Circular economy & Waste

Waste management is a key component of environmental improvement efforts.

In some countries, this task is connected to or even partially integrated into sanitation. Like sanitation, waste management involves the collection and treatment of liquid and solid waste.

The notion of the circular economy has developed out of domestic and industrial waste management and is based on seven key pillars: sustainable supply, eco-design, industrial ecology, product-service systems, responsible consumption, extension of a product’s lifespan, recycling, and end-of-life management.

Some of these pillars can also be used to apply circular economy principles to water management: concepts and measures such as reducing water use, achieving industrial synergies, recycling, designing zero-discharge processes, using non-conventional water sources and optimising energy efficiency by recovering effluents and sludges all seek to address the same challenges.