零废弃物管理发展的全面回顾：经验教训和指南

Review

A comprehensive review of the development of zero waste

management: lessons learned and guidelines

Atiq Uz Zaman

Zero Waste SA Research Centre for Sustainable Design and Behaviour (sdþb), School of Art, Architecture and Design, University of South Australia, G.P.O. Box

2471, SA 5001, Australia

article info

Article history:

Received 29 August 2014

Zero waste concept

Zero waste study

Zero waste strategy

abstract

Zero waste is a visionary concept for confronting waste problems in our society. The idea is being

developed and implemented in various sectors incl uding waste management and treatment, mining,

manufacturing, and urban development. The zero waste concept has been embraced by policymakers

because it stimulates sustainable production and consumption, optimum recycling and resource re-

covery. Professionals in waste management systems, however, perceive and apply it in different ways.

This study aims to conceptualize zero waste development based on a critical review of available academic

journal publications. Very few studies have been found in the domains of zero waste design, assessment

waste management policy. This article presents a critical review of the major studies conducted by re-

searchers on zero waste in the last decades. Based on the review findings the study concludes that zero

waste concept has been applied widely in different phases of production and waste management sys-

tems. The findings of the study assist to identify priority areas of zero waste strategy and to develop

national zero waste guidelines. Thus, this study can be useful to policy and decision makers in developing

the evidence-based zero waste guidelines.

© 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

1. Introduction

In the industrial age, resource extraction and production of

goods has constantly expanded to satisfy the ever-growing con-

ronmentally damaging and expensive to manage sustainably. The

multiplicity of various waste streams leaves decision makers no

other option but to choose inefficient and environmentally

polluting waste management solutions such as landfill. The

shortage of landfill sites in urban areas forces waste authorities to

look for an alternative waste management systems (Wen et al.,

2009).

Zero waste (ZW), a visionary waste management system, has

been presented as an alternative solution for waste problems in

recent decades (Connett, 2013a). Zero waste has become an aspi-

ery, and restricts mass incineration and landfilling. However,

professionals in waste management systems perceive and apply the

zero waste concept in different ways by. For instance, a number of

studies have claimed to achieve ZW goals while using waste-to-

energy technology, such as incineration, as a part of waste

E-mail address: atiq.zaman@mymail.unisa.edu.au.

Contents lists available at ScienceDirect

journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.12.013

a goal that is ethical, economical, efficient and visionary, to

them” (ZWIA, 2009).

Others who wish to achieve holistic ZW goals have adapted and

utilized the working definition. The Department of the Environ-

ment in San Francisco defines zero waste as “sending nothing to

landfill or incineration.” (SF Environment 2011). Zero waste in En-

gland is defined as “a simple way of encapsulating the aim to go as far

as possible in reducing the environmental impact of waste. It is a

visionary goal which seeks to prevent waste occurring, conserves

resources and recovers all value from materials.” (Phillips et al.,

2011).

concept used by professionals. Several definitions of waste exist

(Christensen, 2011), and in this review study both solid and liquid

waste were considered.

Waste International Alliance adopted the first peer-reviewed,

internationally accepted definition of zero waste (ZWIA, 2004),

which helped to understand and define a practical use of the ho-

listic ZW concept.

Fig. 2 shows the number of publications each year and the dis-

tribution of the papers among journals. It is evident from the table

that research on zero waste has been conducted widely in the last

decade, and the number of ZW studies has increased since 20 03. A

substantial number of articles (17 articles equivalent to 18%) were

published in 2007. Interestingly, ZW studies have been published in

in the sample timeframe.

4.2. The contextual settings

Waste professionals have conducted ZW studies from every

continent on earth. Fig. 3 shows the geographical distribution.

Table 2

A brief scoping of the classification and evaluation criteria.

Classification criteria Brief scoping

Time of publication Year in which the study was published.

Types of publication  A e article

 RA e review article

waste, organic waste, construction and

demolition waste)

 Industrial waste (including industrial

waste-water treatment)

 Mining waste (including mining production

and treatment) Hazardous waste (including

radioactive and electronic waste)

Key research aspects Analysis of the main focus and aim of the study.

Relevance and scope

Four symbols indicate the extent of the study:

B e Zero waste term is used without any

holistic zero waste management system