The Zero Waste utopia and the role of waste-to-energy

While there is no doubt that the prevention of municipal solid (MSW) generation should sit at the top of any public , industrial strategy and individual behaviour, just like the consumption of energy, this proposition might the public into thinking that waste can suddenly disappear if only we had the will to make it happen. Despite these expectations, the ‘Zero Waste’ concept has become viral and omnipresent phrase in recent years. A Google search this term shows around half a million hits, as of March 2020, countless government and non-governmental organisation worldwide. Zero Waste seems to be the only acceptable aim for today’s politicians who embrace an environmentally friendly platform. As a result, countries and municipalities over the globe have committed themselves to achieving the of Zero Waste. So far, however, nobody has managed it, given the many scientific and practical roadblocks, no one will. many respects, the Zero Waste concept in the waste management realm seems akin to those seeking to create a perpetual machine, and to sell the idea to uninformed citizens. are fascinated by the idea because it envisages the inspiration of consuming with a good conscience, leaving no garbage behind. Several hundred years ago, they were similarly by the idea of producing energy from nothing, using a motion machine. While the possibility of the latter often been debunked, the potential to attain a Zero Waste is still too broadly accepted by citizens and their government officials. Against this background, this editorial addresses the idea of Zero and the impossibility of its realisation, as well as the essential of (a certain amount of) waste generation as a consequence economic activity and consumption, due to its function as a sink non-recoverable toxic and harmful substances. , an introduction to modern waste management is given, clearly show that even the most sophisticated and well-developed programmes for waste reduction, collection, recycling, and systems for waste cannot prevent the formation of at a moderate, if not significant, residual waste stream. the Zero Waste philosophy is often grounded in ideological environmental prejudices and opposition to proven and -effective elements of waste management – naturally, landfills and waste-to-energy (WtE) facilities – the (mostly unsubstantiated and often willingly wrong) related arguments are on in the second part. -performing waste management systems rest upon three technical pillars: • Recycling, including composting; • Energy recovery; • Landfilling. these elements are inevitable for the effective and efficient of the entire MSW management system, but their relative ratio can change to a very wide extent. Waste reduction and recycling are the main targets, aimed at retaining as resources as possible in the loop. Only those residual waste which are no longer available for material utilisation be treated in WtE plants, especially if they are harmful or . For inert and mineral waste and hazardous concentrates from other waste treatment processes, specific landfills are as final sinks.