2.2 Waste mitigation strategies Notes

Impact of the Throwaway Society and Designing for Sustainability

1. The industrial age brought unprecedented growth and innovation.
2. It also gave rise to a throwaway culture, where products were designed for short-term use and disposal.
3. Waste-mitigation strategies can reduce the amount of disposed material and resources in land fills and other disposal areas

The 5 Rs: Strategies for Waste Mitigation

1. The 5Rs help us reduce waste, save resources, and protect the environment by making smarter choices in design, production, and everyday life.
2. Designers play a crucial role in mitigating waste through the 5 Rs:

Re-use (Extend Product Life & Functionality)

Designing products that can be used multiple times or repurposed reduces waste and increases efficiency.

1. Create modular furniture that can be reassembled into different configurations.
2. Design packaging that can be repurposed as storage or reusable containers.
3. Develop multi-use products that serve different purposes instead of single-use items.
4. Encourage refillable systems (e.g., water bottles, cosmetic containers).
5. Use high-quality materials that withstand wear and tear, allowing for continued use.

Recycle (Enable Material Recovery & Reprocessing)

Design with recyclability in mind, ensuring materials can be easily separated and reused in new products.

1. Use mono-material designs (single-type plastic or metal) to simplify recycling.
2. Avoid toxic coatings, adhesives, or mixed materials that make recycling difficult.
3. Label products with clear recycling instructions to guide users on disposal.
4. Incorporate recycled materials (e.g., ocean plastics, post-consumer paper) into new designs.
5. Work with local recycling facilities to ensure product components are compatible with existing systems.

Repair (Design for Easy Maintenance & Fixability)

Products should be repairable rather than disposable, extending their usability and reducing waste.

1. Use standardized screws and replaceable parts instead of permanent fastenings.
2. Provide repair manuals and kits to encourage DIY fixes.
3. Design electronics with removable batteries to extend lifespan.
4. Enable modular upgrades, so individual components (e.g., camera lenses, keyboards) can be replaced instead of the entire product.
5. Collaborate with repair networks (e.g., Fairphone, iFixit) to make spare parts accessible.

Recondition (Restore & Refurbish for Second-Life Use)

Instead of discarding old products, reconditioning gives them new value through restoration and upgrades.

1. Offer refurbished electronics with certified testing and minor updates.
2. Recondition office chairs or furniture by replacing worn upholstery instead of discarding them.
3. Develop trade-in programs where old products are repaired and resold at lower costs.
4. Upgrade old industrial machinery with modern technology instead of full replacement.
5. Restore vintage fashion or shoes by re-dyeing, re-stitching, or re-coating materials.

Re-engineer (Redesign for Sustainability & Efficiency)

Re-engineering involves rethinking product design to improve efficiency, reduce material use, and minimize environmental impact.

1. Use biodegradable or compostable materials to replace plastics.
2. Reduce excess materials by designing for lightweight strength (e.g., honeycomb structures).
3. Apply circular design principles, ensuring materials can be recovered and reused.
4. Optimize manufacturing processes to reduce energy and waste.
5. Develop cradle-to-cradle designs, where products are created with a plan for full lifecycle recovery.

Waste reduction and designing out waste

1. Resources are getting more scarce as we deplete non-renewable resources
2. Therefore it's super important for designers to be more thoughtful in their design choices and also include waste mitigation strategies
3. These include:
   1. Circular Economy
   2. Energy Recovery
   3. WEEE Recovery
   4. Raw material recovery
   5. Recycling
   6. Dematerialization

Circular Economy: A Closed-Loop System

1. The circular economy is an economic model where materials and resources never go to waste. Instead of throwing things away, they are reused, recycled, or turned into something new
2. Key Idea: Waste is not trash—it’s a resource that can be used again.
3. Designers need to think carefully about
   1. How materials are used – Can they be recycled or reused?
   2. Energy use – How much energy does it take to make and transport the product?
   3. End of life – Can the product be turned into something new instead of being thrown away?

How Designers Create for the Circular Economy

1. Designers must work with others to ensure materials stay in use. For example, if someone wants to make recycled jeans, they need to collaborate with:
   1. Retailers – To sell the jeans.
   2. Recycling companies – To collect old jeans and turn them into fabric again.
   3. Manufacturers – To produce new jeans from recycled materials.
   4. Governments – To create laws that support recycling and waste reduction.
2. Challenge: This takes extra effort but allows designers to create new and exciting solutions.

Two Types of Materials in the Circular Economy

1. Biological Materials
   1. Come from nature
   2. Can be renewed (e.g., wood, cotton, food waste).
2. Technical Materials
   1. Made by humans
   2. Cannot be naturally replaced (e.g., metals, plastics).

The Difference Between a Linear and Circular Economy

1. Linear Economy (Wasteful System)
   1. Take – Use resources from nature and create waste.
   2. Make – Produce something, creating more waste.
   3. Dispose – Throw the product away, causing pollution.
2. Circular Economy (Sustainable System)
   1. Keep materials in use – Reuse, repair, or recycle instead of throwing away.
   2. Reduce waste – Design products that last longer and create less pollution.
   3. Use waste as a resource – Old products become the materials for new ones

Energy recovery: Turning waste into energy

1. When materials can’t be reused or recycled, they can still generate energy through waste-to-energy (WtE) systems.
   1. How It Works:
      1. Non-recyclable waste is burned or gasified to produce:
      2. Electricity – Used to power homes and businesses.
      3. Hydrogen & Gas Fuels – Created from gasification for industrial use.
   2. Why It Matters:
      1. Reduces landfill waste and air pollution.
      2. Produces energy from trash that would otherwise be useless.
      3. Supports sustainability when paired with recycling and waste reduction efforts.

WEEE Recovery: Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

1. E-waste (waste electrical and electronic equipment) includes old phones, computers, and appliances that contain hazardous materials and valuable metals (e.g., gold, rare earth metals).
2. The Problem:
   1. Toxic materials pollute the environment if not disposed of properly.
   2. Workers can be poisoned when handling unsafe waste.
   3. Valuable materials are lost instead of being reused.
3. The Solution: WEEE Directive
   1. The WEEE Directive helps collect, treat, and recycle electronics at the end of their life
   2. This reduces pollution and recovers valuable resources for new products.

Raw material recovery

1. Raw material recovery is the process of separating useful materials from a product when it is no longer needed.
2. This allows materials to be recycled, reused, or repurposed, reducing waste and saving valuable resources.

Recycling

1. Recycling is the process of taking materials from old products and using them to make new ones.
2. This reduces the need for new raw materials, saves energy, and cuts down on waste and pollution.

Dematerialization

1. Dematerialization is the practice of reducing the amount of materials and energy used to create and use a product.
2. This helps lower environmental impact while maintaining performance.