Regional waste footprint and waste treatments analysis.

This paper provides a detailed analysis of the waste footprint and waste treatments at subnational level, for Brussels, Flanders, and Wallonia. The paper details the waste footprint components into direct waste from households (disposed in bins), indirect waste generated upstream in the supply chains and induced by household consumption and waste materials from the degradation of in-use stocks. For each component, we analysed the contribution of waste types, products consumed and location where the waste was generated, as well as the associated treatments. The results show that Flanders had the highest total waste footprint in absolute terms; Brussels the highest direct waste in capita terms and Wallonia the highest indirect waste and stock depletion in capita terms. In each region, almost 78 ± 2% of the regional waste footprints were attributed to the consumption of food products, manufactured products and restaurants and accommodation services. For each region, around 45 ± 4% of the indirect waste was generated within its boundaries, 16 ± 9% in other regions and 39 ± 5% out of Belgium. Incineration was the predominant waste treatment type of the regional waste footprint, followed by recycling. Landfill was the second widely applied treatment for indirect waste. Results constitute key information relevant to enhance the waste data monitoring practices at regional level with effects at national level. We unveiled the waste footprint and associated treatments inherent to the interregional and international linkages. Results are also useful resources to substantiate waste management and circular economy policies, enacting on waste prevention and reduction, ecodesign and product lifetime extension.

Nitrogen in Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) of agricultural crop production systems: Comparative analysis of regionalization approaches.

Assessing reactive nitrogen (Nr) flows resulting from agricultural crop production systems (ACPS) with LCA requires regionalization. However, methodological approaches for regionalized LCA of ACPS may not necessarily reflect a comprehensive picture of Nr compounds and their complex interaction with the environment. This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the consideration of Nr in methodological approaches for regionalized LCA applied to ACPS. We conducted a review comprehending scientific literature on regionalization approaches applied to ACPS and compared these with general requirements of LCA and the scientific background of the N-cycle following the LCA framework. Special focus was placed on the analysis of process-based models (PBM) and life cycle impact assessment (LCIA) methods. We derived key factors relevant for a regional assessment of N flows in LCA and compared these to 23 regionalization approaches applied to ACPS. Main obstacles identified to conduct a regionalized LCA for ACPS involved the consideration of different regional scales and thus a missing common regionalization approach suitable for ACPS. Although, N related key-factors were mainly considered by the analyzed approaches in the different LCA phases, critical points involved the consideration of N field emissions and N impact assessment. Based on these findings, practical recommendations were given. Our comprehensive review provides relevant requirements for an improved regional N assessment in regionalized LCA of ACPS and aims to present a realistic picture when comparing different alternatives considering N specific regional impacts.

Urban waste flows and their potential for a circular economy model at city-region level.

To enable cities to become more circular, i.e. close material cycles, decision-makers need detailed data about the production and treatment of waste. At city level, conventional statistics on waste are often incomplete or lack detail. Waste input-output accounting offers an alternative, using waste supply and use tables to create detailed inventories of economy-wide flows of waste. In this study we develop such tables for the city-region of Brussels (Belgium) and use them to analyse the urban waste metabolism in terms of waste flows, waste production intensity and waste treatment performance. The waste flow analysis revealed: the amount of collected waste; the proportion contributed by individual sectors; the material composition of waste flows and the location of treatment. Currently, around 50% of the 1.5 million tons of waste collected in Brussels is treated in local facilities. However, less than 1% of the collected waste is used in a way that closes material cycles within city limits. The waste performance analysis reveals that the construction sector had the highest waste production intensity and the household sector the highest incineration intensity. In terms of waste prevention and local valorisation potential, we identified flows and sectors for future targeting, one of the most promising being food waste. We conclude that the urban context can restrict the local valorisation of waste flows, thus we see the role of cities such as Brussels in a circular economy as mainly contributing to the closing of material cycles at national or even global level.