More waste, more warmth, missed targets

Let’s begin with a snapshot of our current and future waste. While the news is sobering, this isn’t meant to be discouraging; it simply provides context for our choices looking forward.

As the world’s population grows, the increased demand for goods and services leads to higher energy consumption, primarily generated from fossil fuels. Altogether, this increases the world’s waste, particularly in the form of solids from agricultural, municipal, and industrial sources, as well as gases (carbon emissions) from the burning of fossil fuels that power most sectors.

But our planet has limits, and we’re exceeding them now, which is making this situation unsustainable.

We usually focus on solid waste because it’s visible, tangible trash. But, as carbon emissions add to the world’s total pollution, it’s essential to manage – and even more, utilize – both waste streams better. Because without comprehensive waste management strategies in place by mid-century, we’ll surely miss critical net-zero targets. More waste, more warmth, missed targets.

To visualize this climatic challenge, let’s compare the projections for both waste streams by mid-century.

• By 2050, the global volume of solid waste is projected to increase by 70-75% compared to current levels, according to UNEP, the World Bank, and Statista. That’s an astounding accumulation.
• Carbon emissions (CO₂) have increased by a staggering 50% since the pre-industrial era, according to NOAA records. Over the past 800,000+ years, these levels have steadily measured below 300 ppm (parts per million). The upshot of this increase in such a short historical timeframe is the corresponding rise in global temperatures we’re experiencing today. And if current emission rates persist, the IPCC projects that CO₂ levels could rise from their present level of 427 ppm to about 550 ppm by 2050. If that happens — the world’s temperatures will rise even higher.

Less linear, more circular

Considering the alarming forecasts for 2050, it’s encouraging to see that both waste streams can and are being managed more responsibly. As this field develops, waste management is emerging as an exciting growth sector for innovators, entrepreneurs, sustainability leaders, and practitioners dedicated to creating a positive climate impact.

For starters, shifting to circular, closed-loop systems can reduce and optimize waste from the outset. This method begins with the end goal in mind, forming a circular starting point that rethinks critical material selections and production processes from the outset and continuously loops materials back by repurposing, regenerating, or recycling. These ‘R’ processes serve as foundational practices that drive circular design forward.

Circular systems sharply contrast with linear ‘take-make-waste’ production methods, which still dominate, as if they can continue indefinitely. But we know they can’t. That’s why it’s essential to transform waste streams into valuable resources that can be utilized, which begins with changing our systems and mindsets.

Circularity fundamentally reframes how we perceive and manage our waste streams, shifting from traditional linear systems to sustainable circular ones.

Waste isn’t waiting

Today, countries, municipalities, and companies are in various stages of developing and deploying more modern waste management systems. They’re joined by countless innovators worldwide who are gaining ground as they find new ways to utilize waste.

• Solid Waste
  The solid waste forms cited below are being utilized to generate fossil-free energy, capture and store carbon, and produce biochar — a valuable material for incorporating into products for the built environment, including concrete, floor and wall tiles, ceiling panels, pigments, dyes, and plastics, as well as enriching agricultural soil.
  
  Agricultural waste — residues left after harvesting and processing crops of all varieties
  — Clement Packaging / Agri Frontier
  
  Biosolid waste — solids that remain after wastewater treatment processes and are separated from the liquid
  — Bioforcetech / Ecoremedy
  
  Forestry waste — branches, leaves, bark, and other parts of trees and forest brush
  — Cambium / Armstrong Ceilings
  
  You can learn more about utilizing these solid waste forms on Lot₂₁ here and explore our biochar resources, listed under Materials and Tools.
• Carbon Emissions Waste
  There are various ways to remove carbon emissions waste from the atmosphere and effectively utilize it in the built environment. Methods include natural solutions that employ the photosynthesis process — a natural part of the carbon cycle — while others apply technological approaches. You can easily learn more about these different solutions on Lot₂₁, described under Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR).
  
  For example, Prometheus Materials uses algae to absorb CO₂ through natural photosynthesis and turn it into different construction materials. Twelve converts captured CO₂ into fossil-free chemicals through ‘industrial photosynthesis,’ which involves sourcing CO₂ from Direct Air Capture (DAC) – that captures CO₂ from ambient air – and from Carbon Capture, Utilization, and Storage (CCUS) – which captures CO₂ directly at its source, such as a smokestack.
  — Prometheus Materials / Twelve
  
  You can learn more about carbon utilization on Lot₂₁ and explore innovative companies listed under the Materials category by selecting Carbon / transformed CO₂ and Concrete / low embodied carbon.

Turning waste streams into value streams

positions carbon utilization as a new frontier

for innovation and climate-positive growth

across the disciplines that shape the built environment.

Picking up the pace

In time, we can anticipate that more people, organizations, and governments will see the world’s waste not just as outputs, but also as valuable inputs. In fact, they’re key components in a circular system that’s crucial to achieving net-zero targets in the coming years. 

It’s hard to imagine a future where circular design and its systems aren’t standardized – because we know that linear methods aren’t sustainable. And it’s equally hard to picture a world where utilizing carbon waste isn’t normalized and integrated into modern production methods and waste management systems – because it’s pragmatic, marketable, and sustainable.

Changes like these are underway in waste management and government today, but we all need to become more aware and advocate to achieve a critical mass. What happens next depends on what we do now, which is why boosting participation and picking up the pace benefits us all.

With you, we can do a lot more!

Lew Epstein

Founder / CEO

Subscribe

How to Participate

We’re all either directly or indirectly involved in waste management, although we typically don’t think of it in those terms. Yet, most of the resources we consume and products we purchase generate waste streams. In turn, this creates new opportunities for us to manage and utilize them well.

• Individually & Collectively
  Since most household waste is managed through a local municipal facility, consider taking a tour someday. Tours are commonly offered to school-age children and adults alike to gain a better understanding of ‘how things work’. Check the websites of local waste management companies or organizations, such as WM or RethinkWaste in the U.S., to find out about tour availability.
  
  As many are aware, discarded food is wasteful and harmful to the environment because most of it ends up in landfills, where it generates greenhouse gases. Composting the food scraps that can break down naturally reduces the carbon emissions from households, neighborhoods, and cities. Some cities offer curbside compost pickup, while others provide drop-off sites for compost, including municipal waste sites and community gardens. If you want to explore composting indoors, here’s a review of in-home countertop and floor models to get you started.
  
  Consider the 9Rs of circularity when choosing to buy or specify materials and products. How many Rs might have already been applied in production before your point of purchase, and how many might you affect in their future? These Rs provide a simple, visual reminder that can help guide and influence your choices.
• Policy
  At all levels – local, state, and federal – policy plays a pivotal role in waste management and utilization. Your voices (advocacy) and votes (action) can spread more circular outcomes in your community. Here are a few ways that you can participate in policy without being a specialist or belonging to a specific organization.
  
  Support leaders who share your values and concerns about waste and its management, and who recognize the benefits of utilizing waste effectively.
  
  One way to support these leaders is by volunteering your time and talent to work on their campaigns. For example, you can spread the word about a new bond proposal for funding a modern waste management facility, upgrade an existing one, or add a new biosolid waste utilization capability. Depending on your interests, you might help a campaign’s staff by researching world-class facilities and identifying benchmarks to inform and inspire what’s possible in your community.
  
  Alternatively, you could advocate for decarbonization policies that utilize carbon waste streams in your area by citing those that have been proposed and those that have been passed into legislation.
  
  While the language of policy may sound foreign at times, it’s the means of stating and governing our values and priorities. That’s why supporting the leaders and policies dedicated to climate-positive results helps build a sustainable future for everyone.