We believe that the ultimate goal of waste management efforts should be waste minimization, however, waste processing and waste recycling play an important role in improving production processes and in dealing with 'waste' in a manner that is more environmentally and economically beneficial. Flows of materials and energy from producers and consumers to processers / recyclers must be encouraged as happens in natural ecosytems, and the elements of the system should be located in close proximity to one another. This approach has actually been implemented on a very large scale, the classic examples being the Kalundborg industrial complex in Denmark and the Jyvaskyla industrial complex in Finland. Here a web of exchanges in materials and energy exist between companies, effectively creating 'industrial ecosystems