The Global Edition of Recycling Today published recently a piece on Circular Economy, titled “Commentary: Circular Economy from Project to Concept“. The commentary is based on the recent ISWA’s event on circular economy in Brussels and it presents ISWA’s ground-breaking reports on Resource Management, as well as views by Bjorn Appleqvist, Chairman of ISWA’s Working Group on Recycling and Waste Minimisation and me. The video below presents briefly ISWA’s concept on Circular Economy.
This is a characteristic excerpt from the commentary that reflects the issues discussed.
“The circular economy challenges the status quo, is disruptive and contains major business risks. Unless the economic drivers for that change are clear companies will not adopt it. Commodity prices are, however, unpredictable and although the price spike between 2000 and 2010 is clear, whether or not we have reached a genuine tipping point, caused by global demand is still challenged.
The unexpected fall in oil, copper, gold and iron ore prices late in 2014 has fuelled this debate. Oil prices in December 2014 had fallen by 40%, gold by 30%. In this light, it is fair to ask whether the idea of the circular economy was no more than an environmental fad and a political spin or if there is real and long-term substance behind the circular economy approach?”. Read more here.
You can find all ISWA’s reports on Resource Management here.
The largest regional government in British Columbia Canada have chosen to poach the Zero Waste brand to help them with their drive to build more garbage burners. This pro garbage burner regional government has gone as far as to help create the National “Zero Waste” Council, using taxpayer’s money to peddle fake Zero Waste, green washing on steroids.
Surprise surprise, this same pro garbage burner Metro Vancouver regional government have jumped all over the Circular Economy idea, which begs the question “why is a pro garbage burner resource destructive government jumping on the Circular Economy and Zero Waste bandwagons?”
The problem with new types of ideas and programs with catchy names, is the the ethically challenged could exploit and re brand and green wash them, to serve their garbage burner agenda, as we have seen in British Columbia Canada.
Those who keep the bar set low, love the opportunity to jump on any bandwagon which will help them peddle their garbage burners. The Durham Regional government in Ontario Canada have actually built a new garbage burner and taxpayers there have found out the hard way what a blunder that costly decision was, and slight of hand and fiddling with facts was how that garbage burner got built there.
When the “powers that be” hold the big stick, they can limit debate, green wash and re brand, ram their garbage burner agendas through, and bending the truth and deceiving, has become common place! It’s the “business as usual” way things are done, while thwarting any organized opposition! They have buckets of taxpayer’s money to play with while opposition are mostly unpaid volunteers.
If labels and branding are the future to push an MSW agenda, perhaps it might be prudent to put an asterisk in front of each program, Recycling, Zero Waste and Circular Economy, that highlights “Non Thermal” as the type being used by anyone, no?
Better yet, why not just call these programs “Non Thermal Circular Economy, Non Thermal Zero Waste and Non Thermal Recycling” to help keep the cheaters from exploiting/green washing these ideas and concepts, like some governments, institutions and corporation are trying to do?
The playing field is not a level one. Let’s not make it easier for those who choose to masage the truth. Here’s to the “Non Thermal Circular Economy”!