Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Separate Collection of Waste Fractions: Economic Opportunities and Problems

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Book cover Source Separation and Recycling

Part of the book series: The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry ((HEC,volume 63))

Abstract

Separate collection of valuables from waste is of growing importance for the conservation of resources and the mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions from landfills. Moreover, the separation of certain waste fractions, such as food waste, is necessary to ensure that landfills and – more importantly – incinerators are managed properly. It is therefore necessary to examine the reasons and motivations for separating waste. Separation and recycling of waste fractions should decrease the overall cost of waste disposal for citizens and public bodies. This can only happen if the authorities take into consideration some important “stumbling blocks,” i.e. physical and socioeconomic indicators and prerequisites, when introducing a recycling system. Four examples (landfill tax as an incentive for separate collection, recycling of used paper and cardboard, collection of bio-waste, recycling of mixed packaging waste) have been investigated in order to evaluate the reasons for successful and unsuccessful attempts at resource recovery. Economic incentives for waste segregation are very important and should be tested in pilot studies or through simulation games, because major differences between opportunity costs and costs for alternative treatment options may lead to unwanted behavior by waste producers and/or citizens. Furthermore, citizens’ behavior regarding the separation of valuables, their cultural background with respect to waste management, and social norms must be taken into account when planning collection schemes. Obviously, convenient access to collection systems is essential. Citizens must become accustomed to these systems; long-term awareness raising helps to optimize the successful collection of recyclables.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 299.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 379.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    The dissipation dilemma can be demonstrated using platinum (Pt) as an example: Pt is used in the chemical industry (catalysts, laboratory equipment) and for the production of glass (fiber glass nozzles). The recycling rates are >80% and >95%, respectively. As to Pt from automobile catalysts, the recycling rate is <<50% [16], though the loss of Pt from car catalysts during the use phase has been minimized. The recovery of Pt from smaller devices used by consumers is far less.

  2. 2.

    The economic restraints for deposits in the case of products with a long usage period cannot be described here in detail. It should be noted that the value of a complex product after operational life cannot be estimated reliably. Moreover, high deposits for products which are in use for a long time extract considerable liquidity from the capital markets.

References

  1. UNEP/ISWA (2015) Global waste management outlook. UNEP, Geneva. ISBN:978-92-807-3479-9. http://www.unep.org/ietc/Portals/136/Publications/Waste%20Management/GWMO%20report/GWMO_report.pdf. Accessed 14 May 2016

  2. ISWA (2016) A roadmap for closing waste dumpsites. In: International Solid Waste Association (ed) The world’s most polluted places. Vienna. www.iswa.org

  3. Callan SJ, Thomas JM (2001) Economies of scale and scope: a cost analysis of municipal solid waste services. Land Econ 77(4):548–560

    Article  Google Scholar 

  4. Lakhan C (2015) Evaluating the effects of unit based waste disposal schemes on the collection of household recyclables in Ontario, Canada. Resour Conserv Recycl 95:38–45

    Article  Google Scholar 

  5. Lavee D (2007) Is municipal solid waste recycling economically efficient? Environ Manag 40(6):926–943

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Tonjes DJ, Mallikarjun S (2013) Cost effectiveness of recycling: a systems model. Waste Manag 33:2548–2556

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Mueller W (2013) The effectiveness of recycling policy options: waste diversion or just diversions? Waste Manag 33:508–518

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Dornack C (2017) Waste policy for source separation in Germany. Handb Environ Chem. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2017_114

  9. EC (2012) Directive 2012/19/EU of the European Parliament and of the council of 4 July 2012 on waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE), OJ L 197/38-71

    Google Scholar 

  10. EC (2008) Directive 2008/98/EC of the European Parliament and of the council of 19 November 2008 on waste and repealing certain directives, OJ L 312/3-30

    Google Scholar 

  11. Friege H (2012) Resource recovery from used electric and electronic equipment: alternative options for resource conservation. Waste Manag Res 30(9S):3–16

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. Friege H (2012) Ressourcenschonung am Beispiel von Elektro- und Elektronikaltgeräten. II. Ansätze für einen effizienten Umgang mit nicht erneuerbaren Ressourcen (Resource conservation using the example of electrical and electronic equipment. II. Approaches for the efficient management of non-renewable resources). Müll Abfall 44(6):307–317

    Google Scholar 

  13. Brunner PH, Rechberger H (2004) Practical handbook of material flow analysis. CRC Press LLC, Boca Raton. ISBN:1-5667-0604-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  14. Schenkel W, Reiche J (2004) Abfallwirtschaft als Teil der Stoffflusswirtschaft (Waste management as part of the material flow management). In: Bilitewski B, Schnurer H, Zeschmar-Lahl B (eds) Müllhandbuch. Kz. 1417, Lfg. 2/04. Erich Schmidt, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  15. Dahmus JB, Gutowski TG (2007) What gets recycled: an information theory based model for product recycling. Environ Sci Technol 41:7543–7550

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  16. Bringezu S, Bleischwitz R (2009) Sustainable resource management. Greenleaf Publishing, Sheffield. ISBN-13:9781906093266

    Google Scholar 

  17. Bilitewski B (2010) Sicherheitsbetrachtung aus einer globalen Perspektive für Konsumgüter hergestellt aus Recyclingrohstoffen (Security considerations from a global perspective for consumer goods made from recycled raw materials). Müll Abfall 42(12):582–585

    Google Scholar 

  18. Bilitewski B, Darbra RM, Barcelo D (eds) (2012) Global risk-based management of chemical additives, 1. Springer, Heidelberg. ISBN:978-3-642-24876-4

    Google Scholar 

  19. Bilitewski B, Darbra RM, Barcelo D (eds) (2013) Global risk-based management of chemical additives, vol 2. Springer, Heidelberg. ISBN:978-3-642-34572-2

    Google Scholar 

  20. Rodic L, Scheinberg A, Wilson DC (2010) Comparing solid waste management in the world’s cities. ISWA Knowledge Base. www.iswa.org. Accessed 12 Dec 2016

  21. Steuer B, Ramusch R, Part F, Salhofer S (2017) Analysis of the value chain and network structure of informal waste collection in Beijing, China. Resour Conserv Recycl 117:137–150

    Article  Google Scholar 

  22. Baum HG (2013) Entwicklung der Abfallentsorgung im Lichter der widerstreitenden Steuerungskonzepte (Development of waste disposal in the light of the conflicting control concepts). In: Bilitewski B, Schnurer H, Zeschmar-Lahl B (eds) Müllhandbuch, Kz. 0138, Lfg. 2/13. Erich Schmidt, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  23. Baum HG (2015) Economic conditions for recycling of waste – especially packaging waste. In: ISWA Beacon conference 2015, Hamburg. http://iswabeacon.obladen.de/images/presentations/Baum.pdf. Accessed 27 Dec 2016

  24. Abbott A, Nandeibam S, O’Shea L (2013) Recycling: social norms and warm-glow revisited. Ecol Econ 90:10–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  25. Hage O, Söderholm P, Berglund C (2009) Norms and economic motivation in household recycling: empirical evidence from Sweden. Resour Conserv Recycl 53:155–165

    Article  Google Scholar 

  26. Lange F, Brückner C, Kröger B, et al (2014) Wasting ways: perceived distance to the recycling facilities predicts pro-environmental behavior. Resour Conserv Recycl 92:246–254

    Article  Google Scholar 

  27. Cantner J (1999) Ökonomische Besonderheiten des Entsorgungsmarktes (Economic characteristics of the disposal market). In: Bilitewski B, Schnurer H, Zeschmar-Lahl B (eds) Müllhandbuch. Kz. 1502, Lfg. 6/99. Erich Schmidt, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  28. Geyer R, Kuczenski B, Zink T, et al (2015) Common misconceptions about recycling. J Ind Ecol 20(5):1010–1017

    Article  Google Scholar 

  29. Wilson DC, Velis C, Cheeseman C (2006) Role of informal sector recycling in waste management in developing countries. Habitat Int 30:797–808

    Article  Google Scholar 

  30. Cavé J (2014) Who owns urban waste? Appropriation conflicts in emerging countries. Waste Manag Res 32(9):813–821

    Article  Google Scholar 

  31. Velis C, Wilson DC, Rocca O, et al (2012) An analytical framework and tool (‘InteRa’) for integrating the informal recycling sector in waste and resource management systems in developing countries. Waste Manag Res 30(9S):43–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  32. Fei F, Qu L, Wen Z, et al (2016) How to integrate the informal recycling system into municipal solid waste management in developing countries: based on a China’s case in Suzhou urban area. Resour Conserv Recycl 110:74–86

    Article  Google Scholar 

  33. Schüler K (2015) Aufkommen und Verwertung von Verpackungsabfällen in Deutschland im Jahr 2012 (Revenue and utilization of packaging waste in Germany in 2012) (Ed.: Umweltbundesamt) UBA-Texte 50/2015. http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/sites/default/files/medien/378/publikationen/texte_50_2015_verpackungsabfaelle_2012.pdf. Accessed 15 Dec 2016

  34. Scharff H (2014) Landfill reduction experience in The Netherlands. Waste Manag 34:2218–2224

    Article  Google Scholar 

  35. Umweltbundesamt (2016) http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/abfall-kreislaufwirtschaft/entsorgung-verwertung-ausgewaehlter-abfallarten/altpapier#textpart-1. Accessed 14 Dec 2016

  36. Seidemann C, Meinl G (2016) Entwicklung von Werkzeugen für Anlagenkonzepte zur Altpapiertrockensortierung mit neuen Produktzielen (Developing tools to derive plant concepts for the dry sorting of paper for recycling with new product aims). PTS-Forschungsbericht 30/15, Munich 2016. www.ptspaper.de

  37. Hoornweg D, Bhada-Tata P (2012) What a waste. A global review of solid waste management. World Bank. www.worldbank.org

  38. Deutscher Bundestag (2012) Gesetz zur Förderung der Kreislaufwirtschaft und Sicherung der umweltverträglichen Bewirtschaftung von Abfällen (Law to promote recycling and to ensure environmentally sound waste management). http://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/bundesrecht/krwg/gesamt.pdf. Accessed 17 Dec 2016

  39. Wagner J, Friege H, Séché M (2016) Evaluierung der Praxis gewerblicher Sammlung mit Blick auf die Anforderungen des hochwertigen Recyclings und der Wettbewerbsfähigkeit (Ed.: Umweltbundesamt), UBA-Texte 31/2016. http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/publikationen/evaluierung-der-praxisgewerblicher-sammlung-blick. Accessed 16 Dec 2016

  40. Friege H, Dornack C, Friege N, et al (2015) Vermarktungschancen und Probleme bei der Vergärung von Bioabfällen aus Siedlungsabfall (Marketing opportunities and problems with the fermentation of biowaste from municipal waste). Müll Abfall 47(8):452–456

    Google Scholar 

  41. Kranert M, Gottschall R (2016) Einflussgrößen auf die separate Bioguterfassung unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Qualität (Variables influencing separate collection of biowaste with respect to quality). Ed.: EdDE e.V., Cologne

    Google Scholar 

  42. OECD (2001) Responsibility: a guidance manual for governments. OECD Publishing, Paris. doi:10.1787/9789264189867-en

    Book  Google Scholar 

  43. Lifset L, Atasu A, Tojo N (2013) Extended producer responsibility: national, international, and practical perspectives. J Ind Ecol 17(2):162–166

    Article  Google Scholar 

  44. Atasu A, Subramanian R (2012) Extended producer responsibility for e-waste: individual or collective producer responsibility? Prod Oper Manage 21(6):1042–1059

    Article  Google Scholar 

  45. Cahill R, Grimes SM, Wilson DC (2011) Extended producer responsibility for packaging waste and WEEE – a comparison of implementation and the role of local authorities across Europe. Waste Manag Res 29(5):455–479

    Article  Google Scholar 

  46. Umweltbundesamt (2016) http://www.umweltbundesamt.de/daten/abfall-kreislaufwirtschaft/abfallaufkommen#textpart-3. Accessed 16 Dec 2016

  47. Reh K, Franke M, Baum HG et al (2014) Vergleichende Analyse der Entsorgung von Verpackungsabfällen aus haushaltsnahen Anfallstellen auf der Basis der Verpackungsverordnungen in Deutschland und Österreich (Comparative study of the management of packaging waste from households based on the legal regulations in Germany and Austria). Ed.: ÖWAV Heft 169, Vienna

    Google Scholar 

  48. Baum HG (2014) Neuausrichtung der Verpackungsentsorgung unter Beachtung einer nachhaltigen Kreislaufwirtschaft (Realignment of packaging waste, taking into account sustainable environmental management). VKU, Berlin/Fulda

    Google Scholar 

  49. Friege H, Siepelmeyer H, Hofmann T, et al (2016) Fehlbefüllung von Biotonnen und ihre Ursachen. Erkenntnisse aus einem transdisziplinären Projekt in Lüneburg (Incorrect filling of biotopes and their causes. Findings from a transdisciplinary project in Lüneburg). Müll Abfall 48(12):641–645

    Google Scholar 

  50. Zhang DQ, Tan SK, Gersberg RM (2010) Municipal solid waste management in China: status, problems and challenges. J Environ Manage 91:1623–1633

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  51. Keramitsoglou KM, Tsagarakis KP (2013) Public participation in designing a recycling scheme towards maximum public acceptance. Resour Conserv Recycl 70:55–67

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. N3 Thinking Ahead Dr. Friege & Partners, Scholtenbusch 11, 46562, Voerde, Germany

    Henning Friege

Authors
  1. Henning Friege
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henning Friege .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Waste Management and Circular Economy, Technische Universität Dresden, Pirna, Germany

    Roman Maletz  & Christina Dornack  & 

  2. School of Environmental Science and Engineering, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China

    Lou Ziyang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Friege, H. (2017). Separate Collection of Waste Fractions: Economic Opportunities and Problems. In: Maletz, R., Dornack, C., Ziyang, L. (eds) Source Separation and Recycling. The Handbook of Environmental Chemistry, vol 63. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/698_2017_24

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation