Waste minimisation

Under waste prevention all precautions and measures are understood to recycling, recycling, precede and serve to reduce the amount of waste generated. Waste prevention is done at the design stage and the design of products, in particular through the selection and use of materials according to criteria of harmful substances, the length of the useful life and recyclability at a high quality level.

For qualitative waste prevention include

  • The cyclical use of resources (eg, circular economy, Cradle to Cradle )
  • The use of reusable systems
  • The design of products for multiple use in product-service systems (eg, leasing, sharing).
  • The replacement of toxic or otherwise problematic substances with alternatives
  • Limiting the number of substances used on only one substance (for simple products) or as few substances
  • The renunciation of composites

For quantitative waste prevention include all measures (ie already in production ) aim from the outset to the reduction of the later quantity of waste as

  • Reducing the mass of material used (eg thin-walled packaging films )
  • The design of products with a long service life for the re- use, re-use with the properties of repairability, cleanability, washability, etc. refillability

Are products for a long service life and for many uses transactions made ​​, the resulting waste is very small in relation to utilization. If, however, products for a short period of use, and possibly only established for a use process, the amount of waste in relation to use is very large.

Example product house for complete renovation 2004

A half-timbered house dating from the 15th century served for over 500 years to the life and work of two families in the 26th generation, over 200 people have dwelt therein, and in the construction and maintenance fell to a total of 20 tonnes of waste, ie 2 kg / E * a ( kg per inhabitant per year ). In a 1971 built two-family house in 25 years, 15 people have used and its construction and maintenance fell 15 metric tons of waste, ie 40 kg / e * a - twenty times.

Cradle-to-cradle design
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