not mixed with waste from a wide
range of sources.
•Smaller decentralised schemes are
typically simpler to operate and less
demanding from an institutional
perspective as they involve the
coordination of the activities of fewer
people.
Successful decentralised waste
recycling and reuse practices typically
use waste from a limited number of
known sources. As a result, they are
characterised by waste generators
reusing their own waste or there being
a link between the waste generators
and users either on a formal or
informal basis. In addition, many
decentralised practices do not involve
the formal solid waste management
system in their day-to-day operation
and are carried out on a largely private
basis. Examples include:
> anaerobic digesters for
individual establishments or
households;
> on-farm reuse of agricultural
wastes;
> recovery of energy from bagasse
within sugar processing plants,;
> networks of local farmers
collecting waste directly from
local food markets;
> local farming co-operatives
collecting and treating canteen
and restaurant waste for use as
animal feed; and
> commercial compost and
fertiliser manufacturers
collecting market, poultry and
abattoir wastes as feedstock.
Local authorities can stimulate and
support the development of
decentralised practices through
awareness building, technical and
financial support, capacity building and
the creation of an enabling regulatory
and institutional context.
In practice, however, there are many
situations where it is not practical to
adopt decentralised approaches as they
are dependent on there being sufficient
local demand for the type of waste
produced and sufficient resources and
space for recycling activities and
storage of waste.
Examples of situations where
decentralised approaches may not be
appropriate include producers of large
quantities of organic waste in urban
areas where there is lesser demand for
organic waste. They are also not well
suited to recycling waste from a large
number of small sources, such as
domestic kitchens, small restaurants
and street food stalls. Herein it can be
difficult to control the level of
contaminant in the waste and more
costly to collect.
Large scale approaches will remain
necessary
As decentralised approaches are only
appropriate in certain settings there
remains a major need for alternative,
large scale waste management
practices that will encourage the
widespread reuse and recycling of
organic waste from food. Large scale
practices will inevitably involve more
area-wide systems of recycling, with
waste being used further from where it
is generated. Examples of area-wide
practices for the reuse of organic waste
include:
> large central composting plants;
> municipal source separation and
collection schemes;