Create Craft
8 Creative Ideas for Sustainable Waste Management.
Although waste management issues continue to be a major global environmental problem, attempts are continuously being made to come up with and create effective trash management solutions.
SCG has prioritised sustainable development and the integration of the circular economy into its corporate operations as a leading organisation in the area. We compiled emerging waste management technologies to watch in 2023.
Inside out: SCG Waste Management Project
The Bang Sue Model is an internal waste management initiative from SCG that was started to reflect the idea of resource efficiency and improve waste management techniques for various waste kinds to guarantee a proper circular value chain. In addition to fostering a green mindset of “Resource Maximisation, Correct Sorting, Proper Disposal” among employees, the model is a critical tool for creating the infrastructure to support closed-loop waste management and recycling systems.
The success of the internal project has been extended to the Map Ta Phut communities in the province of Rayong through the initiative “Waste-free Community,” which works with neighbourhood institutions like homes, schools, temples, and waste banks to promote resource management and garbage management at the source. The project’s goals include increasing recycling and lowering landfill usage. The SCG expert teams provide the community leaders with knowledge and give them the responsibility of educating the locals. In order to create a resource efficiency attitude based on the circular economy concepts among students through practical activities, this also includes setting up learning-based stations in schools. The project hopes that through promoting the idea of “Resource Maximisation, Correct Sorting, and Proper Disposal” among young people, families and communities will follow suit.
20 municipalities have joined the project since it began in 2023, and ten local waste banks have been formed to collect recyclables. With 2,600 customers actively using the Koomkah application, the initiative boasts an outstanding system-wide recycling material balance of over 102 tonnes, or 230,000 Baht. (The information gathered between March 2023 and ending September, 2023) The amount of recyclables gathered and registered in the system has prevented the emission of 73,442 kilogrammes of carbon dioxide equivalent. To move Rayong province closer to becoming a waste-free city in the future, SCG wants to involve more households and communities in the effort.
Making Waste Separation Fun
The majority of individuals agree that separating garbage is an important step towards circularity. But very few have the bright idea to make such an endeavour enjoyable. Reverse vending machines, or VRMs, were developed by TOMRA, a Norwegian producer of collection and sorting equipment, to give rewards in exchange for recyclables.
To present, more than 31000 reverse vending machines have contributed to the annual capture of more than 40 billion old plastic items worldwide.
Unlocking the Value of Plastic Waste for the Community
A programme to encourage sorting and recycling of plastic garbage is also introduced by the ASASE Foundation in Accra, Ghana. Local residents who are members of the foundation get together to gather, wash, and dry plastic debris. The plastic products mentioned above will be re-ground and sold to recyclers.To present, more than 84,000 reverse vending machines have contributed to the annual capture of more than 40 billion old plastic items worldwide.
The programme has gained great support from the community and from Alliance to End Plastic Waste (AEPW), a non-profit organisation that unites businesses from all points along the plastic value chain and of which SCG is a co-founding member. By 2020, the project’s processing capacity will have increased from 35 tonnes of plastic garbage in 2019. In addition to expanding to further locations around the nation, the foundation sets a lofty goal of recycling 2,000 tonnes of plastic by the end of this year. Visit this link to view the ASASE Foundation’s video: bit.ly/39wwtZo
Turning Waste into Housing
Plastic is brittle, light, affordable, and moldable—all desirable qualities that make it an excellent choice for construction materials. Another initiative, Upcycle Africa, encourages efficient garbage disposal in Uganda by recycling plastic waste into construction materials. Over 1 million plastic pieces have been recycled and converted into 100 low-cost dwellings since the project’s inception.
Additionally, the company intends to test out another initiative this midyear by turning plastic trash into fuel oil. Finding a different, more efficient method to transform plastic trash into something useful is the objective.
Intercepting Plastic Before It Reaches Ocean
The natural splendour of Bali’s Jembrana Regency is well renowned. However, it has been plagued by a lack of access to waste management systems, which has resulted in unlawful dumping, burying, or burning of plastic garbage in the area.
To preserve its grandeur, Project STOP Jembrana was launched. It established a local management system in which waste is sent to a recycling plant and collected once a week. Every year, the system aids in the capture of around 2,000 tonnes of plastic garbage, avoiding its leakage into the environment. To determine whether the approach may be expanded to absorb plastic garbage throughout Indonesia, the team is conducting a feasibility study.