When Waste is No Longer Waste

From climate change to landfills, food insecurity, and contaminated water—there is no doubt that human beings have had an impact on the environment. After only a little more than a hundred years of industrialization, people can no longer produce waste without thought. It just is not practical. Thankfully, engineers are trying to unlock the secret to human waste, how to limit its accumulation, and what to do with the staggering amounts we already have.

Turn Waste Into Energy

So far, turning waste into energy has been popular outside of the United States. For decades, Sweden has burned its trash in waste-to-energy facilities. These plants have giant incinerators that break down rubbish and convert it into energy, which helps keep Swedish cities warm during their brutal winters.

Sweden has been so successful in burning trash that they are importing it from other countries to maintain a steady supply. This method, however, is unlikely to be popular in the United States any time soon, where environmentalists express considerable concern about the air pollution produced.

Roads Built Out of Plastic

Repurposing plastic may someday solve not only environmental issues but traffic issues as well. In what has to be one of the most creative waste management ideas for the future, a Dutch company, PlasticRoad, is changing the way we build streets from recycled plastic. The blocks can be laid side-by-side to form a road surface that survives three times longer than regular asphalt. Already used in Europe, these roads if implemented worldwide would leave a planet with fewer potholes and less plastic waste.

Zero-Waste Stores

For environmental sustainability, businesses are being asked to be responsible for the waste they create and accountable for its disposal. Zero-waste stores, as their names imply, have taken that axiom to heart. From manufacturing to point-of-sale, at no time, a zero-waste store creates no trash. Colorado-based, EcoRoots, ships only recycled and reused biodegradable materials and promises that no plastics are used in its shipments and that one percent of all profits go to the Ocean Conservancy.

Fly Larvae Eating Compost

While some of the waste management ideas for the future are sleek and inspirational, a practice that is gaining ground in Asia is more likely to inspire nausea than awe. Maggot farms are becoming popular. These are warehouses that breed flies and use the larvae to eat composted food. The black soldier fly larvae have an insatiable appetite and are able to eat rubbish far beyond their body weight. They can tackle tons of waste compost annually. Their excrement is also used to make fuel. And when they have grown large enough, the larvae are turned into food for turtles, lizards, fish, and other pets.