Impact factors and regulatory mechanisms for material flow management: integrating stakeholder and scientific perspectives: The case of bio-waste delivery

Research output: Journal contributionsScientific review articlesResearch

Authors

Material flow management has become an increasingly important paradigm in waste management. An essential goal of this paradigm is prioritizing waste reduction over reuse and recycling, and the latter waste management processes over secure disposal of waste residues. Separate treatment of biodegradable waste fractions (bio-waste) is a promising way to approach this goal. However, compared to Switzerland, many countries only treat a small proportion of their potentially recoverable bio-waste separately. To identify the parameters (impact factors) and mechanisms involved in successful material flow management favoring separate bio-waste treatment, we analyzed the past developments of bio-waste delivery to centralized transformation facilities in Canton Zurich, Switzerland. In so doing we performed (i) an agent oriented material flow analysis; (ii) a structured selection of relevant impact factors influencing the material flow development; (iii) expert interviews to assess the adequacy of the set of impact factors and their mutual interactions; and (iv) a cross impact analysis to reveal the relevance of the impact factors and their interferences that make up regulatory mechanisms. Our analysis shows that complex interactions of various impact factors lead to the particular material flow developments of the Zurich bio-waste supply market. Four important aspects contributing to its success were that: (i) the cantonal agencies created, in cooperation with private stakeholders, a flexible framework encouraging rather than restricting the developments; (ii) a creative and financially powerful innovator made use of this framework; (iii) separate bio-waste transformation was cheaper than incineration; and (iv) the technological and societal boundary conditions were beneficial to the developments.
Original languageEnglish
JournalResources, Conservation and Recycling
Volume47
Issue number2
Pages (from-to)101-132
Number of pages32
ISSN0921-3449
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 01.06.2006
Externally publishedYes

Recently viewed

Publications

  1. Towards a Comprehensive Framework for Environmental Management Accounting
  2. Governmental activity, integration, and agglomeration
  3. Challenges in political interviews
  4. A switching model predictive control for overcoming a hysteresis effect in a hybrid actuator for camless internal combustion engines
  5. Towards a Comprehensive Framework for Environmental Management Accounting
  6. Actuator- and/or sensor element for sleeve in medical field e.g. limb or joint fracture treatment, has nano-wires comprising nano-fibers, where element deforms and acquires dimensional change of nano-fibers via electrical signal
  7. Article 32 Date of Application
  8. Collaborative modelling for active involvement of stakeholders in urban flood risk management
  9. Glitch(ing)! A refusal and gateway to more caring techno-urban worlds?
  10. Probing turbulent superstructures in Rayleigh-Bénard convection by Lagrangian trajectory clusters
  11. Assessing tree dendrometrics in young regenerating plantations using terrestrial laser scanning
  12. Toxicity testing with luminescent bacteria - Characterization of an automated method for the combined assessment of acute and chronic effects
  13. RelHunter
  14. Swarm Robotics, or: The Smartness of 'a bunch of cheap dumb things'
  15. Perceptions of Organizational Downsizing
  16. Policy implementation through multi-level governance
  17. Pre-service mathematics teachers' modelling processes within model eliciting activity through digital technologies
  18. Advantages and difficulties of conducting thinking-aloud protocols in the school setting
  19. Development of a procedure for forming assisted thermal joining of tubes
  20. The complementarity of single-species and ecosystem-oriented research in conservation research
  21. Innovation in Continuing Engineering Education with focus on gender and non-traditional students' pathways
  22. Does transition to IFRS substantially affect key financial ratios in shareholder-oriented common law regimes?
  23. Do it again
  24. Classification of playing position in elite junior Australian football using technical skill indicators
  25. Global patterns of ecologically unequal exchange
  26. The use of force against terrorists
  27. Wir sind ihr
  28. Delivering community benefits through REDD plus : Lessons from Joint Forest Management in Zambia
  29. Internet-Based Prevention of Depression in Employees
  30. Toward a Production-Oriented Imagology