Smart Grid Waste Management
Smart grid waste management is an all encompassing waste management system that seeks to optimise waste collection and emergency recovery across the board. By combining both sectors, the overall energy and waste management grid can be improved.
Mechanical Biological Treatment (MBT)
Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) takes both mechanical sorting technology and biological waste treatment methods. It fosters both environmental best practices and industrial innovation.
Sustainable Packaging Design
Sustainable packaging design seeks to lessen the environmental impact of packaging and other single use storage packages. This is especially important for building a greener future with minimal waste.
Municipal Solid Waste Management
Municipal solid waste management programs provide waste solutions for various forms of urban waste. The benefit of municipal waste management systems is that waste is managed in a local and community setting.
Waste Prevention Strategies
Waste prevention strategies are all encompassing and large scale ways to cut waste from the source. Instead of dealing with waste when it is disposed of, it seeks to minimise the amount of waste generated at the beginning of the manufacturing process.
Circular Economy Models
Circular economy models are part of a waste management strategy that seeks to reuse, recycle, and recover waste materials. It seeks to manage these materials from within a closed, circular economy that minimises disposal.
Hybrid Waste Collection Vehicles
Hybrid waste collection vehicles offer green vehicles for waste collection and waste management at a local, municipal and national level. They help to promote an all-round green economy.
Green Procurement Policies
Green procurement policies for waste management look at making the entire industry more green and eco-friendly by working with companies that align with these practices. This helps to make a green economy across the board.
Automated Waste Collection Systems
Automated waste collection systems is a modern waste solution that utilises underground technologies and infrastructures to make waste collection systems more efficient and effective.
Virtual Waste Management
Virtual waste management uses a variety of digital platforms and technologies to track and optimise waste management streams. The benefit of these systems is that it helps to bring innovation into the system.
Robotics in Waste Management
Robotics in waste management form part of innovative technology systems that seek to minimise the interaction between human beings and waste materials. This helps to protect human health.
Waste-to-Textiles Technologies
Waste-to-textiles technologies convert waste materials into clothing materials. They’ve become quite popular in recent years due to the environmental benefits as well as the unique fashion statements they can make.
Artificial Intelligence for Waste Sorting
Artificial intelligence for waste sorting connects AI innovation with the benefits of waste sorting. AI can help to optimise the systems and to make it more efficient and environmentally conscious.
Energy-efficient Waste Management Facilities
Energy-efficient waste management facilities are an all-encompassing waste management tactic that helps to make energy production and storage more efficient and environmentally conscious.
Why Modern Waste Management Solutions Matter
Modern waste management solutions help to connect the need to manage waste by improving waste services in a variety of ways.
They follow waste minimization techniques by promoting recycling infrastructure, resource recovery, and other industries.
The overall environmental impact of modern waste management systems ensures that the final disposal is optimal and works to build a sustainable future.