Understanding Waste Flows. An industrial ecology approach to the generation of waste, its flows and the connection it has with economic shifts. A case study of the Maltese Islands

Abstract

The generation of waste is not a contemporary phenomenon. It is the sheer volumes, variety and complexity that have become a seemingly ubiquitous and insurmountable challenge for modern society. Waste has, in fact, become intricate enough to demand complex technologies and specialist attention while requiring higher financial resources to be directed to its management. This thesis uses the Maltese Islands as a case study. It includes three original research chapters (Chapters 3, 4 and 5) which explore the generation of waste and its management at different stages. Industrial Ecology (IE) is used as a basic guiding discipline. Tools, such as, input-output analysis, material flow analysis, carbon footprint and waste audits, allowed economic systems to be viewed jointly within the environment in which they operate. This approach emphasises the development and implementation of the solutions and policies at the system level, which can reach up to, and include the global system. Motivated by the direct relationship that waste generation displays with economic growth and the need to delink this positive correlation, together with the linear fashion that the world' s throughput has continued to develop, this thesis sets out to examine and comprehend the connections that the production of waste holds with operational and economic functions. Through the results achieved, the thesis does not aim to establish or measure the rate of decoupling between different waste streams and economic growth but to table information that guides the introduction and application of an integrated waste management system and assists in the implementation of a circular economy with the final goal of guiding policy towards the decoupling of waste generation from economic growth. The initial reaction to escalating waste figures was focused on treatment, which, in most cases, culminated in the tossing, burying or burning of whatever is produced. However, the social, environmental and economic externalities of these practices grew in a direct and positive manner with the volumes necessitating a rethinking of these approaches. The need to shift to an integrated approach to waste management was highlighted throughout the research. This means that, while earlier on, waste management was an after-thought, often featuring in bolt-on, end-of-pipe treatment systems, an integrated approach would require knowledge and evidence-based solutions that are grounded in studies which encompass a multidisciplinary and multisectoral intervention and coordination. This methodology is crucial for a country that wants to establish a system which accounts for the social, economic and environmental aspects of waste impacts and works towards their abatement. This thesis highlights the complexity that characterises waste management, more so in a densely populated island with rapid economic expansion. These challenges are amplified in view of the direct connection waste holds with economic shifts and the prevalent linear modus operandi of most systems. Emphasis on the need for an interdisciplinary approach to waste management is prioritised as this would permit for the interaction of complex systems in society, science, nature and technology, to promote the perception that waste is the result of the overall economic system and increase the potential for the development of an Integrated Waste Management System, a Circular Economy and ultimately a move towards economic growth that is not riddled with externalities.