| Teaser Text | Jeff Cooper attended the recent C40 conference and examines some organic waste treatments from across the globe
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he C40 Cities network, established in association with the Clinton Climate Initiative, brings together many of the world’s largest cities to address climate change. In March, London hosted representatives from 30 of those cities to exchange information and visit some of the best resource recovery facilities in the area. This was the first time the C40 cities had devoted their attention exclusively to waste and resource issues to provide A Toolbox for Building a Sustainable Waste Management System.
Zero Waste In Japan
To address the problem of managing waste as a resource the conference opened with a session on zero waste promotion. Natsuko Matsuoka, director of the Zero Waste Academy in Japan, described the experience of Kamikatsu, a town of 2 000 people that, in 2003, declared its intention to achieve zero waste to landfill and incineration by 2020. The area is very rural and, in addition to being required to deliver their residual waste to a recycling centre for segregation into 34 different categories, residents are encouraged to compost their organic wastes. A recycling rate of nearly 80 percent has been achieved to date, easier to achieve in a rural area where organic waste is fed to animals or can be easily composted |
