Environmental Waste Utilization score to monitor the performance of waste management systems: A novel indicator applied to case studies in Germany

Waste management aims to protect human health and the environment by reducing adverse impacts associated with waste generation and treatment. Nevertheless, waste management system performance is typically not monitored based on environmental impacts but based on indicators such as recycling rates. As part of this study, Environmental Waste Utilization (EWU) is introduced as an indicator to monitor the capability of waste management systems to reduce the adverse impacts of waste generation and management. EWU quantifies the share of the environmental value of waste which is preserved through waste management. It is operationalized via a spreadsheet-based calculation tool, the EWU Dashboard. Case studies on plastic packaging waste, PAHcontaminated road debris, and food waste are presented to demonstrate the application range of EWU and its advantages against material efficiency indicators. It is shown that EWU-based monitoring allows for identifying environmentally preferable waste management strategies and enables sound decision support.

Automated summary

Waste management aims to protect human health and the environment by reducing adverse impacts associated with waste generation and treatment. However, the performance of waste management systems is usually monitored based on recycling rates, rather than environmental impacts. This study introduces Environmental Waste Utilization (EWU) as an indicator to monitor the capability of waste management systems to reduce the adverse impacts of waste generation and management. The EWU Dashboard, a spreadsheet-based calculation tool, is used to operationalize EWU. Case studies on different types of waste are presented to demonstrate the applicability and advantages of EWU compared to material efficiency indicators. The study shows that EWU-based monitoring allows for identifying environmentally preferable waste management strategies and provides sound decision support.