The GAIA waste and climate report outlined in a recent article includes case studies from cities across the globe, outlining how CO2 emissions would be impacted by different materials management strategies. The one U.S. city highlighted in the calculation exercise was Detroit. The chart below shows annual GHG emissions estimated for Detroit by 2030 in two scenarios: “Business as Usual” (based on data from 2021 collected from the city and other sources) and a “Road to Zero Waste” scenario (based on information from the city, consultants and a number of local stakeholders).
The Road to Zero Waste scenario assumes 80% diversion of organics, glass, metals, wood, paper and OCC, and 15% diversion for plastic and textiles, with electronic waste and other recycling remaining approximately constant (overall 59% diversion). The report stated that under this scenario, Detroit would achieve an increase in its overall diversion rate from 4% to 59%.
Find more details on the study at GAIA’s website, no-burn.org.
This article appeared in the November 2022 issue of Resource Recycling. Subscribe today for access to all print content.