Circular patterns of waste prevention and recovery

The growth of modern societies with their scientific, economic and social achievements was made possible by the cheap availability of fossil fuels. Side effects of fossil energy resources were the development of unsustainable production and consumption patterns, the degradation of natural capital, and the release of airborne, waterborne and solid waste. Consumption and environmental loading are not only related to fuels, but also to other material resources, such as minerals in general and rare earths in particular. The increasing shortage of crucial resources affects and constrains important economic sectors (e.g., electronic sectors, renewable energies, food production), thus placing a limit on further development and wellbeing. Concepts of sustainable economies and communities, with focus on the social dimension of development and also on the ecological and economic aspects at the same time, are gaining the attention of policy makers, managers, and investors, as well as local stakeholders (organisations, small and medium enterprises, individual citizens) and encouraging new development and business models globally referred to as the “circular economy”. The circular economy (CE) is a production and consumption system that is restorative by intention and design. Although there has been a relative decoupling of economic growth from resource use in recent decades, the gains made so far have been eaten up by a combination of economic growth and the rebound effect. There are two questions: (i) why has it been so hard to move from theory(most often from rhetoric) to practice and implementation, and (ii) how is it possible to promote an innovative and effective CE strategy in urban systems where 60% of world population is concentrated. This shift (design, networking, organisation, implementation, community planning) and related monitoring tools constitute the skeletonof the transition that needs to occur within both urban systems and economies. The point we make is that a society without waste is not only desirable, but also possible and necessary. We cannot wait longer and we cannot just accept small adjustments, increased end-of-pipe technologies and the usual interplay of promises and conflicts. The time for a massive and successful effort towards a radical change of lifestyles and production/consumptionpatterns is now, where the term "waste" itself is considered a symptom of societal illness, an indicator of immature economies, poor science and old-fashioned technology.


Introduction
The gba trasiti t the circuar ecy has ust started but the effects f the trasiti are iited s far 1 The iear de f prducti ad csupti thus sti diates i the gba ecy 2 e f the st evidet effects f the usustaiabiity f the iear de 3 is the geerati f a erus aut f waste wrdwide 4 Ideed the ccept f waste is sethig ew i atura cyces where ray the waste discarded beces resurces fr ther users 2 Cversey hua activities are geeratig waste at a pace higher tha the capacity f the atura eviret r prducti prcesses ca reuse the 5 Recety the accuuati f isaaged pastic waste (PW) has bee f particuar ccer regardig very fragie atura habitats such as ceas 6 where every year iis f tes f pastic waste are duped (abut 8 ii) 7 This ephasises hw strgy the ca ad gba scaes are itertwied ad the iprtace f taig respsibiity at the ca eve whie thiig at the gba eve 8 9 st PW is actuay trasprted via arger watersheds such as rivers t the ceas 6 Pstcsupti waste is y the tip f a iceberg that ca be reaed the wasteberg cpared t the aut f waste cig fr upstrea aufacturig activities 10 This highights the eed t redefie the apprach t waste aageet by taig a itegrated ad prevetive circuar perspective 4 taig it accut upstrea ad dwstrea surces f geerati fr the fia ga f swig the pace f prducti ad csupti activities ad csig resurce fws I this study we evauate waste geerati ad aageet i Itay withi the brader fraewr f 2 The transition from a linear, wasteful, fossil-based society to resource efficiency and circular economy concepts The grwth f der scieties with their iprtat scietific ecic ad scia achieveets was ade pssibe by the cheap avaiabiity f fssi fues i the ast tw ceturies Ufrtuatey e f the csequeces f usig fssi eergy resurces was the devepet f usustaiabe prducti ad csupti patters based  arge eergy use the itesive degradati f atura capita ad the arge geerati f airbre waterbre ad sid waste st f which is barey degradabe The ad paced  atura capita (cea air fresh water bidiversity tpsi etc) is the ew scarcity prbe faced by der scieties ad adds t the cy acwedged scarcity f eergy ieras ad ther crucia cdities 11 12 Csupti ad evireta adig are reated t y t fues but as t ther ateria resurces such as ieras i geera ad rare earths i particuar The icreasig shrtage f crucia resurces affects ad cstrais iprtat ecic sectrs (eg the eectric sectrs reewabe eergies ad fd prducti) thus pacig a iit  further devepet ad webeig Ccepts f sustaiabe ecies ad cuities with a fcus  the scia diesi f devepet ad the ecgica ad ecic aspects at the sae tie are gaiig the atteti f picy aers aagers ivestrs ad ca staehders (rgaisatis sa ad ediu eterprises idividua cities) i ew devepet ad busiess des gbay referred t as the circuar ecy 13 14 The ucheeded trasiti fr reewabe t reewabe eergy ad ateria resurces wud be a sigificat step frwards twards a re sustaiabe sciety ad urba ivig the circuar ecy has the ptetia t bece a iprtat fraewr withi which such a trasiti is iey t ccur 15 The eed t estabish ew patters f sciecic devepet has payed i recet years a pririty re i ca gveret agedas wrdwide with the ai bective t safeguard atura capita ad evireta services which are as perceived as a rea asset fr the beefit f future geeratis Specia atteti has recety bee paid t sustaiabe urba cuities by a arge uber f schars agecies ad Gs i rder t devep the ccept further ad ae destrated gd practices avaiabe fr cparis ad ipeetati 16 17 18 The ccept f sustaiabiity pays a re iprtat re tha sipy iitig carb eissis r ipeetig sar eectricity r eve icreasig waste recycig It icudes a scia ecic ad evireta aspects f urba cuities quaity f ife weath bs cuity services ad the sud reatiship betwee prducti ad csupti activities ad the eviret I this ctext it is f paraut iprtace t te that st fte gree is t eugh i that a apparety sustaiabe techgy utside the apprpriate ctext r etwr ay t be a suti ad ay istead add ew prbes t the existig burde Ivative patters ust be prpery assessed withi the cstraits ad eeds f a ca cuity uder the diverse perceptis f staehders 19 20 Suggestis fr future steps twards prducti patters that euate atura prcesses have bee deveped by Paui 21 22 as a scaed Bue Ecy apprach As cy ted the purpse f the Circuar Ecy (CE) is t prvide a better aterative t the diat de f ecic devepet the scaed tae ae ad dispse de 23 Its egative effects are threateig the stabiity f ecies ad the itegrity f atura ecsystes that are essetia fr huaity's surviva 2432 ay differet studies have bee pubished abut the ctet ad devepet f CE wrdwide 17 3338 A arge uber f these studies ccer the ipeetati f CE i Chia Chia was the first big ecy i the wrd t devep circuar picies aig CE a fudaeta piar f its atia ecic strategy 39 40 This cutry sees strgy attracted by ad citted t CE because f the huge evireta hua heath ad scia prbes psed by its very rapid ad ctiuus patter f ecic devepet 4144 The circuar ecy is see i Chia as a ew devepet de that is expected t ead t re sustaiabe devepet ad a harius sciety 4547 The CE is a prducti ad csupti syste that is restrative by iteti ad desig 15 48 Rather tha discardig prducts befre their vaue is fuy utiised we shud use ad reuse the Presety y a few percetage pits f the rigia prduct's vaue are recvered after use Whie there has bee a reative decupig f ecic grwth fr resurce use i recet decades the gais ade s far have bee rapidy eate up by a cbiati f ecic grwth ad the scaed rebud effect (r evs paradx) where the resurces freed up by icreased efficiecy are used up very quicy thrugh icreased csupti This is where the CE ces it pay as a pwerfu ccept The Eurpea Cissi t iprtat iitiatives i the area f resurce efficiecy i 20112014 with a first Circuar Ecy Pacage 24 25 further refied t bece a abitius Circuar Ecy Acti Pa 49 50

Waste Management worldwide
A recet reprt by The Wrd Ba (2018) 51 destrated that at the gba eve abut 201 bii tes f uicipa sid waste (SW) were prduced i 2016 (su f a vaues i Figure 1) ad the average aut f waste geerated per pers per day was 074 igra SW geerati per capita is strgy crreated with atia ice I highice cutries SW geerati rates are stabiisig r sighty decreasig pssiby refectig the prbabe decupig f waste fr ecic grwth 52 High ice cutries despite beig 16% f the wrd's ppuati hwever geerate abut 34% f the wrd's aua SW equa t 683 ii tes 51 Waste aageet (W) ctiues t iprve at the gba eve thrugh the bservabe ad icreasig tred f recycig ad cpstig 51 Recycig currety accuts fr y 135% f the gba dispsa f waste hwever as shw i Figure 2 where it ca as be see that a arge share is dispsed f i adfi (ctred adfi adfi (uspecified) ad saitary adfi) ad pe dups (33%) pe dups are ast the y pti i wer ice cutries prvidig 93% f the tta treatet i thse cutries I upper iddeice cutries sighty re tha the haf f waste is adfied (54%) This share further reduces t 39% i highice cutries where a arge share is as recyced (36%) ad icierated (22%) The atter is aiy practiced i highcapacity highice ad adcstraied cutries 51 such as apa 53 54 Data fr the Wrd Ba 51 as destrates that there is a chage i waste cpsiti 1 i w ice cutries due t the dificati f csupti patters that i tur deped  chages i ice eves The rgaic waste share f tta waste cpsiti has reduced ver tie reachig 56% The rgaic fracti i w ice cutries has a greater share i waste cpsiti tha i high ice cutries ad rages betwee 2040%  the ther side the share f recycabe fractis  such as pastic paper cardbard eta ad gass  accuts fr 51% f tta waste cpsiti i high ice cutries 51 1 Waste composition refers to the components of the waste stream as a percentage of the total mass generated.
The Wrd Ba (2018) reprt 51 evauates gba waste geerati ad aageet grupig cutries it areas ther tha the cvetia ctiets  the basis f factrs such as ice ad ecic structure eves The iteratia iterature as prvides data at the idividua cutry eve i a give area (eg Ghaa) r i se cases fr ctiets such as Africa 55 56  Figure 1 shws that the aut f waste geerated i these areas is w cpared t the tta SW geerated auay at the wrd eve 51 I particuar fr Africa cutries severa authrs 55 56 destrate hw waste aageet i Africa is a grwig evireta ad heath prbe give the icrease i waste geerati ad the iadequate SW aageet (SW) systes The atter is uabe t prvide a service prprtia t the eeds due t istitutia techica ad fiacia barriers at atia ad ca gveret eves 55 56 Techica barriers ivve prvisi f the service cecti treatet trasprtati strage ad fia dispsa as we as the isufficiet presece f ifrastructure ad ad use paig 55

Sub-Saharan Africa, Middle East and North Africa
Idia Chia apa ad Austraia ag thers are icuded i this area Hwever these cutries are highy diversified i ters f ice eves waste geerati ad aageet practices SW is diated by adfiig i Idia ad Chia (eg i Chia 60% f SW is sti dispsed f i adfis) 57 athugh bth cutries are ivestig i SW aageet ptis ther tha adfi 58 Chia's prgrae is st csey reated t the circuar ecy trasiti 40 The ASEA cutries 2 are icuded i this area f which Idesia with 64 ii tesyear prduces the highest aut f SW fwed by Thaiad (2677 iitesyear) 59 I Chia ad Idia the st cy adpted practices fr waste aageet are pe dupig ad pe burig eve if ther practices such as cpstig ad the aaerbic digesti f rgaic waste as we as the recvery f pastic etas ad paper are devepig Sigapre is reprted t have a westructured uicipa SW eve if the st cy practiced aageet pti fr waste is icierati 59

Europe and Central Asia
Eurpea Ui eber states are icuded i this area tgether with the Russia Federati The data avaiabe fr Eurstat fr EU cutries shws that i 2017 the EU (28 cutries) geerated 248653000 ts f SW 3 which is a average per capita aut f 486 g 61 This was sighty higher tha the average f 470 gper capita i 1995 62 SW aageet i Eurpea cutries is w re fcused  preveti ad recycig cpared t the past decades ver the perid 19952017 the aut f SW adfied decreased by 60% whie recycig icreased by 196% 63 adfiig is sti widey practiced i re tha the 50% f EU cutries hwever as shw i Figure 3 The scaig up f the waste hierarchy twards waste preveti preparig fr reuse recycig recvery ad dispsa is essetia fr better waste varisati as we as reducig the pressures  the eviret creatig bs ad aig the trasiti t the CE a reaity i EU 64 65

North America
The Evireta Prtecti Agecy (2018) 67 reprts that cities f the USA geerated a average f 3 Municipal waste consists of waste collected by or on behalf of municipal authorities and disposed of through waste management systems. Municipal waste consists mainly of waste generated by households, although it also includes similar waste from sources such as shops, offices and public institutions [60].
7417 g per capita f SW 4 i 2015 whe the tta SW prduced i the USA was 262 ii ts The W apprach i the US evved ver tie fr e cetred  adfiig twards a itegrated ad histic apprach that csiders waste as a resurce Waste is aaged accrdig t a hierarchy that paces waste reducti at the surce at the tp f the preferred strategies ad adfiig as the ess preferred pti 68 Sice 1980 the recycig ad cpstig f SW icreased reachig a recycig ad cpstig rate equa t 347% i 2015 This ctributed t reducig the share f adfied SW which was abut 525% f the tta SW geerated i 2015 f ther treatet ptis 128% are cbusted fr eergy recvery ad 347% f SW are recyced (258%) ad cpsted (89%)

Latin America and Caribbean (LAC)
Siiar t ther eergig ecies this grup f cutries is as experiecig icreasig rates f waste geerati particuary i cities where the ppuati has draaticay icreased ver tie I 2016 this area geerated 231 ii ts f SW 51 This is reprted t be aiy dispsed f i adfis ad recycig as a treatet pti cprises a very w share (2%) f the tta SW syste because this area has t ipeeted a srtig cecti syste 69 ts f ptetiay vauabe aterias that cud be recyced ed up i adfis ad dups eavig space fr ifra srtig activities by the prer fractis f ca ppuatis The iterature as tes that uctred peair dups are used by a arge fracti f the ppuati i se cutries f the regi (such as Beie) ad peratia ad evireta prbes are destrated as due t faiures i the ipeeted adfis (such as i exic ad Cubia) 69

The "wasteberg" in Italy
The "wasteberg" ccept fud quic ad very brad acceptace wrdwide i supprt f the idea f the erus aut f hidde waste behid the cparativey sa aut f uicipa waste that we see every day Se estiates suggest that hidde waste (the btt f the wasteberg) aes up abut 71 ts per t f uicipa waste 70 Whether the "71 ties" estiate is crrect r t eve 30 15 r 10 ties wud be a usustaiabe aut spread a ver the paet degradig the adscape ad aig ife ipssibe r very hard i ay areas f the paet Eve withut gig it the detais f such a estiate we ay te that the aut f uicipa 4 SW csists f varius ateria fractis that Aericas cy thrw away after beig used These icude pacagig fd waste grass cippigs sfas tyres cputers ad refrigeratrs the atter st fte categried as WEEE (Waste Eectric ad Eectric Equipet) SW des t icude idustria haardus r cstructi waste 67 waste i Itay i 2016 was abut 30 ii ts cpared with abut 135 ii ts f uicipa waste (a the ther ids f waste ateria are assciated with the idustria agricutura trasprt sectrs t qute y the argest) 66 f these cstructi ad deiti waste auted t 55 ii ts ad waste assciated with waste cecti treatet ad dispsa (waste geerati t dispse f the waste aready geerated!) was as uch as 35 ii ts ther categries f waste are cected utside the usua daiy garbage cecti fr husehds ad restaurats Such a aut 45 ties the aut f uicipa waste des t icude a the abitic bitic erded si water ad atspheric reeases that are idirecty assciated with a iig ad prducti activities wrdwide ver the etire CA (ife Cyce Assesset) suppy chai Therefre uicipa waste is ust the tip f the Itaia wasteberg ad is estiated as uch saer tha the aut f degraded ad puted water ad ad rcs si ad eissis reeased  t ecessariy i Itay  i supprt f the Itaia ecy It is surprisig that st evireta cficts ccur arud the sa aut f waste we ca see daiy (the cati f a adfi pas fr a icieratrwastet eergy pat BT echaica bigica treatet pats etc) whie we are st fte uaware f the sie f the btt f the wasteberg There is  eed t say that the trasiti t erwaste r at east reduced waste ecies is urget ad ca  ger be deayed 4 Progress is slow. Need to move from rhetoric to action re tha frty years have passed sice the auch f iits t Grwth Its ey essage was that a cbiati f resurce depeti ad puti if u taced wud utiatey -withi the ext hudred years  tae the gba ecy dw The essage was that Paet Earth is physicay iited ad reativey sa cpared t rapidy icreasig hua activities Few reprts have bece s ctrversia ad t east ag ecists s heaviy criticised The ai criticis cetred  the fact that the reprt was based priariy  higher csupti treds whie t taig techgica devepet substituti ad price adustets sufficiety it accut The hua ecgica ftprit has ctiued t icrease ayway  atter hw we ie t easure it due t the grwig ppuati grwig wefare expectatis ad achieveets iprved expitati techgies icreased dead fr cstructi ieras biass fr fd ad feed ad fssi eergy carriers These three ateria grups accut fr 80% f tta gba ateria extracti Gverets ad busiesses w see t uderstad that the basicay iear systes f resurce use expse bth scieties ad busiesses t serius riss Resurce cstraits ad the icreasig vues f waste ad puti are iey t pse icreasig threats t wefare ad webeig ad fr a busiess pit f view t cpetitiveess prfits ad busiess ctiuity Idustria Sybisis i the Daish tw f audbrg 5  has bee a referece case fr ecidustria pars devepet fr decades 71 72 I this tw the apprpriate aageet f a i refierycafired pwer pat ad urba waste awed huge savigs f eergy water (3 ii 3yr) ad fue i (20000 tyr) a arge decrease f S2 eissis the recvery f ashes fr ice ad vaadiu extracti ad fr ceet prducti the deivery f ht water t saer users ad t the city district heatig syste ag ther beefits The audbrg EcIdustria Par was t iitiay desiged as such hwever but graduay evved ver tie whe ca payers discvered that eergy ad waste exchages resuted i ecic beefits fr a parties ivved If prevetive paig ces it pay uch faster ad re abitius resuts ca be expected The Ee acArthur Fudati i its first reprt Twards a Circuar Ecy I) 13 aiy fcused  the busiess aspects f CE A circuar ecy is a idustria syste that is restrative by iteti ad desig I a circuar ecy prducts are desiged fr ease f reuse disasseby ad reaufacturig -r recycig -with the uderstadig that it is the reuse f vast auts f ateria recaied fr edfife prducts rather tha the extracti f ew resurces that is the fudati f ecic grwth rever the circuar ecy shifts twards the use f reewabe eergy eiiates the use f txic cheicas which ipair reuse ad ais fr the eiiati f waste thrugh the superir ad ivative desig f aterias prducts systes ad withi this busiess des A secd study by the fudati Twards the Circuar Ecy II 73 suggests that the adpti f CE cud be wrth as uch as USD 700 bii i csuer ateria savigs ae The study as highights the added beefits i ters f ad prductivity ad ptetia b creati There are tw questis (i) why has it bee s hard t ve fr thery t practice ad (ii) hw ca a ivative ad effective CE strategy be prted i urba systes where 60% f the wrd ppuati is ccetrated Specia atteti has bee recety paid t sustaiabe urba cuities by a arge uber f schars agecies ad Gs i rder t further devep the CE ccept at the urba eve ad ae gd practices avaiabe fr cparis ad ipeetati 1517 These studies ad prpsas fr urba CE favured the itrducti f istitutia picies i Eurpe ad wrdwide 74 75 athugh they wud eed practica ipeetati ad cear radaps Give urba ppuati treds the trasiti t re sustaiabe ivig shud start fr cities r ese it is uiey t happe The rea issue is that st theretica achieveets have t yet bee trasated it brad practica CE paig ad ipeetati If the Circuar Ecy (CE) is t bece the ext fraewr ad busiess de a breathrugh ivati is eeded that addresses the shift fr a iear prducti patter (where waste ad puti are the rue) t cpex etwrs (where waste fr a prcess is the raw iput fr ather prcess ad eissis are iiised) Such cpex patters as require cpex ad fexibe techgies ad cpex ad cprehesive evauati ts 76 77 t uderstad ad prpery address etwr substrates techgy ad ethdgica cpexities ad thus devep a theretica itegrated fraewr ad peratia de

A circular economy within urban systems
The devepet f a circuar ecy i cities prvices r regis ivves the itegrati f fur subsystes idustry ifrastructure the cutura fraewr ad the scia ad pubic service syste 23 37 At the city r regia (prvicia) eves puti preveti beces f paraut iprtace this is characterised by ateria ad eergy circuati ad has as its utiate bective re sustaiabe scia ecic ad evireta devepet icudig ptiu eergy ad resurce use ad the reducti f waste discharge 35 I urba cetres the CE trasiti ay require the redesig f supprt ifrastructure (trasprtati ad cuicati systes waterrecycig systes cea eergy ad eectrica pwer ies etc) ad idustria structure such as chagig the sie f cpaies fr sa t arge as i adsra (Swede) 78 whe a critica ass is eeded r vice versa depedig  ca resurces ad ifrastructure r the phasigut f the heavy putig eterprises ad the itrducti f ight ecic activities such as hightech idustries turis cuture ad s  43 The iprtace f the cstructi ad deiti sectr shud t be disregarded at the urba eve with ptis t recver ad reuse ccrete ir auiiu gass ad cpper ag ther vauabe aterias 79 I Chia re tha e hudred eccity prects have bee deveped 80 Experiece with Eurpea eccities ca as be fud i Geray Swede ad the U 81 Beiig Shaghai Tiai ad Daia have deveped i recet years eccities pit prects fr the purpse f ivestigatig the evuti f CE i ters f efficiet resurce use (eg eergy itesity per GDP ad water itesity per capita) uicipa waste prducti ad waste treatet ad recaati (the rate f waste water treatet rate f idustria sid waste reuse) 82 The resuts shw iprtat prgress fr 2005 t 2010 i the fur Chiese eccities etied with the highest reductis bserved i eergy ad water csupti idicatrs The ar drivers f perfrace iprveet have bee gveret iterveti i the high putat ad eergy csuig idustria sectrs by eas f heavy idustry recati the itrducti f reguatis i putig sectrs ad the highest avaiabiity f eergy efficiet techgies ad equipet i the fur ec cities cpared t ther Chiese cities Ideay CE trasiti sees t ipy the bective f reducig waste geerati t er 24 Se cities give their critica re i resurce use 83 have estabished er waste prgraes 84 e f these prgras i Durba (Suth Africa) aaysed by atete ad Tris 85 has the ptetia t csey apprach er waste ipeetati eve if fu recycig is ipssibe fr a types f aterias (eg paper) Fwig the er waste idea aa ad eha 86 tested a er Waste Idex (quatificati f the ptetia fr virgi aterias t be repaced by the waste aageet city syste) t verce the iits f the waste srtig rate (e f the st c idicatrs used by uicipaities t easure the curret perfraces f waste aageet systes) itrducig aspects f waste preveti The er waste ga i cities is as icuded withi the Eurpea Ui picy as idicated by the 7th Eviret Acti Prgra with the ai f virtuay eiiatig adfiig by 2020 87 whereas the adfi Directive 199931EC 88 y required EU eber States t reduce the adfiig f bidegradabe uicipa waste t ess tha 35% f the aut prduced i 1995 Se EU eber States (Austria Begiu Dear Geray ad etherads) have aready achieved the targets idicated by the EU adfi Directive The use f differet rative istruets (tax bas ad reguatis) has ctributed t the w adfiig rates particuary adfi taxes Three ai typgies f atter ad eergy fws are ivved at the urbaetrpita area eve • priary ateria ad eergy resurces (cstructi aterias fues fd gds ad cdities water fcus  waste preveti iiisati f iput fws reewabe versus reewabe aspects) • fws fr e t ather prducti sectr that are sti usefu (reuse paig trasferrig exchagig) • waste ad residues fr the prducti ad csupti sectrs (recycig ad recvery dispsa) The cvergece f techica expertise staehder awareess adequate busiess des pitica wi carefu paig ad ivati capabiity are uch eeded ad ay cstitute the seet fr the successfu regeerati f very degraded areas ad ivig cditis The ipeetati f a urba circuar ecy the apprpriate resurce aageet the shift t prvidig services istead f prducts (eg gd biity istead f cars) ad the better iage that such iprveets prvide are iey t attract ew cpaies ad geerate ivative busiesses thus geeratig a ew set f bs ver the gistic chai that repaces d  ger sustaiabe bs whie as decreasig evireta ipacts

Top-down and bottom-up integration. A Community-oriented circular economy
A the priary prducti ad csupti prcesses i agricuture agridustria cercia husehd sectrs (icudig waste aageet reuse ad recycig) prduce a arge aut f rgaic ad irgaic waste ad residues that create egigibe evireta burdes prcessig expeses ad scia ccers Dispsa is ever easy r cheap I geera ca aagers ad adiistratrs are y aware f e r tw ptis (adfiig icierati) the ipeetati f which trasates it cficts expeses ad the ss f vauabe resurces ad pprtuities I rder t reverse such a usustaiabe situati a etwr f cpartets actrs ad ivative activities ust be idetified deveped ad itegrated capabe f prcessig each id f substrate it se id f usefu prduct Each staehder (idividua sa r ediu eterprise uicipa agecies) has the ptetia t bece a vauabe cpet f the etwr t devep techgy ad ivati t hep geerate added vaue prducts ad t ctribute t ew bs ad ice patters The etwr ecy that ca be created arud the circuar ecy ccept fufis the Eurpea Ui prgraes ad Directives fr waste reducti waste recycig the greater use f reewabe surces ad the decrease f C2 eissis I particuar the ccept fufis the EU Directive 200928CE f the Eurpea Pariaet ad f the Cuci f 23 Apri 2009  the prti f the use f eergy fr reewabe surces (scaed 202020 Directive) The successfu ipeetati f circuar urba systes requires the abve ad ther recvery prcesses be itegrated it a rgaised whe This preiiariy cas fr the ivveet f staehders i a visiig exercise Withut such ivveet there are few hpes f achievig resuts ad resurce aageet cficts ay arise I geera pepe d t resist chage pepe resist beig chaged (Peter Sege 6 ) The icusi f staehders has tw features a) staehders see thigs that adiistratrs ad scietists ay t see r disregard b) staehder ivveet aws the search fr ptiised sutis (ptiu cprise) twards the preveti f cficts Fr this t happe a radap fr staehder csutacy ad participatry prcesses ust be ipeeted as desiged i Figure 4

A circular mosaic of success stories and projects
Hw iey is the trasiti t circuar ecy i differet areas wrdwide Is it pssibe t idetify success stries that shw apprpriate resurce aageet thrugh bradided paig ahead ad wise recycig after use The resuts fr a seecti f ivestigated cases shw that a ix f tpdw ad bttup picies is ptetiay abe t decrease wastefu uses f resurces by eas f the apprpriate recvery f dwstrea atter ad eergy fws thus prvidig ecic ad evireta beefits Techgica sutis ay t be a sufficiet t fr a sustaiabe sciety ad uch deeper ifestye chages are istead required hwever icreasig circuar patters ad techgies t be see as the sef rgaisig tesserae f a saic f ivative ad participatry effrts ay aw sufficiet trasiti tie t prte the required gba shift twards sustaiabe prducti ad csupti patters I the fwig we ist ad describe a uber f ivestigated sutis i rder t shw their ptetia ctributi t apprpriate resurce uses

Urban mining
Urba waste aageet has bee ad sti is ag the st ctrversia tpics i resurce use patters ay prpsas have bee put frward fr cecti ad aageet athugh the argest part f the re tha 2 bii ts f waste auay geerated wrdwide is currety sti dispsed f i adfis r icieratrs (eve withut eergy geerati) Edfpipe sutis are uiey t be very hepfu if they are t accpaied by preveti easures that prte upstrea waste reducti ad ess wastefu ifestyes (eg  thrwaway pastic ts ess pastic pacagig ad ctaiers) Apprpriate techgies ca as bece tesserae f the circuar saic hwever at east uti prevetive easures are efrced The EU IFE ARSS (ateria Advaced Recvery Sustaiabe Systes) prect 89 f which the authrs f this paper have bee tea ebers addressed a techgica way t safey treat the usrted urba waste ad recver their resurce vaue thus awig a sufficiet trasiti tie twards radica waste reducti I fact i ay cutries wrdwide ad i Eurpe as we waste cecti ad aageet systes are sti based  cvetia ethds with re tha 60% f urba garbage sti usrted ad treated i adfis ad d fashied echaica bigica treatet (BT) pats The separati f rgaic fracti ad recycabe fractis (pastic gass ad paper) is fte ade difficut by reciprca ctaiati due t iaccurate srtig Durig the ARSS prect (20122015) we therefre deveped a techgica due abe t treat abut 10 th recver the fractis f ferrus ad ferrus etas ad t separate the bigeic fractis f SW (up t 50%) ad cvert it it a biass feedstc fr reewabe eergy prducti i decetraised cbied heat ad pwer uits fied easures ife cyce aayses ad a assesset f sciecic ipacts cfired the evireta ad scia feasibiity f the due as a trasiti suti i areas where advaced circuar desigs are t yet ipeeted The ipeetati f the ARSS techgy i a destrati case study suggested sigificat beefits icudig the reducti f harfu greehuse gas (GHG) eissis reducti f the aut f bigica uicipa waste gig t adfi the preveti f sses f vauabe etas ad ther aterias suitabe fr recycig the ca prducti f eectricity ad heat fr husehd waste ad icreasig reewabe eergy ptetia fr urba cuities ad the preveti f si ad grud water ctaiati fr adfi sites 19 20 9092 Whie aware that burig rgaic atter is aways a ss f ptetiay vauabe resurces ad sethig that shud be preveted the prpsa stes fr the fact that re tha 50% f waste wrdwide ad i Eurpe is sti adfied r icierated withut ay usefu utce ad gives rise t dagerus ad uctred eissis

Waste cooking oil
Waste cig i (WC) is a destic waste geerated fr husehds ad restaurats as the resut f usig edibe vegetabe i fr cig ad fryig Its iapprpriate dispsa ay geerate heavy puti i water bdies whie at the sae tie sig the resurce vaue f a sti usabe ateria WC as a bidiese feedstc has bee idetified as a aterative surce f fatty aterias fr the prducti f bifues 93 Divertig WC fr iprper dispsa exteds the prduct ife cyce ad heps prevet the ctaiati f grud ad surface water WC is st cy pured away i saitary sis ad tiets thus reachig ad daagig sewer systes ad requirig re expesive treatet t prevet puti The evauati f csts ad beefits was perfred i cabrati with tw ca cpaies i the Capaia Regi (Papa Ecgia Sr active at the regia eve i the cecti ad treatet f waste cig i fr restaurats ad fd idustries ad PRTEG SpA active i the treatet f the raw cig i t a purified i) The purified i (usabe as fue i idustria biers) ca as be cverted t bidiese ad gycerie thrugh tras ethyesterificati i a cheica pat (i ur case the DP ubrificati ai Regi Itay) Resuts fr the ife cyce assesset (shw i Figure 5) idicate that recyced cig i geerates a bidiese that is characterised by a uch wer evireta ipact tha bidiese fr dedicated i crps ad fssi diese Csiderig the arge auts f cig i used auay i Itay ad wrdwide its recvery ad cversi t usabe resurces has ecic scia ad evireta advatages

Recovery of waste electric and electronic equipment (WEEE)
Waste f eectrica ad eectric equipet (WEEE) such as cputers teevisis refrigeratrs ad bie phes (t t spea f the extreey arge uber f saer devices eg switchers ight bubs etc) is e f the fastest grwig waste streas i the EU with se 9 ii ts geerated i 2005 ad expected t grw t re tha 12 ii ts by 2020 94 Siiary abut 50 ii ts f ewaste were geerated wrdwide i 2018 (WEEE Fru 2019) 50% f which was ifratics equipet (cputers sartphes TVs) ad the reaiig fracti arger husehd appiaces Ufrtuatey y 20% f gba ewaste is recyced each year (WEEE Fru 2019) trasatig it 40 ii ts that is adfied bured r iegay traded r treated There is  eed t pit ut that such a situati geerates a ss f vauabe resurces  e side ad  the ther side huge daage t evireta ad hua heath The percetage f WEEE recyced i the EU is sighty higher arud the 35% i spite f egisati issued i the EU ad severa ther cutries wrdwide fr the apprpriate cecti ad recvery f eectric ad eectric equipet Research deveped i ur tea it edfife f ifratics equipet ad phtvtaic dues has shw the huge advatage f reusig ad recycig We deveped the REBIT Prect at Parthepe Uiversity api with a specia fcus  the reuse f sti usabe ifratics aterias (after repair ad regeerati) i uir schs ad scia cetres 95 thus creatig ca cputer abratries fr users characterised by ess sphisticated ifratics eeds The resuts abut the recvery f ifratics equipet 96ad phtvtaic equipet 97 98 suggested the advatage f ateria recvery ad reated eergy savigs ver the etire prducti ad use chais f this equipet Fr exape Figure 6 shws the ateria cpsiti f a destp cputer Based  such cpets the C2 eissis fr the cstructi ad fiveyear use f a destp cputer (ass equa t 14 g) fr virgi aterias ad usig reewabe eectricity were estiated as 516 g whereas assuig the use f recyced aterias ad reewabe eectricity these eissis wud decrease t 55 g C2 96 Fr a aptp cputer (ass betwee 2 3 g) the C2 eissis wud be 285 g reduced t 40 g

Electricity from animal biomass residues
Animal by-products from slaughterhouses are a special kind of waste that may have significant risks for human health, if not properly disposed of, due to its organic nature. They are defined by European Directive 2002/1774/EC as entire bodies, or parts of animals or products of animals, not intended for human consumption. We have investigated the use of animal fat from slaughter facilities and markets via the PROTEG SpA Company.
Among the options available (the conversion of edible parts into animal feed, conversion of non-edible fat into fuel for electricity production, conversion into biobased chemicals, mainly PHA, polyhydroxyalkanoates), the company runs a 5 MW electricity power plant fed by animal by-products from all over the Campania Region. At present, about 65,000 tons of animal residues are treated per year, yielding 15,600 tons of animal fat, of which 8,500 tons are converted to about 40 GWh/yr of electricity in a company managed 5 MW cogeneration power plant. LCA results (shown in Figure 7) confirm that electricity from animal by-products has a much lower impact than electricity from fossil fuels in the Italian national grid [99,100]. ther uses have as bee ivestigated 101 102 cfirig the resuts preseted i this paper thus shwig that circuar patters abe t recver the resurce vaue f residues ad waste are rewardig ad decrease evireta ipacts This is t f curse a suti fr ther iprtat aspects that cud be raised (eg itesive ivestc farig excessive carivre diets ppuati icrease etc) which shud as be urgety addressed hwever it ca be csidered at east e f the tesserae f the sustaiabiity saic twards re sciay radica r re techgicay advaced sutis

Fuels and chemicals from biomass waste and residues
Biass has bee csidered a ptetia substrate fr bifue prducti sice the first sigs f ptetia fssi fues depeti The apparety successfu biach prgra i Brai i the 1980s fwed by bietha pas fr cr i the USA ad Eurpe were graduay repaced by icreasig ucertaity abut the rea beefits i ters f the utputiput eergy rati 103106 eavig the stage free fr ther ptis such as bifues fr i seed crps ad residua igceusic waste ad fiay the re circuar "birefiery" ccept with the utipe prducti f cheicas ad eergy 107 110 I spite f the ay effrts ivested i theretica ad appied research bifue prducti has ever shw sufficiety strg resuts i ters f yied per hectare ad utputiput eergy rati Istead the uti utput prducti f fues ad cheicas fr biass residues withi a birefiery fraewr  athugh t yet fuy ivestigated ad ipeeted  prises a uch re iterestig sceari fr the repaceet f fssi fues as feedstc fr cheica idustry ad eergy prducti Fr a techica pit f view a arge fracti f idustria cheicas ad aterias fr fssi resurces ca aready be repaced by their bi based cuterparts ad re is beig de by bicheica cpaies such as the Itaia vat ag thers Fssibased cheistry is sti diat i the aret due t ptiised prducti prcesses ad wer i csts The best apprach t axiise the varisati f biass is the prcessig f bigica feedstc i itegrated birefieries where bth bi based cheicas ad eergy carriers ca be prduced siiar t a traditia petreu refiery Figure 8 ffers a ptetia itegrated syste f prducti ad cversi activities at the regia scae where the ai prducts are set directy t the aret whie residues r argia prducts are cverted thrugh bicheistry prcesses fr eergy bicheicas ad bipyers

Urban wastewater circularity
Urba wastewater cected thrugh the sewage syste twards treatet pats is at the sae tie a prbe (presece f putat ad txic eeets excess f utriets presece f pastic aterias) ad a chaege (eergy ad atter recvery extracti f fertiisers) Bucre at a 111 ivestigated bieergy (eectricity ad heat) prducti i Epig (Swede) by appyig the SUA (Sustaiabiity utiethd utiscae Assesset) apprach 112 113 t the whe chai f wastewater ad biass residue recvery The syste itegrates wastewater treatet wiw farig ad a cbied heat ad pwer pat (CHP) The wiw crppig syste beefits the bigica treatet f utrietrich uicipa wastewater eadig t a substatia icrease i biass yied the reduced use f cheica fertiisers ad the wer puti f grudwater The CHP pat cgeerates eectricity sd t the rd P aret (icudig Swede rway Dear ad Fiad) ad heat is deivered by district heatig t ast a the buidigs i the tw f Epig A variety f ther biasses are used i the CHP pat icudig cvetiay fared wiw residues fr wd idustries agricutura waste ad frest residues thus geeratig a p f bibased eergy prducti idustria activities ad evireta prtecti practices The resuts f the study idetified a arge set f iprveet ptis utputiput eergy ratis i the rage 911 ad decreased eissis cpared t busiessasusua ateratives A siiar study was perfred by Bucre et a 115 ivestigatig the perfrace f a wastewater treatet pat i cera Iferire (prvice f Saer Itay) servig 300000 ihabitats (Figure 9) The resuts idetified a arge eergy dead due t prcess eectricity ad arge evireta ipacts i the fr f hua ectxicity (due t sudge adfiig) ad freshwater eutrphicati (due t the high itrge ctet f discharged water athugh withi ega iits) The study idetified iterestig circuar ptis via bigas prducti fr aaerbic digesti f sudge digestate dryig ad gasificati the use f discharged water fr eergy crp fertirrigati cgeerati f eectricity ad heat fr bigas sygas ad eergy crps ad fiay thee extracti f patfr cheicas fr residua biass thrugh acid r eyatic hydrysis . Fig. 8. An integrated system of agro-industrial production and conversion activities in support of a regional scale biorefinery system [114].

Construction and demolition waste
As shw abve fr Itay cstructi ad deiti is ag the sectrs that geerate the argest aut f abitic waste i urba systes wrdwide The widespread urbaisati prcess that t pace i the secd haf f the ast cetury ad is sti gig eadig t the grwth f egacities ad abadet f rura areas geerates as a side effect the eed fr ew buidig aiteace ad refurbishet ver a buidig's ife tie ad fiay the deiti dispsa ad recycig f edfife cstructi aterias The sae is true fr urba rads As a csequece dispsa areas trasprt prcesses ad recveryrecycig faciities are eeded t as prevet additia iig ad reated adscape degradati Ghiseii et a 48 79 ivestigated the evireta ad ecic csts ad beefits f a circuar ecy apprach t cstructi ad deiti aterias with specia fcus  the trasiti twards ceaer prducti i the cstructi ad deiti sectr f Chia These authrs idetified the ai barriers t the icreased circuarity f cstructi ad deiti aterias ad a set f sutis prpsed wrdwide suarised i Tabe 1 shwig ce agai that a huge prbe cud be cverted it a resurce fr the "urba iig" perspective etied abve prvided apprpriate ivestets paig ad reguatis 7 Innovative normative, economic and supporting tools A uber f ew picy easures shud be csidered a re practive use f pubic prcureet eararig ivestets i favur f resurce efficiecy withi the EU's differet fudig schees the adpti f resurce efficiecy targets fr aterias where scarcity is ig r the vera evireta ipact f resurce extracti ad use is sigificat ad the prti f ew busiess des geared at fuctia saes Tabe 1 shws barriers ad ptetia sutis t circuar ecy patters i the urba cstructi ad deiti sectr 48 79 A fcus  fudig schees is ecessary I ties f scarce pubic atia r ca resurces ad f ecic turi wrdwide it is t easy t thi that a ivative prpsa with a high ris f faiure ca be fuded ad supprted thrugh cvetia supprtig ts (pubic ey baig as ad derivatives private ivestrs) Istead ew fudig schees ust be expred icudig ca cperative effrts participatry ad shared wership diversi f fudig fr big cetraised treatet pats crwdfudig After the first resuts achieved thrugh ivative schees bece visibe cvetia ivestrs wi prbaby recsider their chices  the basis f the ecic prfitabiity f the ivative sutis A cuicati capaig abut the trasiti whie it is i prgress ight as be very hepfu Rethiig taxati schees cud prvide supprt fr the CE vig away fr taxes  abur r ice t taxes  the wastefu use f resurces ight prvide a icredibe push twards circuar ecy patters Previus typgies f taxes  C2 eissis r ther ids f eissis did t wr due t their w rate f ipeetati which did t ecurage trasiti If abur ad ice taxes were decreased by a arge fracti this wud aw a parae icrease f taxati  the csupti f reewabe resurces i the fr f aterias ad fssi fues Such a tax shift wud acceerate the trasiti t a circuar ecy which is wcarb ad resurceefficiet i ature Such taxati wud be uch re effective if it were abe t address the ctet ad the aut f recyced aterias withi a ew prduct Bite ad Ugiati 126 suggested a eergy 7 based taxati schee t repace at east a fracti f ice ad abur taxes ad fcus  the wastefu dispsabe use f resurces easured by eas f the eergy (evireta cst) apprach Bares 127 as suggested a shift fr ice taxati t atura capita prtectirieted des thrugh a syste f C Trusts a aretbased ega etity with the pwer f iitig the use f scarce resurces chargig rets ad payig divideds based  wise use f resurces Wia ad Sberg 14 prpsed chages t the syste f VAT  vaue added tax Accrdig t these authrs gds prduced fr secdary aterias -where VAT has aready bee paid ce -shud be exepted fr VAT Such a refr wud prte the use f secdary aterias -reuse ad recycig -ad hep crrect a situati where it is fte 7 The Emergy Accounting (spelled with an m) is an assessment method of the environmental value of resources based on the time needed for their generation by the biosphere driving forces. It converts all the energy and material input flows that contributed to a resource generation over time into solar equivalent units, so that the total amount of Unit Emergy Values thus calculated provides a measure of the biosphere work invested. The higher this value, the higher the quality of a resource, in that its replacement would require a large space-time biosphere activity [128,129]. ess expesive t use virgi aterias tha recyced es The defiiti f a ew stadard with which t certify the quaity ad evireta aageet f reuse (circuar) peratrs is as crucia i rder t prte ew bs withi a circuar fraewr (as t repace ptetia bs sses i iear prducti prcesses) I a situati where reuse ad recycig bece re widespread activities it is as iprtat t have r acquire the expertise t idetify the best reuse r recycig r cversi ptis the ecessary techgy ad the ptetia advatages ad csts Circuar peratrs have t be abe t face the rgaisatia (where ad hw) bureaucratic (certificati perits) ad quaity aspects f the recvery ad exchage f ateria ad eergy fws This requires the ipeetati f apprpriate traiig by iterested rgaisatis (city adiistratis accreditati bdies idustria assciatis evireta Gs) i rder fr the advatages f ateria ad eergy recvery ad a decrease i evireta ad t be rea quatified ad pubicy recgised The prfessia expertise eeded r acquired ust be recgised as a pubic beefit ad adequatey supprted The recety deveped ACCREDIA certificati Reade i Itay 8  which guaratees the ctet f recyced ateria used by Itaia cpaies i the reaisati f their prducts ad the traceabiity f the prducti itsef ight be csidered a exape f ew certificati schees t be deveped ad appied t gd circuar ecy practices at a urba eve The IS 50001 Eergy aageet Syste ad the IS 26000  the Scia Respsibiity f a Busiess rgaisati are cear exapes f targetrieted stadards A circuar ecy stadard fr cpaies ad peratrs has yet t be deveped ad wud be a very iprtat additi t the rative bdy f er waste ad ecefficiecy activities at ca ad regia eves

Conclusions
It is  ger pssibe t disregard the iprtace f apprpriate resurce use fr ay differet pits f view Resurce depeti (be it fssi fues strategic ieras fresh water ad fertie si) expses the wrd ecy t huge riss f istabiity ad capse ad cas fr urget easures t recver resurce vaue thrugh prevetive desig ad recycig Excess resurce depeti is pushig ecies twards the expitati f iera ad fssi reservirs previusy disregarded because they were ess prfitabe This is iey t affect eviretay prtected areas which ay bece ew ies ew adfis r ew crpped areas t repace thse aready puted Ipeetig circuar patters f prevetive desig recvery ad recycig is t y urget but as pssibe It is uiey that tpdw directives ca sve the prbes r ca we wait uti the prbes are sved by ew techgies if ay A ix f participatry strategies iteractig bttup ad tp dw actis ivative techgies ad cay creative prects cud be the basis fr a radap twards webeig thrugh evireta care ad apprpriate resurce use ad sharig We have shw i this paper that a circuar saic f ptis ad cay ipeeted prects if adequatey iteractig ad prted by adiistratrs busiesses ad cities have the ptetia t address ad graduay sve eergy ateria resurces water ad evireta prbes twards icreased webeig fr huaity ad ature The authrs gratefuy acwedge supprt fr the Itaia iistry f Freig Affairs ad Iteratia Cperati (AECI   PGR00767) withi the fraewr f the High Reevace SiItaia biatera prect "Aaysis f the etabic prcess f urba aggerati ad the cperative strategy f circuar ecy