Final sinks as key elements for building a sustainable recycling society.

Two phenomena characterize the development of the material world of the last 100 yr: The per capita growth in material consumption, and the introduction of a myriad of new materials. Together with the growth in population, this resulted in large, growing and complex material flows and stocks, particularly in urban areas. The objective of future materials management is to ensure long-term supply of resources on one hand, and safe disposal of emissions and wastes on the other hand. This paper focuses on the consequences that arise from the high material turnover for waste management. Ultimately, all materials that are taken from the earth crust are either incorporated into the anthroposphere or released to the environment. Waste management acts as a key "filter" between anthroposphere and environment, controlling substance flows across the border. Waste management must either recover materials for safe reuse, or transform substances into inert materials that can be landfilled or dispersed safely in the environment. For future waste management it is crucial to define sinks and final sinks; to establish a knowledge base about sources, pathways, and final sinks of key substances; to investigate into possible sink limitations of anthropogenic activities; to systematically allocate substances to appropriate sinks; to promote waste management as key for directing hazardous substances to appropriate final sinks, and to regulate the use of specific substances if environmentally safe final sink capacities are not available. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]