Exploring and Assessing Innovative Approaches to Utilizing Waste as a Resource: Toward Co-Benefits

Waste is an inevitable byproduct of human activity. In the last two centuries, waste management has passed through a series of transitions in terms of treatment and disposal technologies, as well as in administrative systems and in people’s attitudes. Waste managers, engineers, planners, and researchers have contributed to these transitions by responding to issues such as public health, disposal capacity, more-rigorous environmental standards, and public and political pressures (Louis, 2004; Tarr, 1985). More recently, studies on waste management have emphasized the 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle). As a result of the efforts of practitioners and researchers, considerable achievements in waste handling have been realized in a number of countries. The questions that we currently face are “What forthcoming issues related to waste management do we need to respond to?” and “What will be the appropriate methods for addressing these issues in research?” In this chapter, we will explore some of the pressing issues, and we will propose a research framework for assessing the options available for responding to them.