Resource and Energy Recovery from Wastes - Perspectives for a Green Economy

Waste has been subject to environmental legislation in the developed world since the 1970s. It has until now been regarded as an unwelcome and costly by-product of modern societies, and hence as a problem. With the emergence of new waste streams, population growth, and the expansion of consumer soci...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inEnvironmental policy and law Vol. 42; no. 6; p. 344
Main Authors Peiry, Katharina Kummer, Khanna, Rita, Sahajwalla, Veena
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Amsterdam Copyright Agency Limited (Distributor) 01.11.2012
Subjects
Climate change
Creeks & streams
Developing countries
Economic growth
Electronic waste
Energy
Environmental law
Environmental policy
Gold
Green economy
International
LDCs
Legislation
Materials management
Metals
Resource recovery
Waste disposal
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Summary:Waste has been subject to environmental legislation in the developed world since the 1970s. It has until now been regarded as an unwelcome and costly by-product of modern societies, and hence as a problem. With the emergence of new waste streams, population growth, and the expansion of consumer societies in many parts of the world over the last decades, the amount of waste generated globally is increasing dramatically -- one can speak of a veritable "waste crisis." Nevertheless, waste management often remains at the bottom of the political agenda, the problem being left mostly to underfunded and ill-equipped municipalities. Against this background, there is a clear need for policy and law to take a new look at waste management, and explore new ways in which to address it. Two recent high-level international policy events have triggered a paradigm shift in this respect by explicitly recognising environmentally sound resource recovery from waste as presenting legitimate economic opportunities.
ISSN:0378-777X
1878-5395