CLOSING THE LOOP ON THE RESOURCE REVOLUTION

In the face of escalating global populations, waste generation rates are rising to a concerning level, as every year, billions of tonnes of rubbish are sent to landfills. As reported by the World Bank, population growth and urbanisation mean that annual waste generation is expected to increase by 73 percent from 2020 levels to 3.88 billion tonnes by 2050.

Combatting this waste dilemma, is an ever-developing waste collection and recycling industry, seeking to find sophisticated ways to collect, recycle, and repurpose these resources.

Across Asia, there is regional disparity regarding how advanced such systems are, although the industry is generally considered to be less developed compared to western countries.

While North Asian countries, such as Japan, Korea and Taiwan boast some of the most advanced waste collection and recycling systems, Southeast Asia is heavily reliant on informal sectors to support the industry, with an emphasis on selective collection and down-cycling, as opposed to closed-loop recycling.

Although the majority of Asian countries (excluding Japan) are in consideration to allow the use of food-grade rPET – applying recycled plastics in food contact materials

Specialising in reverse

– waste collection and recycling are in an area ripe for further development, improvement, and innovation.

One company well-positioned to answer this demand, is TOMRA Collection (TOMRA).

“Waste collection and recycling is a very exciting sunrise industry, with more and more government regulators exploring legislations to promote sustainability,” opens Bing Zhao, TOMRA’s Vice President and Head of Asia.

Through its effective and efficient collection, sorting and processing systems starting with reverse vending machines (RVMs), TOMRA facilitates the collection of over 45 billion empty cans and bottles around the world every single year.

Indeed, with an installed base of approximately 80,000 machines in over 60 markets, TOMRA is the world’s leading provider of reverse vending solutions.

A Collaborative Effort

Writer: Phoebe Harper

Project Manager: Jordan Levey

As the region awakens to the global waste crisis, legislation is being formed, and a waiting game lies ahead until it is enforced. Simultaneously, a burgeoning consumer conscience in the worldwide shift towards a circular economy is creating heightened demand.