Philosophy of Waste as a Resource. What is an Ecosite?
People are becoming more and more aware of socio-environmental problems related to the excessive production of waste. This is why a new paradigm is bursting:
From a philosophy of waste management to a philosophy of managing the resources from the recovery of waste materials. Waste is then considered a resource and it must be valued.
To further strengthen this new paradigm, we should also add to the exposed scenario the challenges linked to climate change, the control of greenhouse gas emissions and the global energy crisis to which we are inexorably exposed.
Using waste as a resource, everywhere.
The revaluation of waste affects various sectors of the economy and of our everyday lives.
Regarding the organic fraction of urban solid waste, prevention should be prioritized and separate collection encouraged. The long-term objective must be a recycling society that sets itself the goal of avoiding the generation of waste, and those whose generation could not be avoided, using them as resources, that is, contributing to the closure of life cycles.
As for urban wastewater, work must be done in the same direction, towards a philosophy of waste as a resource. This is achieved through the use of technologies for the recovery of organic matter, the recovery of the nutrients present in the residual water, for its later use as an organic amendment in soils and the reuse of the water obtained after the purification treatment.
What is an Ecosite?
SYMSITES proposes an Industrial Urban Symbiosis proved in four different “Ecosites”.
An Ecosite can be considered as a small town with different actors that contribute to its maintenance and economic development. A well connected and interactive system where everyone has a specific role.
Each Ecosite is based on urban waste water treatment plants, municipalities, industries or agriculture entities, all located in the same region. In this context, they form a hub that collects wastewater,biowaste and non-recyclable waste generated by both the urban and industrial environments.
In each Ecosite, a co-treatment will be developed to generate clean water, energy, several upcycled side stream of products (such as sludges and biogas), as well as high value products (platform molecules, fertilizers, polyhydroxyalkanoates) for the re-use in each specific region.
