Abstract
The reuse and recovery of waste are often slowed down and hindered due to the scarcity of information on its nature, but also to the impossibility of intercepting it before it is disposed of in landfill. Using a virtual marketplace through which handle waste streams could represent an interesting strategy for their systematic recovery. The chapter describes the results of a research carried out with the contribution of Fondazione Fratelli Confalonieri di Milano on the subject of the cross-sectoral valorization of waste in building sector. The chapter highlights the role and the importance that information and its standardization can have in a circular economy scenario aimed at the enhancement of pre-consumer waste. The chapter deals with: the dynamics that can manage a virtual marketplace aimed at enhancing waste recycle (systems for identifying potential users, successful experiences already conducted, etc.) and the databases that can be connected to the virtual marketplace itself in order to expand the possibilities for waste recovery.
This chapter is authored by Marco Migliore, Politecnico di Milano, Department of Architecture, Built Environment and Construction Engineering, Milan, Italy. e-mail: marco.migliore@polimi.it.
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Notes
- 1.
In September 2015 the “Sustainable Development Summit” of the United Nations was held in New York, an epochal event that had the purpose of encouraging the adoption of common strategies among all states for sustainable development. During the summit, the “Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development” was signed, which is the document of commitments on sustainable development to be implemented by 2030. Among these commitments, 17 global objectives have been identified (SDGs—Sustainable Development Goals) and 169 targets. The document is the result of a long preparatory process, which started during the “United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio + 20” and which was part of the debate on the future of the “Millennium Development Goals—MDGs”, whose term was set for 2015. The objectives are universal in nature and they address all the countries. The objectives are based on the integration of the three dimensions of sustainable development (environmental, social and economic) as a system to eliminate poverty in all its forms. The new Agenda 2030 recognizes the close link between human well-being and the health of natural systems, therefore it directs every form of development towards forms of full sustainability. Among the Agenda goals there is the one linked to the “Responsible consumption and production” which includes among its targets: sustainable management and efficient use of natural resources; reduction of waste generation through prevention, reduction, recycling and reuse; adoption of sustainable practices and the integration of sustainability information into their reporting cycle. This topic is characterized by a double dimension: on one hand, action must be taken to manage resources more efficiently upstream of the system, by increasing productivity in both production and consumption processes; on the other hand, downstream it is necessary to avoid that everything that can still have utility and value is not disposed of in landfills, but that it is recovered and reintegrated into the economic system.
- 2.
The reuse of scraps/waste in the same production process cannot always take place automatically, there are cases in which the raw material after the production process is transformed into its physical and chemical properties, and therefore it cannot be recovered without a pretreatment.
- 3.
The value chain is a model that allows the organizational structure of a process to be summarized, by defining a limited set of processes. Theorized by Michael Porter, the value chain is a useful tool for assessing, dynamically, if and when competitive advantage is achieved. The value chain disaggregates the activities strategically relevant for understanding the trend of costs and the main sources of differentiation. Source: Porter [4], The Competitive Advantage: Creating and Sustaining Superior Performance, NY: Free Press.
- 4.
According to Achille Flora “local development, in its various forms, is accompanied by the capacity of strategy of public and private subjects, by their commitment to coordinate with formal and informal tools, to support a shared development design. Leadership and quality in the ruling class are not created by decree, but they can be stimulated by intelligent policies, which use incentives to mobilize and empower local society, even financially”. Source: Flora, A., 2008, Lo sviluppo economico: i fattori immateriali, nuove frontiere della ricerca, Franco Angeli Editore, Milano, pp. 180–181.
- 5.
In many situations scraps/waste is destined for landfill disposal due to difficulties that place companies in the face of bureaucratic impediments. For example, according to the art. 10 of Legislative Decree No. 210 of 2010 (currently in force in Italy), everything that cannot be directly recovered or transferred to another supply chain must be transferred to landfills. There are also quantitative and temporal constraints that require companies to have to undo what they do not need (at most 30 m3 stored in the company of which at most 10 m3 of hazardous waste, disposals at least annually if the quantity held does not exceed the above limit, or every quarter).
- 6.
Three types of reuse can be identified: primary, secondary and tertiary. The primary reuse is the most advantageous because it allows the waste to be used directly as a second raw material without further treatment (for example the raw waste in the processing of ceramics). Secondary reuse, on the other hand, requires at least one mechanical processing for its recovery (e.g. the cut-outs of the wooden panels that are crumbled and re-assembled) and it can foresee a decline in the quality of the original material. While the tertiary reuse is the most complex and it involves at least a functional chemical treatment to obtain a new product identical to the original one. Source: Pernice and Mininni [10], Il sistema normativo e tecnico di gestione dei rifiuti, Ipsoa editore.
- 7.
For example, the waste resulting from the processing of stone is potentially always recoverable, however, on the basis of the composition of the slab that is cut (the rock is classified into sedimentary, metamorphic and magmatic, and each of these rocks has different characteristics) it can be destined for different supply chains. For example, those richer in limestone can be used for the production of cement, those that contain more quartz can be used to produce artificial stones, etc.
- 8.
To make any scraps/waste recovery strategy workable, the nature and the availability of the waste must be clear over time. For example, in the steel production chain, they are generated by-products that can be reused in the mixture that constitutes the asphalt road surface, however it is known that, while the foundries never interrupt their production, the companies that stretch asphalt tend to work less in winter: this creates an imbalance in the exchange of second raw materials that forces steel mills to dispose in landfills the excess waste held in the company.
- 9.
EWC is the acronym of “European Waste Catalog”. The Directive 75/442/EEC defines the term “waste” in the following way: “any substance or object that falls within the categories listed in Annex I and which the holder discards or has decided or is obliged to discard”. Annex I is commonly known as the “European Waste Catalog” (EWC) and applies to all waste, whether destined for disposal or recovery. The European waste catalog is subject to periodic revision. The EWC codes are numerical sequences, composed of 6 digits combined in pairs (e.g. 03 01 01 bark and cork waste), aimed at identifying a waste based on the production process from which it originated. The first group identifies the chapter, while the second usually identifies the production process. The codes are inserted into the document “Notices from European Union Institutions, bodies, offices and Agencies. European Commission. Commission notice on technical guidance on the classification of waste (2018/C 124/01)”.
- 10.
Automatic coding tool that allows to assign an Ateco 2007 code based on a summary description of the economic activity provided by the user. This classification is the Italian version of the European nomenclature Nace Rev.2, published in the Official Journal on December 20, 2006 (Regulation (EC) n.1893/2006 of the EP and of the Council of 20/12/2006). The 2007 Ateco was defined and approved by a Management Committee. It involved the participation, in addition to Istat (which was the coordinator), of numerous institutional subjects: Ministries, Bodies that manage the main administrative sources on companies (tax and chamber of commerce, social security institutions, etc.) and main business associations.
- 11.
It identifies pre-processing waste (typically not contaminated).
- 12.
It identifies post-processing waste (which may contain other substances).
- 13.
Identifies the finished product clippings (dimensional adjustments).
- 14.
The scraps/waste technical data sheet, as for the main products of the supply chain, aims: to provide all the information needed by hypothetical users to understand their nature, and to assess whether the waste is adequate for the supply chains and production processes for which its integration was planned.
- 15.
Currently in the European community there are various platforms, which allow to follow the latest environmental innovation initiatives related to products and production systems, as well as various agencies supporting these initiatives. In this regard it is possible to mention:
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OREP—Online Resource Efficiency Platform. It is a platform in which contributions on the subject of resource efficiency are collected. Shared between all member states, the platform collects information, strategies, evaluation indicators, etc., which can help companies that want to move towards green and sustainable markets.
-
EASME- Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises. It is a structure of the European Commission to manage different forms of community programs (COSME, EEN, HORIZON 2020, LIFE, FTI, etc.). Within this agency, it is possible to find information and studies of various kinds useful to promote innovation and support for entrepreneurial activities.
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EUR-ISA—European Industrial Symbiosis Association. It is a structure that seeks to accelerate the mechanisms of industrial symbiosis, creating synergies between companies that pursue the same goal. The aim is to favor the creation of networks on a local, regional and global scale to achieve a widespread industrial symbiosis.
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- 16.
Any producer of scraps/waste and/or by-products, aware of the value inherent in this material, aims to identify possible partners to whom the material can be transferred. The possibilities that will lead him to identify the best industrial partner can be: search for raw materials similar to his own waste; perform a search in the database of best practices of the initiatives that have enhanced the scrap, and then proceed with the enhancement or with the search for geographically close companies with which to establish synergies. The last step before starting the actual exchange is the territorial evaluation (e.g. where the waste material is located and where it must be transported, how much its recovery will cost in environmental and economic terms).
- 17.
Any company, given the characteristics of its raw material, can look for waste/waste with characteristics similar to those of its own raw material. In this way industrial synergies can be activated between companies. The possibilities that will lead him to identify the best industrial partner can be: search in the database of best practices for initiatives carried out by companies that have enhanced scraps and waste with respect to their main product (UNI 8290, Omniclass_21); search for waste similar to its raw material; identify companies with respect to geographical proximity. The last step before starting the actual exchange is the territorial evaluation (where the waste material is located and where it must be transported, how much its recovery will cost in environmental and economic terms).
- 18.
Through the platform, companies declare the amount of scraps/waste produced, therefore the quantity of material available and the relative geographical position is known. If a hypothetical user of waste as a second raw material needs a specific recovery material, he will search for it in a given territorial context (using the functions related to the search by territory). Therefore, this operation will allow to see in the territory who produces that waste, where and in what quantity.
- 19.
Once the distances of the materials to be enhanced have been established, the hypothetical user can estimate the cost of transporting the material, evaluating the maximum mileage (or distance in kilometers) that can be sustained in economic terms.
- 20.
A Geographic Information System, more commonly known as GIS, is a system created to be able to receive, store, process, analyze, manage and represent topographic data. In a simplified way, with a GIS system, it is possible to carry out statistical analysis and data management through databases attributed to maps. GIS systems are implemented with territorial information systems, which attribute information to objects present on the maps. GIS is therefore the software environment that allows the processing and manipulation of geo-referenced geometric data, which is stored in data structures of the DBMS (Database Management System) type. GIS is therefore a tool used to analyze spatial properties and potential relationships between objects and events. It is therefore a set of functions to map and analyze the phenomena that occur in space and time. Given that the analysis of spatial information is not a new concept, the contribution of the GIS was to overcome the barriers of paper-based thematic maps towards the digital field. This step allowed the manipulation of the information and their statistical evaluation in order to enable the resolution of complex problems.
- 21.
The study conducted by Politecnico di Torino analyzed the environmental implications deriving from the recovery of C&D waste within the administrative boundary of the Province of Turin. In particular, a study was carried out combining the GIS system and the LCA assessment method, using specific data from the territory and paying attention to the use of the territory, the transport system and the avoided landfills—crucial aspects for the sustainable planning and management of a territory. A GIS was therefore used to manage data and information on approximately 89 recycling plants, including data on the technological and physical/mechanical characteristics of the outgoing recycled aggregates. The LCA methodology was instead used to identify and quantify energy and environmental loads with reference to different possible scenarios outlined on the basis of factors such as: delivery distance, quality of recycled aggregates, local availability of natural aggregates and geographical coverage of the market demand. The purpose of the work was to test the eco-efficiency of the C&D waste recycling chain, especially with regard to the avoided impacts. The first results reported that over 90% of the indicators considered for the evaluations were positive (the avoided impacts were higher than the impacts induced by the activation of the recycling chain) and it was also estimated that the transport distance of the recycled aggregates should increase 2–3 times before the induced impacts overcome the avoided impacts. Source: Blengini and Garbarino [11] Resources and waste management in Turin (Italy): the role of recycled aggregates in the sustainable supply mix, Journal of Cleaner Production.
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Migliore, M., Talamo, C., Paganin, G. (2020). A Virtual Marketplace for Waste Valorization. In: Strategies for Circular Economy and Cross-sectoral Exchanges for Sustainable Building Products. Springer Tracts in Civil Engineering . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-30318-1_5
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