Chapter 14 - Reusing Nonhazardous Industrial Waste Across Business Clusters

Abstract

Nonhazardous industrial waste (NHIW) is distinct from both municipal solid waste (MSW), the more familiar mix from homes and businesses, and hazardous waste, materials that are more highly regulated owing to their toxicity and related public health concerns. The sheer quantities of NHIW raise the question of how best to manage it. The first defense is cleaner production—generating less waste by increasing industrial efficiency and effectiveness. A broad range of companies now produce annual sustainability reports detailing the amount of waste reduced in particular categories, year to year. For wastes that continue to be generated, many large volume industrial streams are amenable to separate handling such as foundry sand, coal ash, and paper mill sludge, some of these streams have an excellent track record for reuse. Specifically, industrial symbiosis is part of a new field called industrial ecology. Industrial ecology is principally concerned with the flow of materials and energy through systems at different scales, from products to factories and up to national and global levels. Industrial symbiosis focuses on these flows through networks of businesses and other organizations in local and regional economies as a means of approaching ecologically sustainable industrial development. It engages traditionally separate industries in a collective approach to competitive advantage involving physical exchange of materials, energy, water, and/or by-products. The keys to industrial symbiosis are collaboration and the synergistic possibilities offered by geographic proximity.