Waste minimisation and utilisation in greenspace creation

Dealing with significant volumes of organic and inorganic wastes

The development of waste-based soil-substitutes and soil-forming materials (organic and inorganic amendments) is a sustainable and cost-effective option for significant volumes of organic and inorganic wastes produced by various industries whilst conserving natural resources:

• Large amounts of inorganic wastes are generated annually by the minerals, construction and food processing industries.
• Considerable quantities of organic waste are generated by the food processing industry and a large proportion of the compostable organic waste component still goes to landfill.
• In the UK, 5 million tonnes of municipal compost are produced every year while current markets for the reuse of such materials are not sufficiently developed to satisfy net production.
• A study of the socio-economic benefits versus costs of such initiatives would allow a greater understanding of the problems and opportunities that regional and city agencies face in meeting their waste related targets and the impacts of waste usage for land reclamation at the local, regional and national scale.