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Philosophy
The
Bluewater Recycling Association believes that in essence waste does not
really exist. We prefer to think of all materials as resources that we
may or may not have a use for, hence leading to their value
determination as a commodity. The result is that we think in terms of
resource management while others refer to it as waste management.
A fundamental difference exists between the two philosophies. When
managing resources, the resource's "best use" is the
foundation of every decision made. Whereas when the resource is
negatively viewed as a waste, the waste management strategy.
Conversely when resources are managed, the focus is on use not disposal.
The Bluewater Recycling Association also believes that resource
management benefits from a centralized global approach as opposed to
fragmented isolated solutions. For example, that is one of the reasons
why the Association has developed programs such as its co-collection
program where "waste" and recyclables are collected
simultaneously with one vehicle. This standardized one stop collection
allows for the development of innovative approaches to resource
management which led to diversion levels exceeding 80% and average
households storing less than 200 kg of "waste" per year in
places typically referred to as landfills.
The figure below outlines our vision of the integrated resource
management system where the collection and processing functions are the
focal point of the decision making process to best determine the use of
a resource. Four main treatment methods can be utilized to handle
resources. They are material recovery, biological treatment, thermal
treatment, and long term storage. Long term storage being the last
resort when no other alternatives are available or, environmentally
and/or economically feasible.
Integrated
Resource Management
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