What Would a World with Little to No Waste Look Like?

by Sara Grunberg

November 1

What Would a World with Little to No Waste Look Like?

As waste accumulates in landfills and oceans, it exacerbates climate change, leading to increasingly severe environmental issues. Innovators around the world are designing creative approaches to reduce the use of raw materials and minimize waste during production. They are also discovering ways to repurpose products and by-products, turning them into valuable components for new creations.

One widely studied approach is the transition to a circular economy. This concept focuses on designing systems that minimize waste and make the most of resources. A circular economy can be defined as a framework that aims to “reduce waste from production and distribution processes” (Yang, 2022). Instead of the traditional linear model—where resources are used, products are made, consumed, and then discarded—a circular economy emphasizes reusing and repurposing materials, circling materials back into the economy (Figure 1). All of which require a profound change in our production and consumption habits to achieve.

Another way to understand this strategy is through the adoption of closed-loop systems. In these systems, waste is not seen as a final product but as a valuable resource that can be reintegrated into the production process. Such systems promote sustainability by ensuring that materials circulate within the economy, reducing the need for new raw resources and minimizing environmental impact.

As a simple example, let’s think about food – first through the linear model and then through a closed-loop model.

Linear: Farmers raise food, harvest it and sell it to a distributor who then sells it to grocery stores. We buy it, take it home, eat it, and throw the waste and extras into the garbage, which ends up decomposing in a landfill where it creates methane gas that contributes to climate change.

Closed-loop: A farmer, or home gardener, plants a seed and it germinates and grows into a mature plant. The food is harvested and eaten or sold directly at market. The leftovers are composted and transformed into nutrient-rich soil that goes back into the garden for the next year.

Even further, seeds created through pollination can be collected from the plants and saved for the next year. In this way, seed saving exemplifies a closed-loop system: the seeds produced by the plants are used to grow new plants, ensuring sustainability and a self-sufficient gardening practice without waste, creating an endless loop.

To completely close the loop on ‘no waste,’ let’s take it one step further and talk about… composting biogas toilets.

The science behind biogas toilets is fascinating. These composting toilets use anaerobic digestion, a natural process in which microorganisms break down organic matter in the absence of oxygen. When human waste is introduced into a biogas toilet, it creates an environment conducive to this process. The microorganisms feed on the organic material, producing biogas—primarily methane—as a byproduct. This biogas can be captured and used as a clean, renewable energy source for various applications, such as cooking, heating, or even generating electricity (Figure 2). As the anaerobic digestion process continues, the waste is gradually broken down, resulting in a nutrient-rich digestate that can be used as compost to enrich soil.

By converting waste into energy and fertilizer, biogas toilets help reduce reliance on fossil fuels and synthetic fertilizers, contributing to environmental sustainability.

These systems can play a significant role in reducing greenhouse gas emissions by capturing methane that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere from decomposing waste. Additionally, the use of the nutrient-rich digestate improves soil health, promoting sustainable soil practices.

These innovative systems represent a remarkable integration of waste management and renewable energy production, exemplifying the principles of a closed-loop system. Closed-loop systems are essential for the future of sustainability. By discovering creative ways to repurpose waste as valuable resources, we can effectively combat the effects of climate change. In many cases, the challenges we face in sustainability also hold the keys to their solutions—as exemplified with biogas toilets.

The “call to action” this month is to find creative solutions that divert something heading for the landfill and gives it a new job and purpose in life. We want pictures! Send your sustainable success story to Maegen Anders at manders@sistersosf.org.