Drowning in Waste

The first time I read that 99% of the things we buy become waste within six months, the first thing I did was check the data source because I was convinced it had to be a mistake.

In the society we have built, we have maximized the linear economic model, prioritizing the production of goods at the lowest cost and in excessive abundance. We have succeeded in increasing product availability and customization while simultaneously increasing the amount of waste generated at every step.

The photograph “Life in the Dump” by Ufuk Turpcan has been kindly shared with us for this post. It was part of the Zero Waste Pix / EEA competition.

Every year, an estimated 11.2 billion tons of solid waste are collected worldwide, and the breakdown of the organic portion of this solid waste contributes approximately 5% of global greenhouse gas emissions. Source: UN Facts & Figures.

We have a MASSIVE waste generation problem.

Many types of waste end up in nature due to poor management or because it is difficult to prevent them from contaminating the environment. Some waste escapes collection systems, falling from containers or machinery and ending up in nature. Individual behaviors can also be hard to change, such as littering, flushing waste down the toilet, or discarding cigarette butts that often make their way into sewers and eventually into the ocean. The uncontrolled pollution of plastic waste remains particularly concerning. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is just one example of the environmental impact caused by excessive waste production.

But this is not just a waste problem. Every time we produce something, we invest energy in manufacturing, transforming raw materials, and transporting materials or products to stores. Overproduction leads to unnecessary energy waste. So, a water bottle in your home, oddly enough, contains energy. Once you throw it away, recovering that energy becomes difficult.

Recycling is a partial solution to this problem, as it allows for the recovery of some materials. There are highly efficient recycling technologies available, and some materials, like glass, can be recycled almost indefinitely. Paper can also be repurposed into fiber to create other paper-based or cardboard products. However, recycling alone does not solve the issue. To recover materials effectively and maintain their value, they must be separated in a pure form, which can be costly. The technology to recycle certain materials is not widespread, and the situation worsens when developed countries export their waste to nations lacking the infrastructure to process it properly—something that frequently happens with plastic and textile waste.

The World Bank predicts a 70% increase in waste over the next 30 years as the global population grows.

What can we do about this? Is there still time to take action? Yes, and we must act boldly because we have both the technology and the knowledge to develop solutions. In the European Union, a Waste Directive promotes measures to achieve a circular economy and defines waste management priorities. It follows a simple five-step waste hierarchy:

1. Prevention – Avoid creating waste in the first place.
2. Preparation for reuse – Treat waste so it can be reused, repurposed, or better prepared for recycling.
3. Recycling – Recover materials and convert them into raw materials for new products.
4. Recovery – Utilize waste for other processes, such as incineration for electricity generation.
5. Disposal – Discard waste, whether through landfill, incineration, or other treatment methods.

I see this hierarchy as a straightforward tool that both citizens and businesses can use to analyze their product consumption, waste generation, and disposal methods. Once waste is produced, we should consider whether we can repair, donate, or recycle it more effectively. The priority must always be to remain on the first step: waste prevention should be the preferred option.

By focusing on waste prevention, new business opportunities can arise in the intermediate steps: reuse, repair, and refurbishment. We encountered some emerging businesses tackling these issues at a sustainable fashion forum we coordinated in collaboration with the IED (Istituto Europeo di Design) in Grancasa. Some startups are manufacturing longer-lasting textiles with carbon-neutral materials while integrating rental, repair, and buyback models. Some of these businesses have already secured European funding to scale and replicate their models internationally.

The EU directive also emphasizes municipal waste collection. For example, it mandates an increase in recycling rates from 55% in 2025 to 65% in 2030 and requires separate collection of paper, metal, plastic, glass, and textiles by 2025. While governments are ultimately responsible for implementing these policies, they rely on citizen and corporate cooperation. This year, we collaborated with Conama at the Local Congress held in Zaragoza, where we led a municipal waste workshop. The session facilitated dialogue between different stakeholders to help achieve the EU waste directive’s objectives under Spain’s new waste regulations.

Reducing the amount of waste we generate is at the core of many global initiatives. It is closely tied to resource use, pollution, and climate change. This is a challenge that concerns everyone. While the EU directive and other legislative efforts can have a significant impact, they alone will not drive the necessary change—or will do so too slowly. Action is in our hands, and there is a lot we can do. We will continue to explore this topic in future posts.

Recommendations

If you’re interested, you can view all the finalist images from the Zero Waste Pix competition, including Ufuk Turpcan’s entry.

References

• Trash Hack School Guide, an educational guide with information and activities.
• UN Facts & Figures, a portal with key global data from the UN.
• Great Pacific Garbage Patch on Wikipedia.
• More Growth, Less Garbage, a World Bank report published in 2021.
• Una Vuelta Natural, an event organized by Munkun for Grancasa.
• Conama Local, the biennial congress organized by Fundación Conama in different cities.