In the constant pursue of the sustainability of socio-industrial systems, the definition of useful, reliable and informative, and at the same time simple and transparent, indicators is an important step for the evaluation of the circularity of the assessed systems. In the circular economy (CE) context, scientific literature has already identified the lack of overarching indicators (social, urban, prevention-oriented, etc.), pointing out that mono-dimensional indicators are not able to grasp the complexity of the systemic, closed-loop, feedback features of CE. In this respect, Emergy accounting is one of the approaches that have been identified as holding the potential to capture both resource generation and product delivery dimensions and therefore to provide an enhanced systems’ evaluation in a CE perspective.
Because of Emergy’s intrinsic definition and its calculation structure, Emergy-based indicators conceptually lend themselves very well to the evaluation and monitoring of circular processes. Additionally, Emergy has the unique feature of enabling the evaluation of systems that are not necessarily only technosphere systems, but also of technological systems which embed nature (techno-ecological systems).
The present paper gives a perspective on a set of Emergy-based indicators that we have identified as suitable to evaluate circular systems, and outlines the different perspective compared to the circularity indicators defined in the “Circularity Indicators Project” launched by the Ellen MacArthur Foundation.
Municipal waste management has been an area of special interest of the European Commission (EC) for many years. In 2018, the EC pointed out issues related to municipal waste management as an important element of the monitoring framework for the transition towards a circular economy (CE), which is currently a priority in the economic policy of the European Union (EU). In the presented monitoring framework, 10 CE indicators were identified, among which issues related to municipal waste appear directly in two areas of the CE – in the field of production and in the field of waste management, and indirectly – un two other areas – secondary raw materials, and competitiveness and innovation. The paper presents changes in the management of municipal waste in Poland in the context of the implementation of the CE assumptions, a discussion of the results of CE indicators in two areas of the CE monitoring framework in Poland (production and waste management), and a comparison of the results against other European countries.
In Poland, tasks related to the implementation of municipal waste management from July 1, 2013 are the responsibility of the municipality, which is obliged to ensure the conditions for the system of selective collection and collection of municipal waste from residents, as well as the construction, maintenance and operation of regional municipal waste treatment installations (RIPOK). The municipality is also committed to the proper management of municipal waste, in accordance with the European waste management hierarchy, whose overriding objective is to prevent waste formation and limiting its amount, then recycling and other forms of disposal, incineration and safe storage. The study analyzed changes in the value of two selected CE indicators, i.e. (1) the municipal waste generation indicator, in the area of production and (2) the municipal waste recycling indicator, in the area of waste management. For this purpose, statistical data of the Central Statistical Office (GUS) and Eurostat were used. Data has been presented since 2014, i.e. from the moment of initiating the need to move to the CE in the EU. In recent years, there has been an increase in the amount of municipal waste generated in Poland as well as in the EU. According to Eurostat, the amount of municipal waste generated per one inhabitant of Poland increased from 272 kg in 2014 to 315 kg in 2017. It should be noted that the average amount of municipal waste generated in Poland in 2017 was one of the lowest in EU, with a European average of 486 kg/person. Poland has achieved lower levels of municipal waste recycling (33.9%) than the European average (46%). The reason for Poland’s worse results in the recycling of municipal waste may be, among others, the lack of sufficiently developed waste processing infrastructure, operating in other countries such as Germany and Denmark, and definitely higher public awareness of the issue of municipal waste in developed countries. Municipal waste management in Poland faces a number of challenges in the implementation of GOZ, primarily in terms of achieving the recycling values imposed by the EC, up to a minimum of 55% by 2025.
The concept of a Circular Economy assumes that the value of products, materials and resources is to be maintained in the economy for as long as possible to ultimately reduce waste generation to a minimum. In this concept, raw materials are repeatedly put into circulation many times, often passing from one branch of industry to another. So energy, water, metal ores, oil, gas, coal and others, and wherever possible, their replacement with renewable resources (wind and solar energy, natural resources). It is important, and this is the essence of the Circular Economy, the maximum re-use of scarce materials and raw materials from already produced and used products. This concept has found the support of the European Commission and activities in this area will successively be implemented through appropriate legal acts of the European Union. The need to implement solutions in the field of minimizing the consumption of raw materials, materials and energy or reducing waste production is also felt by consumers and industry. The packaging industry is particularly interested in implementing the concept of a Circular Economy. Due to the dynamic growth of the packaging market, which in 2017 reached around EUR 9.6 billion in Poland (data from the Polish Chamber of Packaging) and the increasing amount of post-consumer waste, it is necessary to introduce solutions limiting the consumption of raw materials and energy throughout the product life cycle.
The aim of the article is to present current practices regarding the reduction of the negative impact of packaging on the environment and the indication of directions for the implementation of the Circular Economy concept in the packaging industry.
The circular economy model is based on several priority areas, including biomass and bio-based products. Focusing on them and their use should certainly take their cascading into account use, including how energy from waste from the wood industry is managed. Biomass is one of the most frequently used renewable energy sources in Poland, and in the European Union it satisfies 6% of primary energy. The CE (Circular Economy) model assumes that the reuse, processing and regeneration of a product requires less resources and energy, and is more economical than conventional material recycling, as low quality raw materials. The current model of waste management must take energy recovery into account, without which it is impossible to close the balance sheet of management of many groups of waste. This is also important from the economic point of view. Chemical energy, which is contained in a large part of waste, can be used for energy purposes, including the production of electricity and heat. Reducing the use of raw materials is the most effective environmental approach to solving the waste problem. However, this requires reducing the extraction and consumption of materials, challenging existing production and consumption patterns. In the circular economy model there is a huge difference in approach to recycling leading to new products that create transport and production, new jobs and possible GDP (Gross Domestic Product) growth. The aim of the study is to analyze the use of waste from the wood industry and to present possible solutions for its cascade use, taking the currently implemented circular economy model (CE) into account.
Mining wastes are by-products generated during search, excavation and processing, both physical and chemical, of ores and other minerals. In 2017, wastes from group 01 constituted 60% of total wastes produced in Poland. According to the statistical data, approximately 92% of the waste generated during the excavation and processing of hard coal is economically reused. 30% of this waste used in industry and nearly 70% is used for the reclamation of the degraded industrial areas. At present, there is a tendency in the E uropean Union to shift from a linear economy to the Circular E conomy. The goal is to maintain economical value of the resources, among others, by their reuse in a productive way, which at the same time eliminates waste. One of the industrial branch where the ideals of a Circular E conomy can be implemented is the mining industry. Mining wastes may form one of the sources of anthropogenic minerals, as they belong to alternative aggregates. Deposits of anthropogenic minerals are considered sources of valuable raw materials which guarantee that the products made on their basis will be of high quality. The article presents the results of physico-chemical tests, the leachability of contaminations and phytotoxicity tests carried out on the basis of the selected mining waste in light of a Circular E conomy.
The article presents current methods used for the recovery of metals from used electronic equipment. The analysis of the composition and structure of the material was made on the example of one of the most popular and widespread e-waste – used cell phones. The article was address the problems of processing and separation of individual components included in these heterogeneous wastes. The main purpose of the conducted research was to prepare the tested material in such a way that the recovery of metals in the further stages of its processing was as effective as possible.The results of attempts to separate individual material fractions with magnetic, pyrometallurgical or hydrometallurgical methods will be presented. An analysis of the possibilities of managing electronic waste in terms of the circular economy will be made.
The transition to circular economy requires diversifying material sources, improving secondary raw materials management, including recycling, and finally finding sustainable alternative materials. Both recycled and bio-based plastics are often regarded as promising
alternatives to conventional fossil-based plastics. Their broad application instead of fossilbased plastics is, however, frequently the subject of criticism because of offering limited
environmental benefits. The study presents a comparative life cycle assessment (LCA) of
fossil-based polyethylene terephthalate (PET) versus its recycled and bio-based counterparts. The system boundary covers the plastics manufacturing and end-of-life plastic management stages (cradle-to-cradle/grave variant). Based on the data and assumptions set
out in the research, recycled PET (rPET) demonstrates the best environmental profile out
of the evaluated plastics in all impact categories. The study contributes to circular economy in plastics by providing transparent and consistent knowledge on their environmental
portfolio.
The paper presents an application of Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) method for the environmental evaluation of the technologies for the fertilizers production. LCA has been used because it enables the most comprehensive identifi cation, documentation and quantifi cation of the potential impacts on the environment and the evaluation and comparison of all signifi cant environmental aspects. The main objective of the study was to assess and compare two technologies for the production of phosphorus (P) fertilizers coming from primary and secondary sources. In order to calculate the potential environmental impact the IMPACT 2002+ method was used. The fi rst part of the LCA included an inventory of all the materials used and emissions released by the system under investigation. In the following step, the inventory data were analyzed and aggregated in order to calculate one index representing the total environmental burden. In the scenario 1, fertilizers were produced with use of an integrated technology for the phosphorus recovery from sewage sludge ash (SSA) and P fertilizer production. Samples of SSA collected from two Polish mono-incineration plants were evaluated (Scenario 1a and Scenario 1b). In the scenario 2, P-based fertilizer (reference fertilizer – triple superphosphate) was produced from primary sources – phosphate rock.
The results of the LCA showed that both processes contribute to a potential environmental impact. The overall results showed that the production process of P-based fertilizer aff ects the environment primarily through the use of the P raw materials. The specifi c results showed that the highest impact on the environment was obtained for the Scenario 2 (1.94899 Pt). Scenario 1a and 1b showed the environmental benefi ts associated with the avoiding of SSA storage and its emissions, reaching -1.3475 Pt and -3.82062 Pt, respectively. Comparing results of LCA of P-based fertilizer production from diff erent waste streams, it was indicated that the better environmental performance was achieved in the scenario 1b, in which SSA had the higher content of P (52.5%) in the precipitate. In this case the lower amount of the energy and materials, including phosphoric acid, was needed for the production of fertilizer, calculated as 1 Mg P2O5. The results of the LCA may play a strategic role for the decision-makers in the aspect of searching and selection of the production and recovery technologies. By the environmental evaluation of diff erent alternatives of P-based fertilizers it is possible to recognize and implement the most sustainable solutions.