D. Robau
National Energy USA,
United States
Keywords: community resiliency, circular economy, energy security, climate change
Summary:
Communities around the world are struggling to manage municipal solid waste. Annually, society produces 1.9 billion tons of solid waste per year and the World Bank Estimates that by 2050, global waste generation will exceed 3.4 billion tons. Relying on solid waste landfills brings significant environmental risk as methane released from landfills contribute to about 16% of global climate change. Circular waste management systems can effectively curb emissions of these potent greenhouse gases and air pollutants. This session will explore new and innovative solutions using the circular economic model to increase sustainability and bring community resilience. A circular waste management system is a sustainable system in which waste generation is minimized, waste is diverted from landfills, valuable raw materials are extracted and reused to displace virgin materials. The organic fraction of the waste stream (food waste, yard trimmings, etc) can be efficiently sorted and used to generate carbon-neutral fuel to deliver baseload power for a city's critical infrastructure. Global waste expert, Dave Robau, will share strategies on how the Circular Economy can be leveraged to build stronger more resilient cities and communities.