Post-consumer waste

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Post-consumer waste is a waste type produced by the end consumer of a material stream; that is, where the waste-producing use did not involve the production of another product.

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The terms of pre-consumer and post-consumer recycled materials are not defined in ISO standard number 14021 (1999), but pre-consumer and post-consumer materials are. These definitions are the most widely recognized and verified definitions as used by manufacturers and procurement officers worldwide.

Quite commonly, it is simply the waste that individuals routinely discard, either in a waste receptacle or a dump, or by littering, incinerating, pouring down the drain, or washing into the gutter. Things that are used by a consumer and then recycled instead of being permanently disposed of are also considered post consumer waste, even though they are meant to be repurposed. [1]

Post-consumer waste is distinguished from pre-consumer waste, which is the reintroduction of manufacturing scrap (such as trimmings from paper production, defective aluminum cans, etc.) back into the manufacturing process. Pre-consumer waste is commonly used in manufacturing industries, and is often not considered recycling in the traditional sense.

It should also be noted that post-consumer waste should not be equated with post-consumer material. Post-consumer material is post-consumer waste that is diverted from landfills and reprocessed into new material to reenter the production cycle. [2]

Post-consumer waste is associated with a cradle to grave or linear cycle of production. In this system goods are created using standards of what is the easiest and most cost effective instead of using standards focused on creating recyclable and reusable materials. Instead of being sent back to the industrial sector to be repurposed into new products, the material is sent to the “grave” or landfills/open dumps. [3]

Types

Post-consumer waste consists of:

In many countries, such as the United States, there is no reasonable expectation of privacy in post-consumer waste once it leaves the consumer's home. Anyone can search it, including the police, and any incriminating evidence recovered can be used at trial. This doctrine was established in The California v. Greenwood case, in which the U.S. Supreme Court held that there is no common law expectation of privacy for discarded materials. This has since led people to argue the legality of taking post-consumer waste for salvage value.[4]

There has also been controversy over the fact that these laws have caused many arrests for the use of illicit substances. After California v. Greenwood there were many cases of individuals having been convicted on evidence that was found in the trash of growing or processing illegal substances, most often marijuana. [5] The post-consumer waste in question varies from drug paraphernalia to full marijuana plants in some cases. This has caused some to wonder about who holds the legal responsibility towards and ownership of post-consumer waste.

According to the decision of California v. Greenwood, the consumer relinquishes ownership and responsibility of their refuse. [6] The verdict of this was intended to address cases like those mentioned above. But it also brings up questions of whether or not people are responsible for their own post consumer waste and the damage that it causes. There have been several cases in the wake of Greenwood questioning this very thing, such as if it is legal for third parties other than trash collectors to lay claim to someone’s refuse or if someone is responsible for hazardous post-consumer waste they disposed of once it enters public landfills. [7]

Excessive Waste

Especially within the food system, there is a lot of waste occurring at the consumer end. Post-consumer waste accounts for a large proportion of food that is wasted. This can be attributed to many reasons, including the way in which food is labeled. According to a study published in 2020, the confusing labeling of "use by", "consume by", or "sell by" dates is a significant reason why food is wasted at such a high volume when the food is otherwise entirely edible.[8] Another reason is the way that food is used once it reaches the average consumer household due to many factors, with the main factors being social, behavioral, and personal purchasing habits. Additionally, each of those factors influences each other and affects the amount of food that is wasted per person.[9] Food waste from production to land use changes adds to the world wide carbon footprint with the amount between 2000 to 3600 kg CO2-eq. The focus should be on prevention from within households as each generation are massively increasing their food waste. [1] Multiple studies have shown that the greenhouse gases caused by our food waste at times can be more harmful to the environment than coal power plants. [2]

This is part of a longstanding belief that manufacturers are responsible for the prevalence of post-consumer waste. Many people accused manufacturers for being responsible for its prevalence due to the many materials not being made with recycling or reuse in mind. Additionally products often have excessive packaging serving no real purpose other than being useful for marketing. [10] In recent years there has been increased regulation regarding the subject, such as in the EU where new regulations are being passed in order to support more sustainable packaging use and create a cradle-to-cradle material flow. [11] The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) discovered that 1/3 of all made food is wasted each year adding up to about 1.3 billion tons of food that was edible. [3]

Avoiding Post Consumer Waste

As previously mentioned, current systems of consumer waste use a cradle-to-grave or linear model of waste management. This is a model of the lifecycle of a product that results in the product reentering the supply chain instead of being disposed of. [14] This system allows for greater reduction of waste as a large section of the waste produced would be able to enter the supply chain.

There are many ways for individuals to participate in the process of reducing post consumer waste, especially in communities where local governments encourage processes that reduce post consumer waste and promote the cradle-to-cradle structure. The most productive activities to do this are to reuse materials that a person already owns instead of disposing of them, learning methods of repairing and repurposing materials that no longer function, and when buying items is necessary buying those items that will not break or lose functionality after a small number of uses. [16]

This process is often quite difficult as products are often not designed to be reused. This has led to many individuals blaming the producers of these products for the excess amounts of post-consumer waste. This accusation has been held against manufacturers for many years, claiming that retailers incentivized short term profits over the long term safety of the environment. One study shows how as far back as the 1990s, many large scale retailers were claiming to understand their responsibility to waste management, but offered no policies or initiatives to cut back on the amount of waste that is inevitably produced by the consumer [13]

To combat this, some governments and private institutions have attempted to find new ways of avoiding excessive post-consumer waste. In the European Union, one project is being developed which uses enzymes to dissolve plastic and cardboard waste into basic materials that can be remade into new products for consumer use. [15] In the United States there are organizations such as the Vermont Journal of Environmental Law which holds an annual conference to discuss how best to combat the excessive post consumer waste issue in the United States. [12] Strategies like this allow for greater control over the issue of post consumer waste without changing the supply chain as a whole.

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recycling</span> Converting waste materials into new products

Recycling is the process of converting waste materials into new materials and objects. This concept often includes the recovery of energy from waste materials. The recyclability of a material depends on its ability to reacquire the properties it had in its original state. It is an alternative to "conventional" waste disposal that can save material and help lower greenhouse gas emissions. It can also prevent the waste of potentially useful materials and reduce the consumption of fresh raw materials, reducing energy use, air pollution and water pollution.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Extended producer responsibility</span> Strategy designed to promote the integration of environmental costs associated with goods

Extended producer responsibility (EPR) is a strategy to add all of the estimated environmental costs associated with a product throughout the product life cycle to the market price of that product, contemporarily mainly applied in the field of waste management. Such societal costs are typically externalities to market mechanisms, with a common example being the impact of cars.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Zero waste</span> Philosophy that encourages the redesign of resource life cycles so that all products are reused

Zero waste, or waste minimization, is a set of principles focused on waste prevention that encourages redesigning resource life cycles so that all products are repurposed and/or reused. The goal of the movement is to avoid sending trash to landfills, incinerators, oceans, or any other part of the environment. Currently 9% of global plastic is recycled. In a zero waste system, all materials are reused until the optimum level of consumption is reached.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Glass recycling</span> Processing of turning glass waste into usable products

Glass recycling is the processing of waste glass into usable products. Glass that is crushed or imploded and ready to be remelted is called cullet. There are two types of cullet: internal and external. Internal cullet is composed of defective products detected and rejected by a quality control process during the industrial process of glass manufacturing, transition phases of product changes and production offcuts. External cullet is waste glass that has been collected or reprocessed with the purpose of recycling. External cullet is classified as waste. The word "cullet", when used in the context of end-of-waste, will always refer to external cullet.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reuse</span> Using again

Reuse is the action or practice of using an item, whether for its original purpose or to fulfill a different function. It should be distinguished from recycling, which is the breaking down of used items to make raw materials for the manufacture of new products. Reuse – by taking, but not reprocessing, previously used items – helps save time, money, energy and resources. In broader economic terms, it can make quality products available to people and organizations with limited means, while generating jobs and business activity that contribute to the economy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waste minimisation</span> Process that involves reducing the amount of waste produced in society

Waste minimisation is a set of processes and practices intended to reduce the amount of waste produced. By reducing or eliminating the generation of harmful and persistent wastes, waste minimisation supports efforts to promote a more sustainable society. Waste minimisation involves redesigning products and processes and/or changing societal patterns of consumption and production.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cradle-to-cradle design</span> Biomimetic approach to the design of products

Cradle-to-cradle design is a biomimetic approach to the design of products and systems that models human industry on nature's processes, where materials are viewed as nutrients circulating in healthy, safe metabolisms. The term itself is a play on the popular corporate phrase "cradle to grave", implying that the C2C model is sustainable and considerate of life and future generations—from the birth, or "cradle", of one generation to the next generation, versus from birth to death, or "grave", within the same generation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Textile recycling</span> Method of reusing or reprocessing used clothing, fibrous material and rags

Textile recycling is the process of recovering fiber, yarn, or fabric and reprocessing the material into new, useful products. Textile waste is split into pre-consumer and post-consumer waste and is sorted into five different categories derived from a pyramid model. Textiles can be either reused or mechanically/chemically recycled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Upcycling</span> Recycling waste into products of higher quality

Upcycling, also known as creative reuse, is the process of transforming by-products, waste materials, useless, or unwanted products into new materials or products perceived to be of greater quality, such as artistic value or environmental value.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sustainable packaging</span> Packaging which results in improved sustainability

Sustainable packaging is the development and use of packaging which results in improved sustainability. This involves increased use of life cycle inventory (LCI) and life cycle assessment (LCA) to help guide the use of packaging which reduces the environmental impact and ecological footprint. It includes a look at the whole of the supply chain: from basic function, to marketing, and then through to end of life (LCA) and rebirth. Additionally, an eco-cost to value ratio can be useful The goals are to improve the long term viability and quality of life for humans and the longevity of natural ecosystems. Sustainable packaging must meet the functional and economic needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Sustainability is not necessarily an end state but is a continuing process of improvement.

Paint is a recyclable item. Latex paint is collected at collection facilities in many countries and shipped to paint-recycling facilities.

Electronic waste in Japan is a major environmental issue. Although Japan was one of the first countries to implement an electronic waste recycling program, it is still having serious issues. In this day and age, e-waste disposal has become of major importance due to the increasing demand for electronics on a worldwide scale. In 2013, the Japanese government reported that roughly 550 thousand tonnes of e-waste was collected and treated in Japan, which only equates to about 24-30% of total e-waste. Not only does e-waste harm the environment if untreated, it also becomes a fiscal loss due to the material lost that could have been salvaged.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ifco tray</span> Type of reusable packaging

IFCO trays are a type of reusable packaging for transporting fresh food produce. IFCO SYSTEMS is the name of the company that first developed a pooling service for reusable plastic trays for fresh produce in 1992, when the company was founded in Pullach, Germany. IFCO is the acronym for International Food Container Organization.

Sustainable products are products who are either sustainability sourced, manufactured or processed that provide environmental, social and economic benefits while protecting public health and environment over their whole life cycle, from the extraction of raw materials until the final disposal.

Resource recovery is using wastes as an input material to create valuable products as new outputs. The aim is to reduce the amount of waste generated, thereby reducing the need for landfill space, and optimising the values created from waste. Resource recovery delays the need to use raw materials in the manufacturing process. Materials found in municipal solid waste, construction and demolition waste, commercial waste and industrial wastes can be used to recover resources for the manufacturing of new materials and products. Plastic, paper, aluminium, glass and metal are examples of where value can be found in waste.

Ecopreneurship is a term coined to represent the process of principles of entrepreneurship being applied to create businesses that solve environmental problems or operate sustainably. The term began to be widely used in the 1990s, and it is otherwise referred to as "environmental entrepreneurship." In the book Merging Economic and Environmental Concerns Through Ecopreneurship, written by Gwyn Schuyler in 1998, ecopreneurs are defined as follows:

"Ecopreneurs are entrepreneurs whose business efforts are not only driven by profit, but also by a concern for the environment. Ecopreneurship, also known as environmental entrepreneurship and eco-capitalism, is becoming more widespread as a new market-based approach to identifying opportunities for improving environmental quality and capitalizing upon them in the private sector for profit. "

Sustainable Materials Management is a systemic approach to using and reusing materials more productively over their entire lifecycles. It represents a change in how a society thinks about the use of natural resources and environmental protection. By looking at a product's entire lifecycle new opportunities can be found to reduce environmental impacts, conserve resources, and reduce costs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recycling in Australia</span> Method of waste management in Australia

Recycling in Australia is a widespread, and comprehensive part of waste management in Australia, with 60% of all waste collected being recycled. Recycling is collected from households, commercial businesses, industries and construction. Despite its prominence, household recycling makes up only a small part (13%) of Australia's total recycling. It generally occurs through kerbside recycling collections such as the commingled recycling bin and food/garden organics recycling bin, drop-off and take-back programs, and various other schemes. Collection and management of household recycling typically falls to local councils, with private contractors collecting commercial, industrial and construction recycling. In addition to local council regulations, legislation and overarching policies are implemented and managed by the state and federal governments.

A take-back system or simply takeback is one of the primary channels of waste collection, especially for e-waste, besides municipal sites. Take-back is the idea that manufacturers and sellers "take back" the products that are at the end of their lives. Take-back is aimed to reduce a business' environmental impacts on the earth and also increase efficiency and lower costs for their business models. "Take-back regulations have targeted a wide array of products including packaging, batteries, automobiles, and electronics", and economic value can be found from recycling or re-manufacturing such products. "The programs benefit municipalities by lowering their overall waste disposal costs and reducing the burden on landfill sites". Although for certain companies, the take-back system is mandatory under legislation, many do it voluntarily.

France's anti-waste law for a circular economy was passed in an effort to eliminate improper disposal of waste as well as limit excessive waste. This law is part of Europe's larger environmental activism efforts and builds on previous laws the country has passed.

References

  1. “What Is Post-Consumer Waste?” Pro Environmental Services Ltd, Pro Environmental Services, 14 Feb. 2020, www.proenvironmentalltd.co.uk/what-is-post-consumer-waste.
  2. “What Is ‘Post-Consumer Waste?’” Mass.Gov, Massachusetts State Government, 8 Nov. 2017, www.mass.gov/news/what-is-post-consumer-waste#:~:text=Post%2Dconsumer%20means%20that%20the,as%20paper%20or%20plastic%20bottles. (post consumer materials).
  3. “Cradle-to-Grave in LCA: What Is It & How Does It Work?” Ecochain, 22 Mar. 2024, ecochain.com/blog/cradle-to-grave-in-lca/
  4. ↑ "Legality of Scrapping Metal". Retrieved 2010-10-04.
  5. Welty, Jeff. “Does a Dirty Trash Pull Provide Probable Cause to Search a Residence?” North Carolina Criminal Law, UNC School of Government, 20 Nov. 2022, nccriminallaw.sog.unc.edu/does-a-dirty-trash-pull-provide-probable-cause-to-search-a-residence/.
  6. Line, Julie A. “Fourth Amendment: Further erosion of the warrant requirement for unreasonable searches and seizures: The Warrantless Trash Search Exception.” The Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology (1973-), vol. 79, no. 3, 1988, p. 623, https://doi.org/10.2307/1143534.
  7. Manning, Colleen H. "California v. Greenwood: Did the United States Supreme Court Trash the Fourth Amendment." Criminal Justice Journal, vol. 11, no. 1, Fall-Winter 1988, pp. 267-284. HeinOnline, https://heinonline-org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/HOL/P?h=hein.journals/tjeflr11&i=273.
  8. ↑ Toma, Luiza; Font, Montserrat Costa; Thompson, Bethan (2020). "Impact of Consumers' Understanding of Date Labelling on Food Waste Behaviour". Operational Research. 20 (2): 543–560. doi:10.1007/s12351-017-0352-3. hdl:1842/33150. S2CID 158834200.
  9. ↑ Roodhuyzen, D.M.A.; Luning, P.A.; Fogliano, V.; Steenbekkers, L.P.A. (October 2017). "Putting together the puzzle of consumer food waste: Towards an integral perspective". Trends in Food Science & Technology. 68: 37–50. doi :10.1016/j.tifs.2017.07.009. Retrieved 1 December 2020.{{ cite journal }}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list ( link)
  10. Wheeler, David. “Why Retailers Should Take Responsibility for Post-Consumer Waste.” Greener Management International, no. 9, 1995, pp. 95–105. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45259130. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.
  11. “Revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive.” Revision of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Directive, European Union Parliament , Nov. 2023, www.europarl.europa.eu/RegData/etudes/BRIE/2023/745707/EPRS_BRI(2023)745707_EN.pdf.
  12. Backsen, Megan, and Jack Hornickel. “Cradle-to-Cradle: The Elimination of Waste Introduction.” Vermont Journal of Environmental Law, vol. 16, no. 4, 2015, pp. 572–74. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/vermjenvilaw.16.4.572. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.
  13. Wheeler, David. “Why Retailers Should Take Responsibility for Post-Consumer Waste.” Greener Management International, no. 9, 1995, pp. 95–105. JSTOR, http://www.jstor.org/stable/45259130. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.
  14. “Cradle-to-Cradle: What Is It & How Does It Work in LCA?” Ecochain, 19 Mar. 2024, ecochain.com/blog/cradle-to-cradle-in-lca/#:~:text=Cradle%2Dto%2Dcradle%20means%20a,and%20reduces%20their%20environmental%20impacts.&text=Cradle%2Dto%2Dcradle%20or%20cradle,old%20products%20go%20to%20waste.
  15. “Home.” REPURPOSE, www.repurposeproject.eu/. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.
  16. “Reuse & Buy Recycled.” Milpitas CA Public Works Footer, www.milpitas.gov/615/Reuse-Buy-Recycled. Accessed 1 Apr. 2024.

See also

References

  1. ↑ Davide Tonini, Paola Federica Albizzati, Thomas Fruergaard Astrup,Environmental impacts of food waste: Learnings and challenges from a case study on UK, Waste Management, Volume 76, 2018, Pages 744-766,ISSN 0956-053X, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wasman.2018.03.032
  2. ↑ Food waste: environmental impact and possible solutions, Kirtika Kohli, Ravindra Prajapati, et al., Royal Society of Chemistry, 2023, https://doi.org/10.1039/D3FB00141E
  3. ↑ Ishangulyyev, R., Kim, S., & Lee, S. H. (2019). Understanding Food Loss and Waste-Why Are We Losing and Wasting Food?. Foods (Basel, Switzerland), 8(8), 297. https://doi.org/10.3390/foods8080297
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