The international current challenges of resource scarcity can only be busted by the implementation of the circular economy concept. Through implementation of the circular economy concept, economic aspirations such as scaling to higher economic status can be achieved. The thread can be in waste management. The implementation of sustainable integrated waste management plans is very vital in resource conservation and generation.
The Harare Institute of Technology is one of the few institutions in Africa which are focused on solving the greatest challenges through innovative science and technology. This includes ensuring that the country has a resilient and valuable environment and are moving towards clean energy and resources as well as supporting the growth of future industries. One of the recent COP 26 conference outcomes was that, developing countries should upscale their climate change mitigation activities. It is estimated that each year, 90 billion tonnes of primary materials are extracted and used globally, with only nine per cent recycled. Evidently, this shows how extravagant we are being with the resources which are meant for future generations.
Worse still, this is commercially unsustainable and there are significant detrimental impacts to human health and the environment that could emanate from such. By leveraging circular economy on waste management, a lot can be achieved such as a cleaner environment, new raw materials, import substitutions as well as up scaling Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC).
As Harare Institute of Technology, the thrust is on design for sustainability which makes each waste material a resource. This supports a circular economy model, which shows that through responsible manufacturing, development of new industries and jobs can be supported, emission reduction can be achieved and increased efficient use of natural resources. Under an appropriate waste management system, a landfill is of very limited importance as it reflects the loss of resources unless it is meant to enable the generation of energy from methane. It is therefore imperative that future disposal sites be made smaller and tailor made for accommodation of organic material.
Organic material degrades fast and this generates high volumes of compost whilst also generating energy. It is clear that by designing for recyclability, maximization of resource utilization can be achieved. The benefits can be several times larger through the incorporation of the concept of circularity during production and consumption. A circular economy is critical in ensuring future prosperity and economic security. Zimbabwe’s economic independence lies within the circular economy concept.
