Outline of a circular economy

Description

The circular economy is a preferred alternative to the linear wastewater and solid waste management approach of “store/collect, transport, treat, dispose”. It aims at deriving value from waste streams, applying a business perspective and shifting the focus from coverage to creating value and improving resource efficiency. It implies closing cycles by turning ‘waste’ resources produced by the community into valuable inputs for another use. It involves not only flows of water, nutrients, materials and energy but also flows of value (such as revenues or societal benefits) and information streams, as well as cost recovery and resource efficiency. It entails adopting a holistic perspective, considering different waste streams, contexts and technologies.