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This paper provides a detailed analysis of the waste footprint and waste treatments at subnational level, for Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia. The paper details the waste footprint components into direct waste from households (disposed in bins), indirect waste generated upstream in the supply chains and induced by household consumption and waste materials from the degradation of in-use stocks. For each component, we analysed the contribution of waste types, products consumed and location where the waste was generated, as well as the associated treatments. The results show that Flanders had the highest total waste footprint in absolute terms; Brussels the highest direct waste in capita terms and Wallonia the highest indirect waste and stock depletion in capita terms. In each region, almost 78 ± 2% of the regional waste footprints were attributed to the consumption of food products, manufactured products and restaurants and accommodation services. For each region, around 45 ± 4% of the indirect waste was generated within its boundaries, 16 ± 9% in other regions and 39 ± 5% out of Belgium. Incineration was the predominant waste treatment type of the regional waste footprint, followed by recycling. Landfill was the second widely applied treatment for indirect waste. Results constitute key information relevant to enhance the waste data monitoring practices at regional level with effects at national level. We unveiled the waste footprint and associated treatments inherent to the interregional and international linkages. Results are also useful resources to substantiate waste management and circular economy policies, enacting on waste prevention and reduction, ecodesign and product lifetime extension.
Edgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Stefano Merciai; Wouter M.J. Achten. Regional waste footprint and waste treatments analysis. Waste Management 2021, 124, 172 -184.
AMA StyleEdgar Towa, Vanessa Zeller, Stefano Merciai, Wouter M.J. Achten. Regional waste footprint and waste treatments analysis. Waste Management. 2021; 124 ():172-184.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Stefano Merciai; Wouter M.J. Achten. 2021. "Regional waste footprint and waste treatments analysis." Waste Management 124, no. : 172-184.
The degree of circularity of a region describes the proportion of materials recovered and reintroduced in that region of the total materials in that region. Quantifying the degree of circularity of a region is important, to prioritize and adequately implement circular economy (CE) strategies. Besides, regions may import and export waste treatment services. Efficient CE strategies should integrate the circularity embodied in the interregional linkages regarding waste treatment. However, the existing analyses of the degree of circularity of regions do not consider the trade of waste for treatment between regions. We fill this gap by proposing the trade‐corrected circularity index and trade‐corrected circularity gap index as two novel indicators, including their methodology and application for the case of Belgian regions. We used the multiregional physical supply and use the table we previously developed at the subnational Belgian level for 2011 and focused on Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia. The results show that Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia are 0%, 6.3%, and 8.1% circular, respectively, and when considering the trade of waste for treatment, they are 7.7%, 6%, and 8.5% circular, respectively. Further results include details of the circularity per type of materials (biomass, fossil fuels, metals, and non‐metallic minerals) as well as the circularity inherent to the trade of waste between regions. This paper ends with a discussion on the methodological and conceptual findings, the CE policy implications, and the contributions to the debate on measuring the circularity of regions when the trade of waste is at stake.
Edgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Wouter M. J. Achten. Assessing the circularity of regions: Stakes of trade of waste for treatment. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2021, 1 .
AMA StyleEdgar Towa, Vanessa Zeller, Wouter M. J. Achten. Assessing the circularity of regions: Stakes of trade of waste for treatment. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2021; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Wouter M. J. Achten. 2021. "Assessing the circularity of regions: Stakes of trade of waste for treatment." Journal of Industrial Ecology , no. : 1.
The Circular Economy (CE) has been suggested as an alternative to the traditional linear model of production, consumption, and disposal. It implies a minimisation of raw material consumption and emission, and that end-of-life materials are treated as resources rather than waste. However, the potential benefits and burdens of CE strategies at the national and subnational levels are not well understood. This paper assesses the potential environmental pressures of implementing a CE intervention (CEI) in Belgium, Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia. The CEI include Delayed Replacement (DR), Reuse, Repair, Remanufacturing (3R), Use Intensification (UI), Design Improvement (DI) and Sharing. We apply the unique multiregional hybrid input-output tables at Belgian subnational level that we developed for 2011. Implementing exogenous technology and household consumption changes, we assess the environmental pressures of implementing CEI, by comparing the pressures occurring in the business-as-usual scenario to those occurring in a counterfactual CE scenario. The results show that the implementation of CEI in Belgium, Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia could lead to a net decrease of pressures in each region and overseas, with the highest reduction in Europe. Except for DR, all interventions could lead to impact reduction, with 3R and UI showing the highest environmental performance. Our results constitute novelties providing substantial insights for CE policies implications. It is meaningful to embed well-attuned climate change, resource supply risks, and waste generation considerations into CE policies. Moreover, the interdependencies between countries/regions worldwide calls for concerted efforts to tackle environmental pressures geared towards a transition to a CE. Lastly, we also intend to foster raising attention and inspiration of practitioners and policymakers. The former with regard to developing more CE scenario analyses at different geographic scales. The latter with regard to integrate the CE considerations into foreign policies.
Edgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Wouter M.J. Achten. Circular economy scenario modelling using a multiregional hybrid input-output model: The case of Belgium and its regions. Sustainable Production and Consumption 2021, 27, 889 -904.
AMA StyleEdgar Towa, Vanessa Zeller, Wouter M.J. Achten. Circular economy scenario modelling using a multiregional hybrid input-output model: The case of Belgium and its regions. Sustainable Production and Consumption. 2021; 27 ():889-904.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Wouter M.J. Achten. 2021. "Circular economy scenario modelling using a multiregional hybrid input-output model: The case of Belgium and its regions." Sustainable Production and Consumption 27, no. : 889-904.
Edgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Stefano Merciai; Jannick Schmidt; Wouter M. J. Achten. Toward the development of subnational hybrid input–output tables in a multiregional framework. Journal of Industrial Ecology 2020, 1 .
AMA StyleEdgar Towa, Vanessa Zeller, Stefano Merciai, Jannick Schmidt, Wouter M. J. Achten. Toward the development of subnational hybrid input–output tables in a multiregional framework. Journal of Industrial Ecology. 2020; ():1.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Stefano Merciai; Jannick Schmidt; Wouter M. J. Achten. 2020. "Toward the development of subnational hybrid input–output tables in a multiregional framework." Journal of Industrial Ecology , no. : 1.
In this paper, material flows and resource potentials for plastics at a national level in Denmark are mapped using an Environmentally Extended Multiregional Input-Output (EE-MRIO) database. EE-MRIO offers an operative improvement to current and prevalent methods for assessing the industrial and societal metabolism of resources, including plastics. The Exiobase is applied to map (1) the major sources, (2) calculate the total supply, (3) uses of plastics and waste generation, and (4) end of life pathways in order to indicate the potentials of plastics in the circular economy in Denmark with a focus on recycling. Furthermore, it elaborates how and why this method for performing Mass Flow Analysis (MFA) differs from mainstream assessments of material flows and from default uses of national statistical data. Overall, the results are that Denmark has a total supply of ≈551 kilotonnes (Kt) of plastics, out of which ≈522 Kt are used domestically and ≈168 Kt of plastic waste are generated annually. Out of the yearly amount of plastic waste, ≈50% is incinerated and 26% is recycled. These results indicate significant potentials for applying circular economy strategies and identify relevant sectors for closing the plastic loops. However, other initiatives are necessary, such as improvements in product design strategies, in the collection and sorting systems as well as in cross-sectoral collaboration.
Edward Vingwe; Edgar Towa; Arne Remmen. Danish Plastic Mass Flows Analysis. Sustainability 2020, 12, 9639 .
AMA StyleEdward Vingwe, Edgar Towa, Arne Remmen. Danish Plastic Mass Flows Analysis. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (22):9639.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdward Vingwe; Edgar Towa; Arne Remmen. 2020. "Danish Plastic Mass Flows Analysis." Sustainability 12, no. 22: 9639.
We analyze 78 case studies that applied an input-output (IO) model for waste management analyses. We categorize all IO models into four types (waste extended IO (WEIO), waste IO (WIO), physical IO (PIO) and hybrid IO (HIO)). We then define each model within a waste analysis framework, and carry out a bibliometric analysis. Our comparative analysis is twofold. Firstly, to compare the models conceptually, we analyze and discuss three characteristics of the models – the units of intersectoral flows, the modelling of waste and the relation with mass balance principle. Secondly, we analyze and discuss six criteria pertaining to the functionalities of the models, – the waste generation accounting, the purpose of the modelling, the geographical scale, the temporal dimension, the coupling of the IO models with other methods and the level of details of waste treatment sectors and waste types. Our findings are fourfold. First, there is increasing interest in assessing waste management policies with IO models; WIO models are the most applied ones, followed by WEIO models; PIO models are the least widely applied. Second, WIO models have the most mature analytical framework, and HIO models are conceptually the most powerful. Third, there is no cause-effect link between the conceptual characteristics and the functionalities of IO models. The IO models have been widely used for diverse applications in waste management at economy-wide level, but there is potential for several other applications. Fourth, the main limitation of all models is data related: future efforts should include more effective monitoring and collection of physical IO data and waste data, as well as the development of methods for consistent data mining.
Edgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Wouter M.J. Achten. Input-output models and waste management analysis: A critical review. Journal of Cleaner Production 2019, 249, 119359 .
AMA StyleEdgar Towa, Vanessa Zeller, Wouter M.J. Achten. Input-output models and waste management analysis: A critical review. Journal of Cleaner Production. 2019; 249 ():119359.
Chicago/Turabian StyleEdgar Towa; Vanessa Zeller; Wouter M.J. Achten. 2019. "Input-output models and waste management analysis: A critical review." Journal of Cleaner Production 249, no. : 119359.